Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[stook1]

Here you go.

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Wow!! That welt on the bottom left.
Many thanks for the assistance with the colors. This is very helpful. Much less red than my memory suggested.

 

[friendlygoz]

Florsheim 93606. These are from 1969. The most comfortable shoe I own.

 

[friendlygoz]

Here you go.

View attachment 1675872

Those are amazing and I want me some...

 

[VAvintagewatches]

Well these are just ridiculously cool. Mason Executive Imperial LWBs. Certainly not Florsheim/Hanover quality, but big sturdy boats still. Half cotton lining, and the foam cushion is still nice and springy. Should be very comfortable. I rate these much higher than my Dexters. Compared to my modern Alden 403 boots, the materials are lower quality but build quality is, in all honesty, superior. Amazing what you could get in a "mid-range" shoe back in the day.

 

[stook1]

Here you go.

View attachment 1675872

Fun with dyes… spent some time working on various test mixes. Leaning towards the bottom left as a base tone (perhaps diluted a bit more)to see how it works out. tough to predict once it’s on leather. I always forget how strong red is, lol.

 

[Quantum17]

Here you go.

View attachment 1675872

keeping up with zoolander theme
PS: bottom left is a 10D, I just know it.

 

[eTrojan]

Ooooooh…

Sharkskin spectators. (Size 11.5 B)

Rare Allen Edmonds Nassau 8541 2 tone Sharkskin Wingtip Shoes Size 11.5 A USA | eBay

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Not my shoes. Not my listing.

 

[carreragt7]

Have a bunch of old Florsheim to dig out and post pics of eventually, but found these today and thought they were unique enough to share. Curtis from the 40s I believe. Not a lot of info on the interwebz that I could find on the company, and it looks to have been acquired by Regal in 54 and then Brown bought out Regal later. Not sure if the Curtis brand was carried on after 54 buyout or not. It’s not really mentioned on Vcleattt or CSFM. Gotta love the spade sole. Even if they have seen better days.

 

[VAvintagewatches]

My maiden voyage with the Mason Executive Imperials. Impressions so far are very good. They are heavy, stiff shoes. Fit is excellent: there was initially some heel slip and pinching around the collar of the shoe, but it went away after a few minutes of walking. The original O'Sullivan heels still have plenty of traction. Fun fact: the main O'Sullivan Rubber factory was located in my hometown until they were bought out. Good chance the O'Sullivan heels on your vintage shoes came through my town when they were made. What's more, if you have O'Sullivan heels from the 30s, you have a piece of my family's history. My father's parents first met while they were both working at the O'Sullivan plant during the Depression.

 

[suitforcourt]

AE MacNeils in shell. I definitely prefer Florsheim's pattern and fit.

 

[Hotel Cali]

Inspired by @stook1 inquiry, wear my red Florsheim 93602 today.

 

[stook1]

Inspired by @stook1 inquiry, wear my red Florsheim 93602 today.

View attachment 1676565

Good inspiration. I have started applying dye today. I don't think they will end up being quite as red as this pair but they are a bit more reddish than what I was targeting since I made a last minute call to go with a different color blend. It's always hard to tell what you're gonna end up with but should be able to post some pics in the next day or two. I have the base down and also darkened up the toes, heels, and a bit of the quarters with several more layers. I've also done a bit of diluted orange to begin getting some depth across the vamps and sides. Going to play with some other color combos to bring more depth and still need to add some more colors to the burnished areas.

Edit... on second thought how about a quick progress pic. Did a quick/light alcohol wipe down to remove some of the excess dye. Actually perhaps I am sorta close to the McHale redish color. Hard to say.

 

[right_hook]

Good inspiration. I have started applying dye today. I don't think they will end up being quite as red as this pair but they are a bit more reddish than what I was targeting since I made a last minute call to go with a different color blend. It's always hard to tell what you're gonna end up with but should be able to post some pics in the next day or two. I have the base down and also darkened up the toes, heels, and a bit of the quarters with several more layers. I've also done a bit of diluted orange to begin getting some depth across the vamps and sides. Going to play with some other color combos to bring more depth and still need to add some more colors to the burnished areas.

Edit... on second thought how about a quick progress pic. Did a quick/light alcohol wipe down to remove some of the excess dye. Actually perhaps I am sorta close to the McHale redish color. Hard to say.

View attachment 1676591

Very good! Keep going and you'll definitely get awesome results!
And, imo, I think it's even better to make your own tribute to McHale reddish colour than a strict copy.

 

[stook1]

Very good! Keep going and you'll definitely get awesome results!
And, imo, I think it's even better to make your own tribute to McHale reddish colour than a strict copy.

Thanks - agree! Doubtful that I could replicate the McHale red as I don't have that level of skill and, worse yet, I'm color blind, haha! It's not critical to achieve that anyway. It's tempting to keep going once you get started but I am letting them sit till tomorrow while I debate how to approach the next layer of colors since I'm not too sure right now what colors I want to accent with to bring out more depth.

 

[CWOyaji]

Nothing like the premiere of a new James Bond movie to make me want to wear my 90's Church's Chetwynds.

As worn by The Former Guy himself in the opening scene of the greatest Bond film so far, Goldeneye. Xenia Onatopp is driving a Ferrari F355 here in case anybody's wondering.