Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[Hotel Cali]

70s or 80s AE Jodhpurs. If these jeans were bell bottoms ... then viva 1970s.

 

[Hotel Cali]

These WWII British Army officer's field boots just arrived. They have full British military north arrow markings and are stamped as "Moccasin Makers, Northampton 1944". The same boot design was used by the Canadian military. These boots are in near NOS condition and are marked as 7 S. UK 7 narrow I presume, although they don't look particularly narrow.

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Super find.

They are my size so I'm dreaming how I would wear these ... Lol.

 

[hamercha]

Back from vacation cruise. I’m way behind on pages. I wore flip flops and Sperry for the last 10 days and I am glad to be back in real shoes. I did discover on a couple of shore excursions that Sperry are not all the comfortable for a lot of walking.

Despite missing my dress/work shoes, I decided to ease back into office life with a fairly laid back pair of loafers. A pair that never lets me down.

Maybe this would be a good time for guess the maker! This one might be too easy. But, after 10 days off, I have to ease back into work also.

Thus, here are your clues:

1. Made in the USA
2. Not sure of the age, but old enough that they were made in USA and made with quality materials.
3. Real hand sewn moccasin construction
4. Real quality leather sole

View attachment 1338689 View attachment 1338690

Back from vacation cruise. I’m way behind on pages. I wore flip flops and Sperry for the last 10 days and I am glad to be back in real shoes. I did discover on a couple of shore excursions that Sperry are not all the comfortable for a lot of walking.

Despite missing my dress/work shoes, I decided to ease back into office life with a fairly laid back pair of loafers. A pair that never lets me down.

Maybe this would be a good time for guess the maker! This one might be too easy. But, after 10 days off, I have to ease back into work also.

Thus, here are your clues:

1. Made in the USA
2. Not sure of the age, but old enough that they were made in USA and made with quality materials.
3. Real hand sewn moccasin construction
4. Real quality leather sole

View attachment 1338689 View attachment 1338690

this looks like Sebago cayman which like almost all sebago were made in Maine until it was bought by wolverine in 2003.

sebago used to make classic loafers for brooks brother

 

[CWOyaji]

Nettleton gators today.

 

[tocohillsguy]

I had a pair of older Leeds “refinished” by Allen Edmonds. I have seen shoes that go through recraft. They look pretty good and it’s a fairly dramatic change. I have never had a refinish. I was worried it would be a good shoe polish and not much else.

My expectations were not high, but the results were, in a word, disappointing. Perhaps, I should not have expected much.

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They look better. The color is more consistent. But, it does not look any better than if I had spent $8 for an airport shoe shine.

They did come with a box and new laces.

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So, if the shoe shine is worth $12 (with tip), then the box is $30 and $8 laces. I’m a little disappointed. It has not soured me on recrafting but I think I will skip the $50 refinishing in the future.

As for the guess the maker loafer, I’ll give you another hint. Think 1980’s and they not Bass.

Sorry about your disappointing experience. My own experience with AE has been mixed. I sent in some shell cordovan Leeds for refinishing and I was very pleased with the results. However, several years later I sent in some shell cordovan Bradleys for recrafting and I was disappointed in the workmanship. With the Bradleys, around the toe area of both shoes, AE missed the stitching channel on the bottom of the soles. I've considered adding taps or a rubber Topy to hide the problem, but truthfully no one is likely to notice but me. However, the experience has left me less inclined to use AE's recrafting services.

Below are some before and after pictures of the Leeds. And you can find my post about the recrafting (with pictures) here...

Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

The AE recraft for shell includes JR soles and new heels (not just the lifts). The price is the same as the price for recrafting non-shell shoes with non-JR soles. Not a bad deal. Unfortunately, they did a sloppy job on my AE shell Bradleys. Can you post pics? The AE group on Facebook has...

www.styleforum.net

 

[Nobleprofessor]

this looks like Sebago cayman which like almost all sebago were made in Maine until it was bought by wolverine in 2003.

sebago used to make classic loafers for brooks brother

DING! They are Sebago!

 

[friendlygoz]

Nettleton gators today. View attachment 1339059

Those look great with jeans. I have to try that look with mine.

 

[Nealjpage]

The finish on the vamps of these Bostonians keeps flaking. They're not CG, but they look like they've been glazed or something. When I first got them, I cleaned with Fiebing's saddle soap, Bick 4ed 'em to death, and evened out the color variations with some cordovan colored shoe cream. AND the first time I wore them, the color flaked off again.

So I went at one of them with some rubbing alcohol, and a lot of the red cream came off. But as soon as I flexed the shoe, CRACK. I brushed them with a stiff shoe brush, and my hands were covered in flecks of burgundy glaze.

Clearly more power was in order. I grabbed my wife's fingernail polish remover, thinking that the hair-curling acetone would strip that glaze right off. Ha! That **** is for amateurs. It pulled less glaze off than the alcohol did.

I finally decided that it was time to get medieval on them, so I went after it with some Fiebing's on a Scotch-brite. That was effective. Perhaps too medieval, because now the raw portion of the vamp is kind of rough.

So, now what? Should I put some Bicks on the Scotch-brite and lightly smooth the raw leather? Then several coats of cordovan cream? The experimental shoe is on the left.

 

[woofmang]

The finish on the vamps of these Bostonians keeps flaking. They're not CG, but they look like they've been glazed or something. When I first got them, I cleaned with Fiebing's saddle soap, Bick 4ed 'em to death, and evened out the color variations with some cordovan colored shoe cream. AND the first time I wore them, the color flaked off again.

So I went at one of them with some rubbing alcohol, and a lot of the red cream came off. But as soon as I flexed the shoe, CRACK. I brushed them with a stiff shoe brush, and my hands were covered in flecks of burgundy glaze.

Clearly more power was in order. I grabbed my wife's fingernail polish remover, thinking that the hair-curling acetone would strip that glaze right off. Ha! That **** is for amateurs. It pulled less glaze off than the alcohol did.

I finally decided that it was time to get medieval on them, so I went after it with some Fiebing's on a Scotch-brite. That was effective. Perhaps too medieval, because now the raw portion of the vamp is kind of rough.

So, now what? Should I put some Bicks on the Scotch-brite and lightly smooth the raw leather? Then several coats of cordovan cream? The experimental shoe is on the left.

View attachment 1339154

No helpful suggestions about where to go from here, but an observation that nail polish remover bought from a drug store or supermarket is often not pure acetone, and so will be less than effective at removing shoe finish. You can get pure acetone at a lot of hardware stores (e.g., ACE Hardware sells "Klean Strip" acetone by the quart or gallon).

 

[smfdoc]

Happy Tuesday forum pals. Several posts have mentioned Bedo's leather works and Steve's work on Florsheim shoes. I had him do some soles on a pair for me. He posted a video last September of a full restoration of a pair of shell Florsheims, including the suicide heel. It is posted below (all 58 minutes of it) for those who wish to see what level of work went into the original Florsheim soles. Spoiler alert, this resole cost $900 because of the time spent on the heels. Enjoy.

 

[suitforcourt]

Happy Tuesday forum pals. Several posts have mentioned Bedo's leather works and Steve's work on Florsheim shoes. I had him do some soles on a pair for me. He posted a video last September of a full restoration of a pair of shell Florsheims, including the suicide heel. It is posted below (all 58 minutes of it) for those who wish to see what level of work went into the original Florsheim soles. Spoiler alert, this resole cost $900 because of the time spent on the heels. Enjoy.

Steve does amazing work. But others can do the same for less.

Jim McFarland is the cobbler who does the work for Hanger Project:

Florsheim Imperials Resoling and Restoration

A highly-collectable shoe described by many as one of the finest American-made shoes ever, original are exceptionally difficult to come by and extraordinarily well-made. The Florsheim Imperials are massive derby's built with an armored heel, double-sole, and a split-reverse-welt storm welt. Our...

www.hangerproject.com

And Dan Frappier in Sudbury Ontario can reproduce it for much less.

I've always wonder what happened to most of the workers from the Florsheim factory. Did they become cobblers? Did Florsheim allow the workers to take stock materials with them?

 

[Nobleprofessor]

Happy Tuesday forum pals. Several posts have mentioned Bedo's leather works and Steve's work on Florsheim shoes. I had him do some soles on a pair for me. He posted a video last September of a full restoration of a pair of shell Florsheims, including the suicide heel. It is posted below (all 58 minutes of it) for those who wish to see what level of work went into the original Florsheim soles. Spoiler alert, this resole cost $900 because of the time spent on the heels. Enjoy.

$900? I’m sure it’s quality work and there is nothing quite as great as a restored or NOS pair of Florsheim LWB. But, $900? I have bought cars for less than that. I like when I find a pair with a Vcleat, but my goodness they are slick!

 

[Jiqea]

I picked up an old pair of RCMP Strathcona boots in my size that were really thrashed. I had them cut down to the top of the laces and aggressive Vibram topys and new Biltrite heels attached. I just lubed them up with some mink oil and am going to take them out in the snow and see how they perform. I don't hunt anymore, but i still like to get out in the bush. These should make a nice bush/cottage/hiking boot with a little more flare than what you might find off the shelf.

 

[smfdoc]

Steve does amazing work. But others can do the same for less.

Jim McFarland is the cobbler who does the work for Hanger Project:

Florsheim Imperials Resoling and Restoration

A highly-collectable shoe described by many as one of the finest American-made shoes ever, original are exceptionally difficult to come by and extraordinarily well-made. The Florsheim Imperials are massive derby's built with an armored heel, double-sole, and a split-reverse-welt storm welt. Our...

www.hangerproject.com

And Dan Frappier in Sudbury Ontario can reproduce it for much less.

I've always wonder what happened to most of the workers from the Florsheim factory. Did they become cobblers? Did Florsheim allow the workers to take stock materials with them?

$900? I’m sure it’s quality work and there is nothing quite as great as a restored or NOS pair of Florsheim LWB. But, $900? I have bought cars for less than that. I like when I find a pair with a Vcleat, but my goodness they are slick!

My post was not a commentary on the price charged or if others could do it for less or more. I just found it interesting to watch the amount of work that goes in to making the type of sole and heel found on our beloved older Florsheims.

 

[tocohillsguy]

My post was not a commentary on the price charged or if others could do it for less or more. I just found it interesting to watch the amount of work that goes in to making the type of sole and heel found on our beloved older Florsheims.

Yep, and if you're happy, then it's money well spent. Many would not understand why someone would purchase dress shoes with leather soles, when Rockport offers so many wonderful rubber options, in timeless styles, with nice square toes.