Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[Nobleprofessor]

I will set one up in February. Any ideas are welcome and will receive full consideration.

anything I can do to help, let me know.

 

[woofmang]

Separate question: does neutral Cordovan cream work as well as the tinted varieties? I have a pair of Shell loafers in an unusual color and burgundy or brown would be way too dark.

I have the Saphir Neutral Cordovan Creme, and it hasn't affected the color of anything I've used it on.

 

[Nobleprofessor]

Somebody recently posted a pair of Church's. Years ago, Church's was a fantastic Northhampton manufacturer that made exceptional shoes. I believe in the last several years the quality has declined dramatically. Prada bought the company and from what I have heard, they have slowly ruined the reputation of a high quality british manufacturer.

BUT, I think the vintage Church's are exceptional. I was thinking about this last night and decided to get my Church's Cap Toe out to clean up and polish.

Spoiler: Rambling thoughts about Cap Toes because it was too long

A black cap toe is, in my opinion, a requirement of a gentlemen's collection. As I really like some black cap toe oxfords. However, they can be pretty boring. Even the best looking Cap Toe with rich traditional elegance isn't exactly eye catching. I suppose that is the reason to have them. They are VERY formal. They can be the perfect choice of shoe to dress up a dark suit. Because they are not worn that much, a quality pair will last for decades. Despite my appreciation for this traditional shoe, I was very bored with them after I polished them.

My wife (probably like many of your spouses) likes my shoes. But, she pokes a little fun at me when I get a pair out to clean up or polish. She will say, "Oh, you are going to take some pictures and post for these for the guys on the forum?" She isn't really making fun, she just doesn't get it like we all do. So, when I was done, she asked if I was going to wear them and take pictures. I decided I was not.

The simple elegance of the cap toe just seemed too dull.

I thought I would try a mirror shine on the cap toe. I thought that would elevate the excitement. After all the above rambling, I have finally come to the point. I could not seem to get a real mirror shine! A few years ago I found an OLD shoe shine kit. Inside was two old cans of Shinola polish (remember The Jerk? Learn the difference between **** and shinola). Even though it was very old, it was still thick and creamy. I figured it must have some good stuff in it since it has not dried out. I have used the polish before and it worked fine. It made the rest of the shoe look good. I got out my tin of Saphir Pate De Luxe black and tried to do a mirror shine on the cap toe. They turned out okay, but not mirror shine. I polished and rubbed and used a little water and rubbed and polished and kept going. I brushed and brushed. But, could not get it.

How do you all do it? Do I need the saphir Mirror Gloss polish? Any other tips? Maybe the Shinola just didn't cut it.

 

[happypebble]

What's a good price for these? Found a pair that's never seen the concrete.

I paid in the neighborhood of $30 each for my two pairs. What size did you find?

 

[woofmang]

Somebody recently posted a pair of Church's. Years ago, Church's was a fantastic Northhampton manufacturer that made exceptional shoes. I believe in the last several years the quality has declined dramatically. Prada bought the company and from what I have heard, they have slowly ruined the reputation of a high quality british manufacturer.

BUT, I think the vintage Church's are exceptional. I was thinking about this last night and decided to get my Church's Cap Toe out to clean up and polish.

Spoiler: Rambling thoughts about Cap Toes because it was too long

A black cap toe is, in my opinion, a requirement of a gentlemen's collection. As I really like some black cap toe oxfords. However, they can be pretty boring. Even the best looking Cap Toe with rich traditional elegance isn't exactly eye catching. I suppose that is the reason to have them. They are VERY formal. They can be the perfect choice of shoe to dress up a dark suit. Because they are not worn that much, a quality pair will last for decades. Despite my appreciation for this traditional shoe, I was very bored with them after I polished them.

My wife (probably like many of your spouses) likes my shoes. But, she pokes a little fun at me when I get a pair out to clean up or polish. She will say, "Oh, you are going to take some pictures and post for these for the guys on the forum?" She isn't really making fun, she just doesn't get it like we all do. So, when I was done, she asked if I was going to wear them and take pictures. I decided I was not.

The simple elegance of the cap toe just seemed too dull.

I thought I would try a mirror shine on the cap toe. I thought that would elevate the excitement. After all the above rambling, I have finally come to the point. I could not seem to get a real mirror shine! A few years ago I found an OLD shoe shine kit. Inside was two old cans of Shinola polish (remember The Jerk? Learn the difference between **** and shinola). Even though it was very old, it was still thick and creamy. I figured it must have some good stuff in it since it has not dried out. I have used the polish before and it worked fine. It made the rest of the shoe look good. I got out my tin of Saphir Pate De Luxe black and tried to do a mirror shine on the cap toe. They turned out okay, but not mirror shine. I polished and rubbed and used a little water and rubbed and polished and kept going. I brushed and brushed. But, could not get it.

How do you all do it? Do I need the saphir Mirror Gloss polish? Any other tips? Maybe the Shinola just didn't cut it.

It's tough to get a mirror with regular polish; the waxes are too soft (disclaimer: this may not be the whole reason, but it's the gist). Saphir mirror gloss uses much harder waxes, which makes it easier to build up a mirror shine. Another great wax for mirror shines (about half the price of Saphir, and it smells great, too) is Pure Polish High Shine:

High Shine Paste Polish

*This is our recommended polish for adding a mirror shine (bull shine or spit shine). This is a single two ounce (2oz) tin of Pure Polish Products High Shine Paste Polish. Used for protecting and shining non-suede/non-patent leather goods, typically toe caps and heel quarters of dress shoes.

www.purepolishproducts.com

(And no, @DapperAndy won't give me a commission if you buy from that link; I just like his polishes a lot.)

For some great tutorials on putting on a mirror shine, I recommend Elegant Oxford (Preston Soto) on youtube (and I think @DapperAndy has a video or two also; look under How-Tos on his site).

 

[Oshare]

Somebody recently posted a pair of Church's. Years ago, Church's was a fantastic Northhampton manufacturer that made exceptional shoes. I believe in the last several years the quality has declined dramatically. Prada bought the company and from what I have heard, they have slowly ruined the reputation of a high quality british manufacturer.

BUT, I think the vintage Church's are exceptional. I was thinking about this last night and decided to get my Church's Cap Toe out to clean up and polish.

Spoiler: Rambling thoughts about Cap Toes because it was too long

A black cap toe is, in my opinion, a requirement of a gentlemen's collection. As I really like some black cap toe oxfords. However, they can be pretty boring. Even the best looking Cap Toe with rich traditional elegance isn't exactly eye catching. I suppose that is the reason to have them. They are VERY formal. They can be the perfect choice of shoe to dress up a dark suit. Because they are not worn that much, a quality pair will last for decades. Despite my appreciation for this traditional shoe, I was very bored with them after I polished them.

My wife (probably like many of your spouses) likes my shoes. But, she pokes a little fun at me when I get a pair out to clean up or polish. She will say, "Oh, you are going to take some pictures and post for these for the guys on the forum?" She isn't really making fun, she just doesn't get it like we all do. So, when I was done, she asked if I was going to wear them and take pictures. I decided I was not.

The simple elegance of the cap toe just seemed too dull.

I thought I would try a mirror shine on the cap toe. I thought that would elevate the excitement. After all the above rambling, I have finally come to the point. I could not seem to get a real mirror shine! A few years ago I found an OLD shoe shine kit. Inside was two old cans of Shinola polish (remember The Jerk? Learn the difference between **** and shinola). Even though it was very old, it was still thick and creamy. I figured it must have some good stuff in it since it has not dried out. I have used the polish before and it worked fine. It made the rest of the shoe look good. I got out my tin of Saphir Pate De Luxe black and tried to do a mirror shine on the cap toe. They turned out okay, but not mirror shine. I polished and rubbed and used a little water and rubbed and polished and kept going. I brushed and brushed. But, could not get it.

How do you all do it? Do I need the saphir Mirror Gloss polish? Any other tips? Maybe the Shinola just didn't cut it.

We have a few shoe polishers in Tokyo who can get an amazing mirror shine with paste polishes. I've actually had shoes polished by a few of them and it's amazing to watch... but I personally just don't have the touch to get that kind of shine when trying it myself.

I broke down and bought Saphir Mirror Gloss. Much easier to get the results I wanted.

 

[CWOyaji]

Dabbing ice water between light layers of wax is what I’ve done when I wanted to get that effect. Just going with the regular shine on my J&M shell wingtips today, though.

 

[stook1]

These arent really vintage and they arent mine but they are a good deal and a cool shoe. Someone should snap these Edward Greens up.

Edward Green Men‘s Dark Green Penny Loafer (UK 8.5 / US 9 / EU 42.5) | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Edward Green Men‘s Dark Green Penny Loafer (UK 8.5 / US 9 / EU 42.5) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[eTrojan]

1985 AE MacNeil in black cashmere calf: one of 8 pairs of black pebble grain LWBs in my closet right now.

I chose these instead of the late-60s model because the last on the older ones is ever slightly more narrow, and I didn’t feel like a snug fit today after kicking around the mountains all weekend in tennis shoes.

 

[suitforcourt]

1985 AE MacNeil in black cashmere calf: one of 8 pairs of black pebble grain LWBs in my closet right now.

I chose these instead of the late-60s model because the last on the older ones is ever slightly more narrow, and I didn’t feel like a snug fit today after kicking around the mountains all weekend in tennis shoes.

View attachment 1321948

View attachment 1321949

I love the trousers.

 

[eTrojan]

I love the trousers.

Yeah, it was 60F in LA today, so I had to break out the heavy tweed. Brrrrr!

 

[lemmy127]

I’ve been had. The vintage Knapp longwings I got on eBay arrived today. They fit great and the uppers seem decent... but the lining feels cheap, the leather sole barely qualifies as leather, and I’m fairly certain the welt is plastic.

Guess that makes it an easy decision for deciding which pair of longwings gets dyed green!

 

[The Apostle]

I paid in the neighborhood of $30 each for my two pairs. What size did you find?

Here is the link. I'm not completely sold on them, so if someone in my bird foot size snags them, oh well. I was just curious how good of a deal or not this listing is.

NEW MENS VINTAGE 10B WIDE WEYENBERG MASSAGIC USA BLACK LEATHER SHOES | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NEW MENS VINTAGE 10B WIDE WEYENBERG MASSAGIC USA BLACK LEATHER SHOES at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

rover.ebay.com

 

[davidVC]

I will set one up in February. Any ideas are welcome and will receive full consideration.

We need a trophy for first. Like this one:

 

[happypebble]

Here is the link. I'm not completely sold on them, so if someone in my bird foot size snags them, oh well. I was just curious how good of a deal or not this listing is.

NEW MENS VINTAGE 10B WIDE WEYENBERG MASSAGIC USA BLACK LEATHER SHOES | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NEW MENS VINTAGE 10B WIDE WEYENBERG MASSAGIC USA BLACK LEATHER SHOES at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

rover.ebay.com

Nice looking. I don't see why you couldn't get $50 for them.