Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[Paul902]

This morning’s vintage shoe haul, PPU $7. View attachment 1342006 View attachment 1342011 View attachment 1342015 View attachment 1342016
Helped greatly by The Bins pricing theirs at $2 a pair. View attachment 1342019

$7!! Man, we can't thrift laces up here for $7. Any shoe like those wingtips going to be $25-$30!

One pair found at thrift store. @friendlygoz - these are 9D. PM if interested. View attachment 1342057 View attachment 1342059 View attachment 1342060 View attachment 1342057

9E.

 

[davidVC]

The IJ date code on those Florsheims codes to September, 1969. But with that hand lettering, I would guess 1959. Nice score.

I agree. Hand numbering ended around 1960

 

[Nealjpage]

This morning’s vintage shoe haul, PPU $7. View attachment 1342006 View attachment 1342011 View attachment 1342015 View attachment 1342016
Helped greatly by The Bins pricing theirs at $2 a pair. View attachment 1342019

That is a good haul. I usually walk away from my local Bin store empty handed and fearful that I caught a case of crabs.

 

[mormonopoly]

I agree. Hand numbering ended around 1960

I too agree, haven’t seen hand writing after that. I wonder when exactly Florsheim changed the date code to be two letters instead of a number. I’m thinking it must have been some time In 1959, because I’ve seen 1959 date codes with a number, but never 1960.

 

[mreams99]

70s or 80s AE Jodhpurs. If these jeans were bell bottoms ... then viva 1970s.
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I believe these are the St. George model from the 1980s.

 

[friendlygoz]

I want those

One pair found at thrift store. @friendlygoz - these are 9D. PM if interested. View attachment 1342057 View attachment 1342059 View attachment 1342060 View attachment 1342057

those are nice, but I'll pass. Thanks for thinking of me.

 

[Centaurus3200]

Yeah.

Anybody a 9 1/2 D here?

 

[Keith Taylor]

I recently picked up a pair of vintage Paul Stuart cap toe Oxfords on an eBay binge. They’d been fairly well cared for, but judging by the creasing on the vamps I assumed the former owner had never stripped down the shoes and started from scratch, and had instead allowed layer after layer of polish to build up. I figured it would be an easy fix.

Yesterday I finally found the time to give them some TLC. I used Reno’mat to strip the leather, conditioned the shoes with Renovateur and reapplied a layer of cognac cream polish. They looked great. The creasing was still present, of course, but it was smoothed by the cream polish almost to the point of invisibility.

This afternoon, though, I went for a quick walk, threw on the shoes and noticed that at the very first step the creases immediately reappeared, and not just a little but a hell of a lot. It was as if the moment the leather flexed it completely squeezed out the pigment.

Of course polishing a shoe will never completely smooth out imperfections, and creasing will always be at least a little visible, but I’ve never seen a shoe (that wasn’t made of corrected leather) repel pigment to this extent, this quickly. As best as I can tell these are made from good quality leather, and they don’t appear to be cracking. The creases are barely deep enough to be felt when you run your fingers over the leather, and the colour is restored in a few seconds with a brisk brushing, but the moment you so much as breathe on these things the colour is forced out of the leather.

Any tips? I really like these shoes, but this degree of discolouration is distractingly bad.

After wear under bright light. Left shoe brushed for ten seconds, right shoe as is.

 

[CWOyaji]

The vintage 1959 Florsheim 93602s from yesterday. Thanks guys for the help dating these.

 

[Buckeye20012001]

I finally check my mail box. Inside was a key. Open a box with shoes had arrive. eBay thrift from earlier this week. I was looking for what could be considered vintage in this color. I will have to stretch 1/2 size up from listed size in inner. I don’t know hoe to date. But first time seeing this type of logo in the line of BCW. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Patrologia]

I recently grabbed a pretty beat up pair of Hanover long wings—largely because I hadn’t seen any Hanovers from back when they were good shoes before, and second because they were my size. After wearing them for a few hours this morning, I have a few questions.

They are a little snug, perhaps too snug. In bals I sometimes have to step up to 11E, but I can usually get away with 10.5E in Bluchers, so I’m thinking they’ve shrunk a bit over the years. I know some of you have soaked and reshaped shoes, and these seem like a great candidate for a learning experience. Is there a guide to how to go about this somewhere? I see references to people doing it, but couldn’t find the ur-text.

Second, I’m thinking that I might go completely crazy on them and strip the color or do something similar. I think they’re CG, but what have I got to lose. Where’s the best place to look for the wisdom of the shoe whisperers? Especially guidance around pitfalls?
Finally, a few pictures:

 

[davidVC]

I finally check my mail box. Inside was a key. Open a box with shoes had arrive. eBay thrift from earlier this week. I was looking for what could be considered vintage in this color. I will have to stretch 1/2 size up from listed size in inner. I don’t know hoe to date. But first time seeing this type of logo in the line of BCW. Any help will be appreciated.

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My guess is early 1980s but that is based on the packaging and materials.

 

[Nealjpage]

I recently picked up a pair of vintage Paul Stuart cap toe Oxfords on an eBay binge. They’d been fairly well cared for, but judging by the creasing on the vamps I assumed the former owner had never stripped down the shoes and started from scratch, and had instead allowed layer after layer of polish to build up. I figured it would be an easy fix.

Yesterday I finally found the time to give them some TLC. I used Reno’mat to strip the leather, conditioned the shoes with Renovateur and reapplied a layer of cognac cream polish. They looked great. The creasing was still present, of course, but it was smoothed by the cream polish almost to the point of invisibility.

This afternoon, though, I went for a quick walk, threw on the shoes and noticed that at the very first step the creases immediately reappeared, and not just a little but a hell of a lot. It was as if the moment the leather flexed it completely squeezed out the pigment.

Of course polishing a shoe will never completely smooth out imperfections, and creasing will always be at least a little visible, but I’ve never seen a shoe (that wasn’t made of corrected leather) repel pigment to this extent, this quickly. As best as I can tell these are made from good quality leather, and they don’t appear to be cracking. The creases are barely deep enough to be felt when you run your fingers over the leather, and the colour is restored in a few seconds with a brisk brushing, but the moment you so much as breathe on these things the colour is forced out of the leather.

Any tips? I really like these shoes, but this degree of discolouration is distractingly bad.



View attachment 1342410 View attachment 1342411 View attachment 1342412 View attachment 1342413
After wear under bright light. Left shoe brushed for ten seconds, right shoe as is.

I have a similar problem with a pair of burgundy Bostonians. I think some shoemakers used a spray-on dye or paint that didn't really penetrate the leather. I intend on fully stripping the Bostonians this spring and redying with Lincoln shoe dye. That should solve the issue. If not, well I tried.

You might do the same with these.

 

[Nealjpage]

The vintage 1959 Florsheim 93602s from yesterday. Thanks guys for the help dating these.
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Those cleaned up amazingly!

 

[CWOyaji]

The Joseph Cheaney oxfords. Don't think these are vintage, but I like them so here they are.