Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[CWOyaji]

$10 walnut Strands? OK. And a shirt for my youngest son.

And, it’s a girl! My first grandchild; not thrifted.

 

[sam67]

Here is a good description:

What is aniline leather?

What is aniline leather? Why does it make Horween Shell Cordovan great? Genuine Horween shell cordovan, Chromexcel, and Essex are aniline leathers. Aniline finished leather is considered to be a premium leather but what does "aniline" even mean? Aniline leather is a type of leather that is dyed...

ashlandleather.com

The aniline leather in the AE catalog probably is Chromexcel. Alden will sometimes refer to Chromexcel as aniline. But not all aniline is Chromexcel.

Thanks. Boy I had that wrong. Another link https://bestleather.org/types-of-leather/aniline/

 

[stook1]

$10 Strands in walnut? OK. And a shirt for my youngest son. View attachment 1434074
And, it’s a girl! My first grandchild; not thrifted.
View attachment 1434098

Congratulations!!

 

[woofmang]

$10 walnut Strands? OK. And a shirt for my youngest son. View attachment 1434074
And, it’s a girl! My first grandchild; not thrifted.
View attachment 1434098

When I first saw the baby pic, I thought, "well, he'll grow into it eventually..." Then I noticed that there were some words between the pics and realized the baby was not your youngest son after all...

Congratulations!

 

[suitforcourt]

In terms of quality, where do Nettleton and the Hanover LB Sheppard line stand in relation to the Florsheim Imperial line? Were these all in a similar price point/ similar market at the original time of sale?

Also curious about Alden, J&M Aristocraft, Allen Edmonds.

I will start off, but many gents here know a lot more. In my view, any vintage shoes made in US are generally decent. Florsheim, Hanover LB Sheppard, and Nettleton were top of the pile.

Alden is still going strong. JM - only buy the US made ones.

AE - I am not a fan. But it has its supporters. You will find several threads dedicated to AE. @wasmisterfu Is an unapologetic fan and has extensive knowledge of the pairs made during their golden era.

If you ever find Canadian vintage brands like Dacks, Hartt, John McHale or Florsheim made in Canada... grab them.

 

[suitforcourt]

When I first saw the baby pic, I thought, "well, he'll grow into it eventually..." Then I noticed that there were some words between the pics and realized the baby was not your youngest son after all...

Congratulations!

I was about say something along same lines. Either way, congratulations @CWOyaji !

 

[friendlygoz]

Here is a good description:

What is aniline leather?

What is aniline leather? Why does it make Horween Shell Cordovan great? Genuine Horween shell cordovan, Chromexcel, and Essex are aniline leathers. Aniline finished leather is considered to be a premium leather but what does "aniline" even mean? Aniline leather is a type of leather that is dyed...

ashlandleather.com

The aniline leather in the AE catalog probably is Chromexcel. Alden will sometimes refer to Chromexcel as aniline. But not all aniline is Chromexcel.

I have two pairs from AE’s golden era (early 80s to early 90s) with “aniline” in the description: Boulevard and St George (jodhpur boot). I believe the Marlows pictured last are also aniline. The descriptions that I read says that the aniline tanning process allows the natural imperfections of the leather to show through. However, in aniline shoes I have, there are virtually no imperfections; the leather looks near perfect. At any rate, the leather is really nice and needs no waxes. The finish is not at all plastic-like.

 

[1001]

I will start off, but many gents here know a lot more. In my view, any vintage shoes made in US are generally decent. Florsheim, Hanover LB Sheppard, and Nettleton were top of the pile.

Alden is still going strong. JM - only buy the US made ones.

AE - I am not a fan. But it has its supporters. You will find several threads dedicated to AE. @wasmisterfu Is an unapologetic fan and has extensive knowledge of the pairs made during their golden era.

If you ever find Canadian vintage brands like Dacks, Hartt, John McHale or Florsheim made in Canada... grab them.

Fantastic, thank you.

 

[friendlygoz]

I will start off, but many gents here know a lot more. In my view, any vintage shoes made in US are generally decent. Florsheim, Hanover LB Sheppard, and Nettleton were top of the pile.

Alden is still going strong. JM - only buy the US made ones.

AE - I am not a fan. But it has its supporters. You will find several threads dedicated to AE. @wasmisterfu Is an unapologetic fan and has extensive knowledge of the pairs made during their golden era.

If you ever find Canadian vintage brands like Dacks, Hartt, John McHale or Florsheim made in Canada... grab them.

Just curious, why have you not taken to vintage AE?

 

[friendlygoz]

$10 walnut Strands? OK. And a shirt for my youngest son. View attachment 1434074
And, it’s a girl! My first grandchild; not thrifted.
View attachment 1434098

Congrats! That’s amazing news.

 

[eTrojan]

Just curious, why have you not taken to vintage AE?

I would guess, in part, that his ultra wide foot doesn’t lend itself to AE’s most popular lasts. I would also suspect that he is more of a Barrie last guy than an Aberdeen last guy in Alden.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that

 

[sam67]

10.5 EEE on Grailed. $39

Florsheim Florsheim Mens Black Wingtip Oxfords 10.5 EEE | Grailed

Searching for Florsheim Mens Black Wingtip Oxfords 10.5 EEE? We’ve got Florsheim Men's Footwear starting at $39 and plenty of other Men's Footwear. Shop our selection of Florsheim today!

www.grailed.com

 

[mormonopoly]

Also curious about Alden, J&M Aristocraft, Allen Edmonds.

Based the on the shoes I’ve handled here’s how I would rank them: Florsheim imperial > Nettleton > Alden > Vintage Allen Edmonds > LB Sheppard and Aristocraft >>> modern Allen Edmonds. This is specifically a ranking of their longwings around the 70s-80s which I think is what you were asking for.

 

[Hotel Cali]

@Joe Wohkittel Did you relent and bought the NOS Double Vcleat at $575?

NOS Florsheim Royal Imperial Concord 96605 Black 8 D | eBay

Florsheim Royal Imperial Concord 96605 8 D in great pre-owned condition. There is "13R" written on the soles of both shoes.

www.ebay.com

Seems like the price for NOS Double Vcleat is $450 and up. Here is another one with bidding up to $472.

NEW Vtg FLORSHEIM Royal Imperial 5-Nail V-Cleat Longwing Oxfords Shoes 10.5 | eBay

<p dir="ltr">NEW - Never worn VERY RARE VINTAGE FLORSHEIM Royal Imperial 5-Nail V-Cleat Longwing Oxfords Shoes Size 10.5. Model 96605. Lace up with 5 eyelet pairs. Stacked leather heels with double flush steel V cleat. 5 nail attachment pattern on leather sole. Made in USA. FREE SHIPPING!</p>

www.ebay.com

 

[Hotel Cali]

Based the on the shoes I’ve handled here’s how I would rank them: Florsheim imperial > Nettleton > Alden > Vintage Allen Edmonds > LB Sheppard and Aristocraft >>> modern Allen Edmonds. This is specifically a ranking of their longwings around the 70s-80s which I think is what you were asking for.

Love to see these type of commentaries from long-time collectors' experiences.

I am surprise to see how low LB Sheppard and Aristocraft lands on your ranking.

Sir @meister @davidVC @vestbash Do you have a ranking opinions on the brands you had experiences with (Clapp, Stetson, Florsheim, etc, etc.)?