Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[suitforcourt]

I'm thinking that I need a pair of Dacks. These are reasonably priced, and in the US so I don't have to deal with customs.

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They are stamped as a 9. I assume that's a Canadian 9. Hey, @suitforcourt how does that size compare to a US 9? Conversions and exchange rates were never my strong suit.

Dacks length, matches US companies. The issue is the width. It's rubbed out so I can't tell. Can you take pics of both shoes in terms of interior markings?

Dacks used the UK system of width, so letters were A to G.

 

[Nealjpage]

Dacks length, matches US companies. The issue is the width. It's rubbed out so I can't tell. Can you take pics of both shoes in terms of interior markings?

Dacks used the UK system of width, so letters were A to G.

I will ask the seller for that info and report back.

 

[jpm1]

Alan McAfee

Anyone know how they size? I’m a 12c. There is a pair I have been watching labeled 12c.

 

[Jiqea]

I'm thinking that I need a pair of Dacks. These are reasonably priced, and in the US so I don't have to deal with customs.

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They are stamped as a 9. I assume that's a Canadian 9. Hey, @suitforcourt how does that size compare to a US 9? Conversions and exchange rates were never my strong suit.

That is not the size indicated by the 9. That is the quality control number which will always be between 1 and 15. The size would have been stamped to the far left and has worn away. Best to get good measurements with these. Nice shoes.

 

[Jiqea]

We are well into the dog days of the shoe summer here in Canada. I have made very few acquisitions since June. But today these lovely early 1950's Dack's Clarendons came in. They have the the Custom Grade sock liner that was used between 1949 and 1958, and a 3 digit style code, indicating that they predate 1955. They have only been worn a few times with the sole stamping still visible and the heels in perfect shape.

 

[Jiqea]

My second treat of the day was this pair of late 50's or early 60's Hartt short wings. It is rare to find the brogue short-wings on the famed Brentwood last, which one normally see with the plain cap-toe variant. These would have been one of Hartt's top end offerings in their day. I just love the flower vase medallion on this pair.

 

[sam67]

Does anyone recognize the type of hide on these Olathe boots? Lizard, perhaps?

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Looks like The Thing from Fantastic Four

 

[eTrojan]

Alan McAfee

Anyone know how they size? I’m a 12c. There is a pair I have been watching labeled 12c.

The one pair I acquired ran small. They were labeled 13AA but were very, very snug. I kept putting them on hoping it was just a “fat foot” day, but I couldn’t get them comfortable enough to wear, which is a shame because they’re beautiful shoes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233592057680

 

[jpm1]

The one pair I acquired ran small. They were labeled 13AA but were very, very snug. I kept putting them on hoping it was just a “fat foot” day, but I couldn’t get them comfortable enough to wear, which is a shame because they’re beautiful shoes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233592057680

Appreciate the insight. Thanks very much

 

[mormonopoly]

This week I'm wearing these c. 1950 Florsheim ventilated spectators.

 

[Hotel Cali]

The one pair I acquired ran small. They were labeled 13AA but were very, very snug. I kept putting them on hoping it was just a “fat foot” day, but I couldn’t get them comfortable enough to wear, which is a shame because they’re beautiful shoes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/233592057680

Click on your link and saw these NOS Alan McAfee Spectator size 9.5 at $50.
Good deal for someone.

Alan McAfee Vintage Black & White Wingtips | eBay

Alan McAfee Vintage Black & White Wingtips. Condition is Pre-owned.

www.ebay.com

 

[vestbash]

Taylor made imperial, size 10.5C, shell cordovan and seal skin. Pretty rare combo. Available.

Where would you guys date these EE taylor made Florsheims? 40s? 50s?

 

[mormonopoly]

Where would you guys date these EE taylor made Florsheims? 40s? 50s?

1970s. I don't think they have any connection to Florsheim, and I'm thinking that's just textured calf, not seal skin. Still pretty cool shoes though.

 

[stook1]

I was conditioning a pair of shell Florsheim LWBs today and noticed they are cracking around the eyelets. This is the second pair where I've noticed this over as many weeks. I asked myself, is this just the way vintage shell is and I just never paid enough attention?

I carefully inspected the six pairs I own, and sure enough, every pair that are not NOS (4/4) showed small cracks either around they eyelets or in the brogueing. I then turned to ebay for more evidence. of the 16 pairs of LWBs that came up searching for "vintage Florsheim shell cordovan", two lacked sufficient pictures to make a determination, 10 showed cracking, and four did not. Of the four that did not, two were NOS, and two were late 90's or early 2000s models.

So, in the absence of a larger sample, the answer to my question seems to be "yes". If they are worn, and more than 25 years old, there is probably some form of cracking, but it tends to go unnoticed. As long as one does not screw around trying to examine the cracks through flexing them, those around the eyelets and in the brougeing must be fairly stable.

Then again, n = 20 isn't good, and those that don't show cracking may simply sell right away.

Maybe we should setup a poll? Or collect input on maintenance from those that have not been running into this issue. I've only run into cracked eyelets one time and it was on the very first pair that I bought and my own fault since I didn't know not to try them on prior to conditioning. Would they have torn anyway? I don't know.

Since that time, I've been extremely careful about buying pairs without cracks and I condition with some combination of neatsfoot oil (if particularly dry), bick4, and vsc. I tend to use a bunch of heavy coats of bick4 to the point where the shoes are saturated and dull for a week until the shell gradually normalizes and can be brushed to a normal shine. For pairs that I have put through this type of treatment and maintained, I haven't run into issues so far (knock on wood). Having said that, I have a lot of shoes (not as many as you though) and some of my vintage shell just don't get worn all that often. Whether that is better or worse, I am not sure.

 

[vestbash]

1970s. I don't think they have any connection to Florsheim, and I'm thinking that's just textured calf, not seal skin. Still pretty cool shoes though.

Yes, you're right about the Florsheim part. They're just EE taylor.

The leather is not printed/stamped/rolled. The grain structure makes that much evident. The leather could certainly not be seal, but it is not a printed calf for sure.

I've had EE taylor made shoes for Cole Haan in shell cordovan and private label EE taylors for other makers that used the same exact heel base construction from the 1950s or 1960s. I would be very surprised to learn that this shoe dates to the 1970s.