Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[Nealjpage]

Apparently, I'm roughly @wasmisterfu age. Graduated HS in 1994 and in those heady days I owned only 4 pairs of shoes. Birkenstocks, black **** kicker steel toe work boots of unknown origin, grotesque black disposable dress shoe abominations, and sneakers.

Incidentally, I also had a pair of Docs in 9th grade. As I recall, they weren't a super fit and were minimally worn. I searched high and low through my parents' house last year for that pair of boots prior to the house being sold. Gone! No idea what happened to them. I can only guess that they suffered the same fate as that of my Dad's baseball card collection in the 50s.

1997 grad here. My senior year I bought a pair of black Doc boots and wore them throughout college. Mine, like yours, have disappeared. Maybe they're kicking it together somewhere.

 

[wasmisterfu]

Shield toe. Now I know what that style is called.

I already knew that.

(I’m totally making that up - I didn’t actually know that.)

 

[eTrojan]

1997 grad here. My senior year I bought a pair of black Doc boots and wore them throughout college. Mine, like yours, have disappeared. Maybe they're kicking it together somewhere.

As the owner of a low-volume, super-narrow foot, Doc Marten's were never a possibility for me, no matter how much I wanted them.

 

[suitforcourt]

Still one of my favourite and first vintage pairs - B Mason Executive Imperial.

 

[wasmisterfu]

Still one of my favourite and first vintage pairs - B Mason Executive Imperial.

View attachment 1611351 View attachment 1611352

Their choice in last is that perfect LWB balance between mass and sleekness. I also really like the color.

 

[Nobleprofessor]

The Olympiads have arrived. All I can say is from the AE box, to the little shoe-care catalog, to the registration card and little plastic bags the shoes are in, it’s a perfect time capsule from 1994. Suddenly I’m 19 years old again (my age when these shoes were made). Might be the single neatest eBay shoe related thing that I’ve ever bought.

In 1994, I was in grade 8. And still wearing running shoes every day.

I went to a uniform school starting in grade 9. I wore through a pair of English made Dr. Martens, a pair of monk straps, and another square toed blucher. I managed to retain a pair of Hawkins which got reheeled and still going strong.

Ah, 1994 was a great year indeed.

Apparently, I'm roughly @wasmisterfu age. Graduated HS in 1994 and in those heady days I owned only 4 pairs of shoes. Birkenstocks, black **** kicker steel toe work boots of unknown origin, grotesque black disposable dress shoe abominations, and sneakers.

Incidentally, I also had a pair of Docs in 9th grade. As I recall, they weren't a super fit and were minimally worn. I searched high and low through my parents' house last year for that pair of boots prior to the house being sold. Gone! No idea what happened to them. I can only guess that they suffered the same fate as that of my Dad's baseball card collection in the 50s.

I’m apparently a little older than you all. In 1994, I was a Junior at Mizzou (University of Missouri) for my first round of college. Go Tigers! Incidentally, Missouri was 14-0 in Big 8 basketball that year!

I’m sure I had some tennis shoes and some boat shoes. I know I still had my old Sebago Penny loafers that had been resoled 2-3 times by then. And I had a pair of Timberland Chukka type boots that were my very favorite.

By 1995, I was a Service Manager at an Oldsmobile and Honda dealer. I had left college and would not return until fall of 1999. By then I was married and had a few more shoes. I know I still had my old Penny Loafers!

Oh AND, I turned 21 in 1994. So, yes, it was a fun year!

 

[friendlygoz]

93602s today. I think these are from 1989. There is some loose grain that you may not have seen in earlier versions. Still, the quality is tremendous. They were also close to NOS when I took possession for $112 shipped. So, pretty, pretty, pretty good. I think it was @stook1 who put cream laces on his. I liked the look so I gave it a shot.

 

[stook1]

Looks great! @smfdoc is, no doubt, the beacon of good style around these parts but I think you might be referring to my pair with the lighter laces.

 

[friendlygoz]

Looks great! @smfdoc is, no doubt, the beacon of good style around these parts but I think you might be referring to my pair with the lighter laces.

Ah, yes. Sorry. I’ll correct that. Thanks for the inspiration.

 

[wasmisterfu]

Ya know, sometimes you see an eBay listing that just makes you go: “really?!”.

Here we have a listing for a pair of Park Ave’s. The first question is: why?! I’m all for thrift and reuse, but these are clearly at the end of their useful life. Sure, they’ll probably stay together and function for a while yet, but as a dress shoe, especially a plain cap-toe, they’re approaching Prince Charles-level worn. I doubt they’d survive recrafting, as the insole is breaking down. So it’s pretty weird, IMHO, for a seller to waste time on this 15 dollar listing, waiting for the SF annual shoe restoration competition or something.

But wait! It gets weirder. I don’t think these shoes are a pair. I think this set of shoes has been living together for most of their lives, but it looks like they were produced a year or two apart:

Here we see pre-1997 double stitching of the interior:

Here’s post-97 single-row stitching:

And then there’s the different interior coloring (which matches the difference in years), as illustrated by the different tongues:

If you really must own these gems, they can be yours for a BIN price or $14.94 (which is an oddly precise number, just adding to the weirdness). https://ebay.to/2RrFvAX

 

[stook1]

Ya know, sometimes you see an eBay listing that just makes you go: “really?!”.

Here we have a listing for a pair of Park Ave’s. The first question is: why?! I’m all for thrift and reuse, but these are clearly at the end of their useful life. Sure, they’ll probably stay together and function for a while yet, but as a dress shoe, especially a plain cap-toe, they’re approaching Prince Charles-level worn. I doubt they’d survive recrafting, as the insole is breaking down. So it’s pretty weird, IMHO, for a seller to waste time on this 15 dollar listing, waiting for the SF annual shoe restoration competition or something.

But wait! It gets weirder. I don’t think these shoes are a pair. I think this set of shoes has been living together for most of their lives, but it looks like they were produced a year or two apart:

Here we see pre-1997 double stitching of the interior:

Here’s post-97 single-row stitching:

And then there’s the different interior coloring (which matches the difference in years), as illustrated by the different tongues:

If you really must own these gems, they can be yours for a BIN price or $14.94 (which is an oddly precise number, just adding to the weirdness). https://ebay.to/2RrFvAX

BRB, raising the prices on a few of my listings... ? ? ?

 

[wasmisterfu]

BRB, raising the prices on a few of my listings... ? ? ?

LOL

 

[CWOyaji]

My shell AE Leeds showed up and I celebrated by buying a bunch of Cordo-Hyde laces for various pairs in need.

Got new Topy soles on them; too bad they're not @friendlygoz's size.

Spoiler: Feel just a little bit guilty

about catching the seller napping, but at least they're going to a good home (mine).

 

[wasmisterfu]

My shell AE Leeds showed up and I celebrated by buying a bunch of Cordo-Hyde laces for various pairs in need.
View attachment 1611455
Got new Topy soles on them, too bad they're not @friendlygoz's size.
View attachment 1611456

Spoiler: Feel just a little bit guilty

About catching the seller napping, but at least they're going to a good home (mine).
View attachment 1611458

Wait... you paid 71 bucks for those?!? Damn, that’s one hell of a deal!!

 

[stook1]

Wait... you paid 71 bucks for those?!? Damn, that’s one hell of a deal!!

you must be new here. ? ? ?