Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[Oshare]

Sorry, guys. I know I'm dragging this out... but this is a good mystery so I hope you'll all bear with me.

One more bit of info I just noticed is that this 2nd pair of white LWBs has the U-shaped sponge under the sock liner that you can see in this photo I posted earlier.

According to the Japanese blogger I linked to previously, this is another pre-1966 indicator.

Kuromame Blog - Vintage Shoes & Watches, etc...

 

[wasmisterfu]

Once I found out what they were, I pulled the trigger faster than Lucky Luke. I think they are really cool ??
View attachment 1622568

Very, very cool. Looks like they're in nice shape, too.

 

[eTrojan]

Sorry, guys. I know I'm dragging this out... but this is a good mystery so I hope you'll all bear with me.

One more bit of info I just noticed is that this 2nd pair of white LWBs has the U-shaped sponge under the sock liner that you can see in this photo I posted earlier.

According to the Japanese blogger I linked to previously, this is another pre-1966 indicator.

Kuromame Blog - Vintage Shoes & Watches, etc...

Just going on the color/type of the size/model markings, I'd vote for 1964.

 

[davidVC]

Sorry, guys. I know I'm dragging this out... but this is a good mystery so I hope you'll all bear with me.

One more bit of info I just noticed is that this 2nd pair of white LWBs has the U-shaped sponge under the sock liner that you can see in this photo I posted earlier.

According to the Japanese blogger I linked to previously, this is another pre-1966 indicator.

Kuromame Blog - Vintage Shoes & Watches, etc...

They definitely are not he Spanish Custom Grade line. Those pairs look European.

I think they were made in the 1960s based on the construction.

They look like Imperials but most likely not produced in a Florsheim factory.

 

[davidVC]

These are a few of the Spanish pairs from a 1988 catalog.

If I remember correctly, they say Made in Spain in them.

 

[wasmisterfu]

View attachment 1622629

These are a few of the Spanish pairs from a 1988 catalog.

If I remember correctly, they say Made in Spain in them.

In my experience, they looked a lot better in catalog pictures than they did IRL.

 

[stook1]

I'm beginning to feel like the suede chester guy. Someone should buy this pair. They are in excellent/almost new shape. Not my shoes... 9D.

Allen Edmonds Chester Oxford Wingtip Dress Shoes Brown Leather Suede Mens US 9 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Allen Edmonds Chester Oxford Wingtip Dress Shoes Brown Leather Suede Mens US 9 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Leiker]

American Gentleman Longwing gunboat, double sole, split storm welt. Ebay purchase NOS for 48 dollars. Leather is not Florsheim quality but I like the design and overall quality.

 

[friendlygoz]

I'm beginning to feel like the suede chester guy. Someone should buy this pair. They are in excellent/almost new shape. Not my shoes... 9D.

Allen Edmonds Chester Oxford Wingtip Dress Shoes Brown Leather Suede Mens US 9 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Allen Edmonds Chester Oxford Wingtip Dress Shoes Brown Leather Suede Mens US 9 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

...and... done. Seller offer $70. I grabbed them. I saw them on my alert email. I don’t have suede, I’ve been wanting some Chesters, these look like they have one wear, they are from 1995 (good year for me), and they are @stook1 and @Quantum17 approved. That all adds up to a good buy.

 

[stook1]

...and... done. Seller offer $70. I grabbed them. I saw them on my alert email. I don’t have suede, I’ve been wanting some Chesters, these look like they have one wear, they are from 1995 (good year for me), and they are @stook1 and @Quantum17 approved. That all adds up to a good buy.

Super! I saw this after I replied to your PM, haha. Good snag on that pair especially at that price.

 

[smfdoc]

...and... done. Seller offer $70. I grabbed them. I saw them on my alert email. I don’t have suede, I’ve been wanting some Chesters, these look like they have one wear, they are from 1995 (good year for me), and they are @stook1 and @Quantum17 approved. That all adds up to a good buy.

Excellent pick up. The shoes are great and the price was a super deal.

 

[happypebble]

American Gentleman Longwing gunboat, double sole, split storm welt. Ebay purchase NOS for 48 dollars. Leather is not Florsheim quality but I like the design and overall quality. View attachment 1622696

Congrats. The burgundy American Gentleman pair I bought has turned out to be a very solid pair, a good buy. Yours look good, long may they wear

 

[friendlygoz]

Excellent pick up. The shoes are great and the price was a super deal.

AND @smfdoc approved?! I might just end my day now at 8:13AM PST and say it was a good day.

 

[eTrojan]

AND @smfdoc approved?! I might just end my day now at 8:13AM PST and say it was a good day.

 

[wasmisterfu]

American Gentleman Longwing gunboat, double sole, split storm welt. Ebay purchase NOS for 48 dollars. Leather is not Florsheim quality but I like the design and overall quality. View attachment 1622696

They’re not bad at all.

They were a main brand of Craddock-Terry, once the 5th largest shoe company in the world. They eventually succumbed to margin pressure in the late 80’s. Like most of the big firms, they were too big to function as a luxury brand (a’la AE and Alden) and simply couldn’t compete on cost.

Here’s an interesting archived article from the Washington Post, about an attempted restart of the company after its bankruptcy:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1988/06/20/craddock-terry-shoe-factory-has-reopened/d8931851-8fb3-4860-a5b2-e9edb422ec8c/

I love this quote:

“Peters, who worked for Craddock-Terry for 46 years before retiring in 1986, said the old company went out of business because it ran out of money, not because of declining sales.”

LOL, yeah my man, CODB 101: you gotta have more money coming in, than going out as you can’t lose money on every unit and make it up in volume.

Anyway, here’s a cool cover shot of a shareholder report from better times.