Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[wasmisterfu]

Vintage Florsheim white/ivory loafers. Shipped from Florida, exactly where you'd expect these old man shoes to be...I imagine a previous owner driving a golf cart around a FL retirement community. Wow, are these ever comfortable; lightweight without feeling cheap, and the materials seem to be good quality, with minimal wear. Leather is quite soft. These have obviously been cared for, so I will do my best to maintain them well and not trash them. Fit is correct. I guess I really am a 13D, as much as I might experiment with other sizes. They have just enough wear that I don't find myself in the "too nice to wear" dilemma. I guess I'm officially old now. Get off my lawn! View attachment 1419646 View attachment 1419647 View attachment 1419648 View attachment 1419649

I don’t think those are old man shoes. I think those are straight gangster, Tony Montana, “you asked fo da best, you gonna get da best”, put on your custom aviators and strut like a boss, shoes.

Rock ‘em like you’ve got 20 mil you gotta launder by Monday, and a hundred keys coming in from the coast.

 

[stook1]

I have a few pairs of Polo C&Js from the early 21c. The names used are Polo but are copies of the UK standard models. Mine get constant use after the application of the obligatory Topy.

They essentially were up-specced to C&J handgrade standard shoes but cleverly sold for bench grade prices in those days (like USD250).

The fit though was more American so I can wear a 10.5D US for my (usual) UK 10 feet (comfortably tight) but US11 is spot on for me.

Some of the colours (like British tan) were also factored in specifically for the US market.

One of the great buys IMHO if they are not trashed or brutalized in the last 15 years and have sat unloved in a closet.

Crockett & Jones Peal & Co. 240 Last Cap Toe Brown Dress Shoes Size 10.5 D | eBay

Small scrape in heel area seen in photos.

www.ebay.com.au

Agree with all of this and good insights. One comment though about fit for the RL Polo branded C&J... At one point, I had a pair of shell McCallums, which are the RL/C&J chukka. It's on the 325 last but I am convinced it was a UK D width rather than a UK E. To me, relative to other 325 last shoes, they ran narrow. If you search the C&J thread there is a lot of uncertainty about sizing for US marked C&J from RL, Barneys, etc. It's a bit of a pet peeve for me since in the effort to make it less confusing for US customers they end up making it even more confusing for people that are very familiar with C&J fit.

 

[woofmang]

Yeah, no joke, it really is. Plus, the stuff makes your shoes smell nice.

That's one of my favorite things about them; they smell like oranges (unlike the chemical stench of other polishes).

 

[jpm1]

You can do interesting stuff with Polished Cobbler, once it gets to terminal stage (as it’s still PU coated, it’ll eventually not look so awesome):

If you’ve never read the saga of de-correcting the grain, here it is:

2018 shoe revival challenge

Any way to refurbish a pair of camp Mocs? I have the northland from AE and wear them all the time. After two years they don’t look great. They have a chromepak leather on them that’s oiled. I don’t think you can put polish on them.

www.styleforum.net

2018 shoe revival challenge

Oh and a little more shoe Appreciation, these Alden shell 990 PTB’s in #8 that I e-thrifted for one of my sons just showed up. 10% of retail. Haven’t done a thing to them yet. [Edit] - sorry, this post probably belongs in the vintage shoe thread. I’m on mobile and didn’t notice. Carry on.

www.styleforum.net

This is my pair of Cordwainer Wright PC where the finishing failed. Restored by Tobias Crislip at Wyatt & Dad in Durham.

Nowadays, I think most PC/CG is produced with very cheap and poor quality leather. That wasn’t the case with these or the Berwick that’s for sure. I have a new found appreciation and understanding of PC via vintage collecting.

 

[smfdoc]

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This is my pair of Cordwainer Wright PC where the finishing failed. Restored by Tobias Crislip at Wyatt & Dad in Durham.

Nowadays, I think most PC/CG is produced with very cheap and poor quality leather. That wasn’t the case with these or the Berwick that’s for sure. I have a new found appreciation and understanding of PC via vintage collecting.

Wow, they did a terrific job on those.

 

[jpm1]

Wow, they did a terrific job on those.

They really did! Tony Wyatt, Tobias and team are the go to guys in the Carolinas. They do phenomenal work.

 

[Nealjpage]

Yeah, no joke, it really is. Plus, the stuff makes your shoes smell nice.

How did you win it?

 

[stook1]

Recently snapped up a pair of black shell Macneils. I am pretty sure these meet the threshold for vintage. I suspect they've only been worn a couple times. They were a steal given the minimal wear.

These got my usual cleanup routine - wipe down, 2x bick4, 1x VSC...brushing.

 

[jpm1]

Recently snapped up a pair of black shell Macneils. I am pretty sure these meet the threshold for vintage. I suspect they've only been worn a couple times. They were a steal given the minimal wear.

These got my usual cleanup routine - wipe down, 2x bick4, 1x VSC...brushing.

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Fantastic! 1991 probably right??

 

[suitforcourt]

How did you win it?

2018 shoe revival challenge. This is the 2020 edition:

2020 styleforum shoe revival challenge

Dear members, The competition you've all been waiting for. Get out your wallets, polishing cloths, and gas masks. The 2020 shoe revival challenge is about to commence. The 2020 competition will amalgamate the 2018 and 2019 formats. Rules of the challenge: Shoes can only be worked on AFTER...

www.styleforum.net

 

[suitforcourt]

Recently snapped up a pair of black shell Macneils. I am pretty sure these meet the threshold for vintage. I suspect they've only been worn a couple times. They were a steal given the minimal wear.

These got my usual cleanup routine - wipe down, 2x bick4, 1x VSC...brushing.

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I have 2 pairs myself. Can't go wrong with MacNeil in shell.

 

[stook1]

Fantastic! 1991 probably right??

Thank you!! I am the worst at figuring out AE production dates. That was the conclusion on the AE thread... (pretty sure @madhat determined this, who knows way the hell more than I do).

 

[sam67]

You're probably tired of me talking about these no-name cordovans but here is what they looked like under all the gunk. How much will colored cordovan cream subdue the fading? Thanks.

 

[stook1]

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You're probably tired of me talking about these no-name cordovans but here is what they looked like under all the gunk. How much will colored cordovan cream subdue the fading? Thanks.

I would strenuously recommend leaving the color alone. The color on those is gorgeous. Maybe at most just a couple of the tiny light marks on the right toe and the left vamp.

 

[sam67]

I would strenuously recommend leaving the color alone. The color on those is gorgeous. Maybe at most just a couple of the tiny light marks on the right toe and the left vamp.

I don't feel strongly about changing the color. This is my first experience with cordovan. I just learned that they fade! So I'm really just asking about management practices. Is the fading kind of a badge that you've had them a while? Thanks for the input.