Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[JFWR]

I bought a used shine box that included some old tins of Kiwi paste polish. I'm not sure what they used as a solvent back then but it smells like straight-up gasoline or kerosene. Wow. I think there's a pink elephant in the room with me.

View attachment 1612094

Kiwi uses naptha as a solvent.

What's Inside Kiwi Shoe Polish? Smells Like Gas, Tastes Like Gum

Heavy Naphtha Naphtha is a catchall term for any petroleum distillate that boils at 122 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It dissolves wax, spreads it into a thin layer, and then evaporates. Remember how the main character in Taxi Driver set his shoe polish on fire to melt it before applying it to his...

www.google.com

 

[JFWR]

Wasn’t turpentine the usual solvent in paste shoe wax?

Be careful of those pink hephalumps. They get voracious around vintage shoes.

Turpentine was used until petroleum based stuff became more common in the 20s. Now only the good stuff uses turpentine, like saphir.

 

[smfdoc]

OK OK I'm going to get with the program and fess up that my HS graduation year was 1978. It's only fair, since I used a senior discount just now to get the price on this stone mint Kiton shirt in my size down to $11.50 at the Humane Society thrift shop. While wearing the AE shell Leeds from yesterday.
View attachment 1612000
Retail on these is pretty astonishing

Spoiler: Who pays this? I don't know.

View attachment 1612002

Alden whiskey shell saddles, purchased new, were cheaper than this shirt.

 

[Oshare]

Turpentine was used until petroleum based stuff became more common in the 20s. Now only the good stuff uses turpentine, like saphir.

Ah. Good to know. Thanks for the info.

 

[suitforcourt]

Alden whiskey shell saddles, purchased new, were cheaper than this shirt.

View attachment 1612167

I have never understood the price points by Tom Ford and Kiton. I appreciate well made clothing, nice materials, and even the brand. But $800+ for a dress shirt? I really don't get it.

 

[JFWR]

Ah. Good to know. Thanks for the info.

It's part of why saphir is such a better polish. The turpentine is better for the leather; however, too much turpentine on shell is bad, so use it sparingly on cordovan.

 

[Oshare]

It's part of why saphir is such a better polish. The turpentine is better for the leather; however, too much turpentine on shell is bad, so use it sparingly on cordovan.

True. Saphir has a separate line for cordovan that smells noticeably different and leaves a different texture on the polished shoes. They state that the cordovan creams do not use turpentine.

 

[JFWR]

True. Saphir has a separate line for cordovan that smells noticeably different and leaves a different texture on the polished shoes. They state that the cordovan creams do not use turpentine.

Yep. It uses neetsfoot oil as its base. I always use the cordovan cream first before using a light waxing to protect the cordovan.

 

[smfdoc]

Happy Wednesday forum pals. Mason Imperial shell for errands today. Poor lighting today. These are dark chocolate, but just look black in the images.

 

[Leiker]

Florsheim Kenmoor in Bourbon Windsor Calf, vintage 1969

Florsheim Shoe Catalog Fall 1969 | vcleat

vcleat.com

I've seen these called Guardsman but if you look at that catalog there are a number of variants on this style of boot, so I wonder if Guardsman was a particular model and later came into use to describe all similar Florsheim models?

 

[friendlygoz]

Gentlemen: I must announce I've moved into a new shoe neighborhood. Effective immediately my new shoe ZIP code is 93631. I'm having intense cravings for mustard. View attachment 1611980 View attachment 1611981

Amazing shoes. If it were a zip code it would be Kingburg, CA. I’ve never heard of it and I’ve lived in CA for nearly 36 years.

 

[friendlygoz]

Florsheim Kenmoor in Bourbon Windsor Calf, vintage 1969

Florsheim Shoe Catalog Fall 1969 | vcleat

vcleat.com

I've seen these called Guardsman but if you look at that catalog there are a number of variants on this style of boot, so I wonder if Guardsman was a particular model and later came into use to describe all similar Florsheim models? View attachment 1612253

I love that style. Strapping!

 

[friendlygoz]

I've always looked old for my age. When I spent summers at the car factory with my dad, people thought I was his younger brother. We have a 35 year gap.

People thought I was my brother's father. We have a 3 year gap.

The most galling experience was when a client asked if my summer student was my child for "take your kid to work day."

My student was 25. I was an elderly 29. I guess I already looked like I was in my 40s+.

Sigh.

I’m a 1975 baby. Almost 46. I was moving some things out of my mother in law’s house in her retirement community a few weeks back. The woman who lives three doors down and across the street saw me from her bedroom window and swore I was 25. So through the eyes of a 70-something from 100 feet away I look almost half my age. I’m. going with that.

 

[Nobleprofessor]

For all of you that claim people think you are older than you are, I have the trump card. I’m 48. But, I have 13 grandchildren. My oldest daughter will be 36 this year.

No, I didn’t get started at 12. My wife is a little older than me. She got started early (not THAT early), and so I have 5 children (4 stepchildren). The kids go from 35 to 10 and some of the grandkids are older than my 10 year old son.

When people see a 13 year old calling me Papa Don, it definitely makes me seem older than I am — plus the salt and pepper hair doesn’t help.

In shoe-related news, I ordered Angelus Cordovan dye and will be trying my first dye job on Shell Cordovan.

 

[kilowatts]

Please tell me I’m not the oldest in the group. That would be depressing.
kilowatts