Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[suitforcourt]

I’ll have to look again,I thought I saw the cracking on the brogueing rather than the main body of the heel. That would indicate the crack couldn’t spread very far

Sorry, I meant the heel area, but specifically the brogueing area. They are otherwise a decent looking pair for that price.

 

[suitforcourt]

That is precisely how I would rank them,Alden are great shoes,don’t get me wrong,but they have a rather cultish following and resell on eBay for much more than other brands. That said,I agree with @mormonopoly that vintage Florsheim Imperials are top drawer longwings,but importantly I agree with his putting Nettleton (Traditionals) second,ahead of Alden.They have double stitching (like Florsheim) where Alden is single stitched (admittedly hair splitting). Nettleton is underrated among the non-nerd aficionados and often reasonably priced.

Alden is a cult, but they don't annoy me. Both Alden and AE resell prices are totally unreasonable. Vintage Florsheim is getting there.

 

[hamercha]

That is precisely how I would rank them,Alden are great shoes,don’t get me wrong,but they have a rather cultish following and resell on eBay for much more than other brands. That said,I agree with @mormonopoly that vintage Florsheim Imperials are top drawer longwings,but importantly I agree with his putting Nettleton (Traditionals) second,ahead of Alden.They have double stitching (like Florsheim) where Alden is single stitched (admittedly hair splitting). Nettleton is underrated among the non-nerd aficionados and often reasonably priced.

From the sample size of about 7 Vintage Florsheim Imperials I have and 1000+ new Aldens I have sold, I would say Florsheim and Alden are very close. Alden did have issue with slightly sloppy stitching - for e.g.; sometime the thread at the end is not cut. Again, I am comparing new Alden with the Vintage, not an apple to apple comparision as when I was working in the store in late 90's Florsheim was past its prime and we did not carry it on our store either.

 

[madhat]

Alden is a cult, but they don't annoy me. Both Alden and AE resell prices are totally unreasonable. Vintage Florsheim is getting there.

AE has high resale? I wish someone told me!

 

[Thomas Crown]

Alden is a cult, but they don't annoy me. Both Alden and AE resell prices are totally unreasonable. Vintage Florsheim is getting there.

Living in Wisconsin I’m constantly thrifting AE’s and certain models(Strand,Park Avenues) have good resale but that’s not true of all of their models. As David has said,”the Alden Army is strong”-I’ve sold beater Aldens for prices that I couldn’t pay someone to take similar AEs off my hands. As far as new AE fans,they constantly have sales to enable the addiction. Alden definitely does not.

 

[friendlygoz]

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.

I would mostly agree with this ranking. I’ve never owned a pair of Alden. But, I might put vintage Allen Edmonds slightly ahead of Alden because they are more readily available, sell for less, and have a wider range of styles. They are also incredibly well-made (early 80s to early 90s are the best ). In terms of quality of the vintage versions, I assume there’s not much separating them. But overall, I think this ranking is spot on.

 

[Nealjpage]

And suddenly I'm back in the game.

That Imperial LWB right there? 93630 Weathered Moss.

 

[mormonopoly]

And suddenly I'm back in the game.

That Imperial LWB right there? 93630 Weathered Moss.

View attachment 1434533

$$$$

 

[vestbash]

And suddenly I'm back in the game.

That Imperial LWB right there? 93630 Weathered Moss.

View attachment 1434533

Uhhhh wow. What size?

 

[Joe Wohkittel]

@Joe Wohkittel Did you relent and bought the NOS Double Vcleat at $575?
View attachment 1434218

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.
View attachment 1434217

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

****. I deliberated it many, many times, but didnt. $575 was just too high (for me) but I had a feeling they'd sell eventually. I guess I'll have to hope they come back on the market. It wouldn't be the first time I've missed a pair and bought them on a rebound. Otherwise, I'll be kicking myself for the next decade.

 

[Joe Wohkittel]

And suddenly I'm back in the game.

That Imperial LWB right there? 93630 Weathered Moss.

View attachment 1434533

Man, your posts make me consider checking out thrift stores. I have friends who go, but I generally hear that because Minnesota is far from a fashion Mecca, and the weather is so hard on shoes, it's not a fruitful endeavor. I am a bit green at the moment...

 

[smfdoc]

Man, your posts make me consider checking out thrift stores. I am a bit green at the moment...

Weathered moss?

 

[Joe Wohkittel]

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.)?

My initial thought was the same as Vestbash, it's entirely a function of when they were made. Bostonian's Denny Murray (sp?) line was incredible. I think that 1960s LB Sheppards and Nettleton Traditionals are on par with Florsheim Imperials, but both brands cut quality earlier (and more obviously) than Florsheim. I'd argue that Johnston and Murphy Handgrades (up to the early 90s) are (and were) the best quality of shoe made in the US for going back to when the Clapp factory closed in the late 1960s.

 

[Joe Wohkittel]

Weathered moss?

Precisely!

 

[jpm1]

And suddenly I'm back in the game.

That Imperial LWB right there? 93630 Weathered Moss.

View attachment 1434533

What size on the moss??