Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[mreams99]

I had some AE shark shoes and they leather was hard and just tough as nails. Nothing scratched it. The deer skin shoes I have seen are very supple.

View attachment 843423

You sold your Belmonts?

 

[smfdoc]

You sold your Belmonts?

Yes. One of the victims of multiple purges that would temporarily lower my shoe count only to see it rise higher in the next few months. Much like a yo-yo diet. When I was a kid we were so poor that the only thing I had to played with was a yo-yo, and that was my cousin Larry.

 

[kilowatts]

I had some AE shark shoes and they leather was hard and just tough as nails. Nothing scratched it. The deer skin shoes I have seen are very supple.

View attachment 843423

Hi Guys:

I like my AE "Belmont" sharkskin bluchers a lot. The leather does indeed seem to be bullet proof and the shoes are very comfortable.

kilowatts

 

[suitforcourt]

Yes. One of the victims of multiple purges that would temporarily lower my shoe count only to see it rise higher in the next few months. Much like a yo-yo diet. When I was a kid we were so poor that the only thing I had to played with was a yo-yo, and that was my cousin Larry.

How many pairs of dress shoes you have right now? I am at 25, with 20 pairs being vintage or 2nd hand.

 

[suitforcourt]

Hi Guys:

I like my AE "Belmont" sharkskin bluchers a lot. The leather does indeed seem to be bullet proof and the shoes are very comfortable.

kilowatts

So very tough eh? Now I gotta find a pair!

 

[kilowatts]

Hi Guys:

I like my AE "Belmont" sharkskin bluchers a lot. The leather does indeed seem to be bullet proof and the shoes are very comfortable.

kilowatts

 

[kilowatts]

Another Pic!
Sorry for the screwup guys!
kilowatts

 

[smfdoc]

How many pairs of dress shoes you have right now? I am at 25, with 20 pairs being vintage or 2nd hand.

34 with 3 Aldens on order that will come in some time over the next 3-15 months. But the number swelled to 34 because of getting 7 pairs in the past several months. Opportunities presented and one thing led to another. Come to think of it, that pretty much describes how I came to have 6 sons.

 

[kilowatts]

Hi Guys:

Just to change the subject completely.....
Please see below for pics of my Dinkelacker buffalo Budas complete with Goyser stitch details!
I know Dinks don't get a lot of love and I know they look really clunky except when they're being worn. However, they are extremely comfortable and quite stylish(in my opinion), and they almost always get good remarks.

kilowatts

 

[kilowatts]

Sorry Guys:

I seem to have screwed up the picture posting again. I'll try to improve!

kilowatts

 

[smfdoc]

Sorry Guys:

I seem to have screwed up the picture posting again. I'll try to improve!

kilowatts

I just thought you had OCD. When you find that this occurs, just click the "Edit" option at the bottom border of your post. You can then go back into the post and remove the duplicates or add other comments or images that were forgotten. I sometimes edit a post 3-4 times. For example, these last two sentences were not in the original post. Save the changes and it will all be corrected.

 

[Lionel Hutz]

Others have answered well, but I'll add that it takes a long time to build a good vintage shoe collection. The shoes that I have showed here I've acquired over several years, not over night. I often go months without seeing anything that I want to add to my collection.

I am learning this lesson, I ran out and purchased a few pair of middling quality vintage shoes and I probably paid too much for them. I am now resolved to be FAR more selective. OTOH I am working on my first restoration of a pair of Florsheim 93606 PTB v-cleats. I had used renomat on a pair of AE Shell MacNeils I picked up but there wasn't much to remove. These PTBs had been stained almost black so pulling off the old finish was quite exciting (left shoe has had one treatment of renomat and R shoe has "original" eBay finish). I picked these up for $60 so not a great deal but I'm not too mad because I am enjoying trying the hobby out. Still in the future I am going to be far more selective and seek better quality at a higher price point

I know there is more art than science to this so I am leaning against stripping them completely, Hopefully the dark areas will add patina and depth to the color once I polish them up again

 

[kilowatts]

Thanks SMFDOC:

I think I have it now. Also, I resent the OCD slur. I'm not OCD. I'm not OCD. I'm not OCD.

kilowatts

 

[smfdoc]

Doing some shoe maintenance today with Collonil and then photos in the sun. Florsheim 97626.

 

[mreams99]

Yes. One of the victims of multiple purges that would temporarily lower my shoe count only to see it rise higher in the next few months. Much like a yo-yo diet. When I was a kid we were so poor that the only thing I had to played with was a yo-yo, and that was my cousin Larry.

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I hope that those weren't my size (13B).