Dacks and other Canadian shoe brands

[Jiqea]

In coming vintage NOS RCMP Strathcona boots, built by MacFarlane & LeFaivre (Mac & L) in 1956 in Montreal. I am a sucker for stuff like this. Mac & L built the "high browns" during the 50's and into the 60's. I am beginning to think another maker had the contract in the late 60's and early 70's, but I haven't been able to pin that down, although I own a pair. They were built by Hartt from 1974-1998, and from 1998 to the present by the Alberta Boot Co. The design originates from the Boar war when they were first manufactured by Slater in Montreal.

It is rare to find them in this condition from the 50's, although there is a size 11 pair on eBay right now from 1958. I wish all shoes and boots were so easy to date.

 

[suitforcourt]

Boulet roper kiltie in bison. My first pair in this style. And I must say, really liking them. Thanks to @Jiqea for the heads up.

 

[Jiqea]

Boulet roper kiltie in bison. My first pair in this style. And I must say, really liking them. Thanks to @Jiqea for the heads up.

View attachment 1554725 View attachment 1554726

They look great and the fit looks good for you. Do they fit similarly to your other Boulets? That is quite a wide last that they use. I bet I would need to size down if I bought a pair. I am going to try some of their products on when I am at Gary's place next, but I have a pair of shell Vibergs ordered, so the next boot may be from my wife.

 

[Jiqea]

A really cool pair of circa 1958 special order Hartt oxfords came in today. They were made for Sterling which was a western Canadian retail chain. I have not seen this particular design anywhere else. The sock liner is cool as it uses the Hartt 1920-30 logo which is very unusual. However the stamped logo on the soles indicates that the shoes post date 1958. This pair still employ the old Hartt coding system which was changed to the Dack system shortly after Dacks bought Hartt in 58. Based on that I think they date to right around that time; late 58 or early 59.

 

[suitforcourt]

They look great and the fit looks good for you. Do they fit similarly to your other Boulets? That is quite a wide last that they use. I bet I would need to size down if I bought a pair. I am going to try some of their products on when I am at Gary's place next, but I have a pair of shell Vibergs ordered, so the next boot may be from my wife.

So all of my Boulet boots are 8.5eee. This pair, is snug with a thick pair of winter wool socks. And the soles are noticeably thin.

The other Boulet casual boots have a much wider last, and the thicker soles, and cushy insoles, make them much more comfortable. The casual line allows my toes some wiggle room.

 

[suitforcourt]

Gents, 30% discount on Boulet boots.

https://bouletboots.com/product-category/casuals/

Canadian made, and for the price, I think they execute better than Red Wing or Wolverine 1000 Mile. I have 3 pairs, and they fit great and feel good on my feet. No break in time.

 

[suitforcourt]

I hope none of you are caught up in this. By far, one of the wildest stories I have read in a while.

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[dadjeans]

So I was replacing a pair of cowboy boots on the top shoe rack yesterday at a local VV when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the "box-bar" of a pair of John McHale PTBs. I was so excited to investigate further that I let go of the boots too hastily and narrowly dodged them as they fell to the ground. Stay safe out there, gents!

Pics of them (and two other pair of vtg Canadian footwear) will follow this weekend provided no further footwear-related peril befalls me...

 

[stook1]

x-posting this here in case any of you don't traffic the vintage thread.

Gentlemen, the below pair of shoes is up there with some of my best finds ever. I've been on a mission to acquire some of the premier vintage shoes that were made in Canada and have been scouring the planet for great finds. This particular pair fell into my lap and in a stroke of fortuitous timing they happen to be listed for sale while @Jiqea was on an ice fishing trip, which almost certainly allowed me to secure the purchase while he was asleep at the rod or sipping schnapps or whatever.

These were originally listed as a size 10 with no width listed and no photos showing the width. I bought them anyway only to find out that they were, in fact, a 9B. Big time bummer since there is zero chance that I can fit into a B and certainly not a 9 either. Nonetheless, considering the rarity of this shoe and that fact that it was NOS, I decided to purchase them anyway. Half of that decision was, frankly, just to check them out since I was really curious about the construction and leather quality. Anyway, behold... I tend to doubt there is another NOS pair of these around anywhere but I guess you never know. I can't tell you how much I wish they were a 10.

These are probably about 60 years old give or take a few years. They arrived in pretty remarkable shape all considered but I wiped them down, gave them two coats of Bick4, touched them up sparingly with some light brown and dark brown MdO cream polish, and a coat of mahogany MdO wax polish.

 

[Jiqea]

x-posting this here in case any of you don't traffic the vintage thread.

Gentlemen, the below pair of shoes is up there with some of my best finds ever. I've been on a mission to acquire some of the premier vintage shoes that were made in Canada and have been scouring the planet for great finds. This particular pair fell into my lap and in a stroke of fortuitous timing they happen to be listed for sale while @Jiqea was on an ice fishing trip, which almost certainly allowed me to secure the purchase while he was asleep at the rod or sipping schnapps or whatever.

These were originally listed as a size 10 with no width listed and no photos showing the width. I bought them anyway only to find out that they were, in fact, a 9B. Big time bummer since there is zero chance that I can fit into a B and certainly not a 9 either. Nonetheless, considering the rarity of this shoe and that fact that it was NOS, I decided to purchase them anyway. Half of that decision was, frankly, just to check them out since I was really curious about the construction and leather quality. Anyway, behold... I tend to doubt there is another NOS pair of these around anywhere but I guess you never know. I can't tell you how much I wish they were a 10.

These are probably about 60 years old give or take a few years. They arrived in pretty remarkable shape all considered but I wiped them down, gave them two coats of Bick4, touched them up sparingly with some light brown and dark brown MdO cream polish, and a coat of mahogany MdO wax polish.

View attachment 1569225

View attachment 1569222

View attachment 1569220

You cant tell me those dogs still wouldn't hunt. Remarkable shoes. I think they date to right around 1958. McHale used the same idea of the series of large circular plugs on the heels of their heavier shoes in the early 50's. I have never seen a Canadian made shoe with a V-cleat, even the Florsheim. This pair also has more nails at the waist than I have ever seen on a pair of Hartts. Are they triple soled? Wonderful shoes.

 

[dadjeans]

Baffin Seal Dack's (7.5 F)

And the other two don't get the fancy photo treatment since they're already on their way to @Jiqea for a spa day and makeover. The first pair he suggested were likely kangaroo.

Slater cap toe oxfords (12 E)

The second was, of course, not the PTB I had suggested, but rather a cap-toe blucher.

Happy hunting!

 

[stook1]

You cant tell me those dogs still wouldn't hunt. Remarkable shoes. I think they date to right around 1958. McHale used the same idea of the series of large circular plugs on the heels of their heavier shoes in the early 50's. I have never seen a Canadian made shoe with a V-cleat, even the Florsheim. This pair also has more nails at the waist than I have ever seen on a pair of Hartts. Are they triple soled? Wonderful shoes.

The soles are insane, they must be triple soled. They remind me a lot of current day Enzo Bonafe. They are such a cool pair of shoes. It's killing me that they are too small.

By the way, I actually view the metal peg design of the heels to be a superior construction relative to v-cleats. Nettleton also used a peg design, albeit a little different since there is only one larger peg. However, I find they to be generally less slick for some reason. I think it may be because there is a little less metal area exposed towards the outer edge of the heel. It's also possible that I am out of my mind and imagining things...

 

[Jiqea]

The soles are insane, they must be triple soled. They remind me a lot of current day Enzo Bonafe. They are such a cool pair of shoes. It's killing me that they are too small.

By the way, I actually view the metal peg design of the heels to be a superior construction relative to v-cleats. Nettleton also used a peg design, albeit a little different since there is only one larger peg. However, I find they to be generally less slick for some reason. I think it may be because there is a little less metal area exposed towards the outer edge of the heel. It's also possible that I am out of my mind and imagining things...

Here is an early 50's John McHale heel, built for sale by Owen Elmes of Toronto.

 

[suitforcourt]

Baffin Seal Dack's (7.5 F)
View attachment 1569270
View attachment 1569271 View attachment 1569272

And the other two don't get the fancy photo treatment since they're already on their way to @Jiqea for a spa day and makeover. The first pair he suggested were likely kangaroo.

Slater cap toe oxfords (12 E)
View attachment 1569266

The second was, of course, not the PTB I had suggested, but rather a cap-toe blucher.
View attachment 1569267

Happy hunting!

The black cap toe pair, what size? I'd love to have them if they fit.

 

[stook1]

The black cap toe pair, what size? I'd love to have them if they fit.

Count me in as well if they are too big for @suitforcourt...