Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[meister]

A different kind of vintage find. I seem to go through laces frequently due to my hard pulling. The last few from Johnston Murphy have held up well, but they are colourful fun laces. I need some solid black and brown ones. I recently bought some Mad Dog laces for my boots. So what did I do? Scour eBay for well made shoelaces. What did I find? 5 boxes of Cordo Hyde laces. For $60 and free shipping. I only need the 36' laces, and maybe one or two of the 18 and 27' ones. The remaining extras I will either try to barter with a cobbler, or send to @mariusscott View attachment 1435435 View attachment 1435436 View attachment 1435437 .

I'm amazed how many of my vintage shoes still have rock solid original laces.

 

[suitforcourt]

I'm amazed how many of my vintage shoes still have rock solid original laces.

I do too. But mine fray and snap after I start wearing them. I definitely like the tighter feel, especially when there's extra room in the shoe.

 

[sam67]

Morning! I'm obsessing a little over how often to condition/polish my shoes. I know many of you have closets full Saphir would have me do it weekly. 1-2x a month take care of the leather or am I making a grave error? I just want to take care of what I have. Thanks

 

[meister]

Elvis would be proud of me....late 40s/50s magnificent blue suede shoes.

 

[suitforcourt]

I am starting 2 months of leave for some much needed rest and relaxation. I will be conditioning and maintaining 2 pairs of shoes each day. And then deciding if I want to keep them. The cull will be swift and decisive. Once the thinning of the herd is complete, the lot will be sent to @mariusscott .

Today features 2 pairs of Florsheim shell that I e-thrifted. Both are in bad shape. The LWBs has a matching twin that another shoe enthusiast snagged from the same seller. The welts on these are shot. I see 3-4 rows of stitches over each other. Plus the welt was sanded down too much. The plan? New midsoles, JR soles, grommets, and toe taps. Maybe cat paw heels. Corey Hiltz will be given this project. It's ugly, but he has the skill to bring these back.

The PTBs are in better shape but some acetone is needed to clean these up. I already use Renomat to clean off most of the old wax buildup. Welt looks decent, but for sure needs JR soles, toe taps, and grommets. Gary Coakley will have to deal with this pair.

The other hobby I've revived is old maps. As a kid, my mom bought National Geographic maps from a garage sale for me. I found this huge lot on eBay to relive my childhood. I am kick starting with a map on bird migration in the Americas. I wish they made one on shoe factories and their storied histories.

 

[suitforcourt]

Morning! I'm obsessing a little over how often to condition/polish my shoes. I know many of you have closets full Saphir would have me do it weekly. 1-2x a month take care of the leather or am I making a grave error? I just want to take care of what I have. Thanks

There is no rhyme or reason to shoe maintenance. Personally, I mostly condition. I don't do mirror shines. Colour is only used as needed.

So every once in a while, I will condition my shoes the night before I wear them. No specific schedule. Given my current collection of about 70 pairs of dress/work shoes, they get conditioned 2-3 times a year.

After initial purchase though, I always put them through a rigourous cleaning and conditioning regime to get things started.

And if the shoes have gone through a rainy day, for sure condition them afterwards.

I won't wear my shoes out in the snow. Rubber overshoes/overboots, or winter boots, carry me around in the cold weather.

 

[stook1]

This is a really cool pair of vintage AE loafers. Not mine and just a bit too small for me. Somebody should snap these up immediately. Great bargain.

Allen Edmonds Penny Loafer-9.5 D | eBay

Allen Edmonds loafer #4167 leather sole, nice condition for pre-worn.

www.ebay.com

 

[madhat]

This is a really cool pair of vintage AE loafers. Not mine and just a bit too small for me. Somebody should snap these up immediately. Great bargain.

Allen Edmonds Penny Loafer-9.5 D | eBay

Allen Edmonds loafer #4167 leather sole, nice condition for pre-worn.

www.ebay.com

Barton for those wondering. Attached shows other color options that were available.

Fall 1985 Catalog

Allen Edmonds Archive Catalog

issuu.com

 

[stook1]

Good deal for a pair of 92604s in excellent shape (if you are ok with non original heels).

Florsheim Imperial Black Wingtip 92604 Vintage 5 Nail V Cleat Mens 11 D for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Florsheim Imperial Black Wingtip 92604 Vintage 5 Nail V Cleat Mens 11 D at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Thomas Crown]

It’s been a Gin and Tonic summer since the barbershop is still closed and I’ve had a lot more porch time until the recklessness of the citizenry abates. Whiskey,(y),and red wine were my go to’s before my increased summer day drinking (shield your children’s eyes!) led me to the London Dry-here’s-mud -in-yer-eye refreshments(Beefeater for this yeoman warder).Anyhow,keeping it shoe related,the call today went to the dinosaur hide Florsheim Royal Imperial Stratfords from 1966-Down the Hatch!

 

[happypebble]

I'm amazed how many of my vintage shoes still have rock solid original laces.

eBay sellers, some at least, tend to send the shoes you've bought with really crappy laces--broken, wrong size or just really cheap. I often end up replacing them right out of the box.

 

[ccpl14]

Long time no post. Today I wore dress shoes for the first time since mid March.

You bet your sweet patootie that they were going to be vintage and shell.

Since I had to wear all black and academic regalia, I decided to go with Florsheim 92612. They need some TLC, but I was just happy to be here.

Plus, I kept my language clean!

 

[friendlygoz]

It’s been a Gin and Tonic summer since the barbershop is still closed and I’ve had a lot more porch time until the recklessness of the citizenry abates. Whiskey,(y),and red wine were my go to’s before my increased summer day drinking (shield your children’s eyes!) led me to the London Dry-here’s-mud -in-yer-eye refreshments(Beefeater for this yeoman warder).Anyhow,keeping it shoe related,the call today went to the dinosaur hide Florsheim Royal Imperial Stratfords from 1966-Down the Hatch! View attachment 1436102 View attachment 1436103 View attachment 1436104

Everything about this post is fantastic. Those are a grail pair for me. I came across the Yumas you got for a song when I was searching completed listings on eBay. Nothing but jealousy... nothing but...

 

[davidVC]

It’s been a Gin and Tonic summer since the barbershop is still closed and I’ve had a lot more porch time until the recklessness of the citizenry abates. Whiskey,(y),and red wine were my go to’s before my increased summer day drinking (shield your children’s eyes!) led me to the London Dry-here’s-mud -in-yer-eye refreshments(Beefeater for this yeoman warder).Anyhow,keeping it shoe related,the call today went to the dinosaur hide Florsheim Royal Imperial Stratfords from 1966-Down the Hatch! View attachment 1436102 View attachment 1436103 View attachment 1436104

Nice drink. Nice shoes too. One of Florsheim's best designs.

 

[eTrojan]

I am starting 2 months of leave for some much needed rest and relaxation. I will be conditioning and maintaining 2 pairs of shoes each day. And then deciding if I want to keep them. The cull will be swift and decisive. Once the thinning of the herd is complete, the lot will be sent to @mariusscott .

Today features 2 pairs of Florsheim shell that I e-thrifted. Both are in bad shape. The LWBs has a matching twin that another shoe enthusiast snagged from the same seller. The welts on these are shot. I see 3-4 rows of stitches over each other. Plus the welt was sanded down too much. The plan? New midsoles, JR soles, grommets, and toe taps. Maybe cat paw heels. Corey Hiltz will be given this project. It's ugly, but he has the skill to bring these back.

The PTBs are in better shape but some acetone is needed to clean these up. I already use Renomat to clean off most of the old wax buildup. Welt looks decent, but for sure needs JR soles, toe taps, and grommets. Gary Coakley will have to deal with this pair.

The other hobby I've revived is old maps. As a kid, my mom bought National Geographic maps from a garage sale for me. I found this huge lot on eBay to relive my childhood. I am kick starting with a map on bird migration in the Americas. I wish they made one on shoe factories and their storied histories.

View attachment 1435776 View attachment 1435777 View attachment 1435778 View attachment 1435779 View attachment 1435780 View attachment 1435781

I remember that map of the Bird Migration.