Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[CWOyaji]

Thoughts on this 93602 being restorable?
View attachment 1717036 View attachment 1717037

Hey Flipstah, if they're thrift price it'd be worth trying some leather cleaner/lotion like Bick 4, which would make those cracks a lot less noticeable. Maybe some of the other Canadians on here might want a project.

 

[flipstah]

Hey Flipstah, if they're thrift price it'd be worth trying some leather cleaner/lotion like Bick 4, which would make those cracks a lot less noticeable. Maybe some of the other Canadians on here might want a project.

def thrift price. Going to see if mink oil will make a difference

 

[CWOyaji]

Size? See if anybody here can wear them?

 

[friendlygoz]

Late 1980s shell MacNeils.

 

[friendlygoz]

def thrift price. Going to see if mink oil will make a difference

Don't use mink oil. It will ruin the leather. Start with Bick 4.

 

[Oshare]

My recently acquired Cheaney Veldtschoen shoes to the rescue on a chilly, windy, and wet day.

 

[smfdoc]

Happy Thursday forum pals. Florsheims, of course.

 

[friendlygoz]

Camel skin Dack’s today. ?

 

[Hotel Cali]

There a bidding war (currently at $328) between two bidders for these Johnsonian. I am curious if there are anything more special than just 1940s vintage.

Vintage 30’s-40’s Cap Toe Dress Shoes Johnsonian Brand Brown 9B Oxford | eBay

<p>Vintage 30’s-40’s Cap Toe Dress Shoes Johnsonian Brand Brown 9B Oxford. </p><br /><p>12” in length, 4” wide, 3 1/4” tall </p>

www.ebay.com

 

[JFWR]

Thoughts on this 93602 being restorable?
View attachment 1717036 View attachment 1717037

The cracks seem relatively mild for a thrift store find. I'd heavily moisturize it with renovateur or Bick 4 - like, 5-6 coats at least - and fill in the cracks with renovatrice from Saphir.

This isn't shell, so you don't have to worry about it being utterly ruined.

Yeah dude, seriously, try renovatrice in the same colour brown, cream polish it three times, and then wax polish it. I think you could probably get these shoes looking really nice, though the damage is already done.

I mean, these aren't -holes-.

 

[Oshare]

My recently acquired Stratfords for a somewhat formal Florsheim Friday at the office.

 

[vestbash]

There a bidding war (currently at $328) between two bidders for these Johnsonian. I am curious if there are anything more special than just 1940s vintage.

Vintage 30’s-40’s Cap Toe Dress Shoes Johnsonian Brand Brown 9B Oxford | eBay

<p>Vintage 30’s-40’s Cap Toe Dress Shoes Johnsonian Brand Brown 9B Oxford. </p><br /><p>12” in length, 4” wide, 3 1/4” tall </p>

www.ebay.com

Not from what I can tell. I'm shocked at the current auction result given they're narrow.

 

[Hotel Cali]

Not from what I can tell. I'm shocked at the current auction result given they're narrow.

I think that even the listed size is incorrect as 9B. Label 0100 suggest even narrower 10A.

 

[friendlygoz]

My recently acquired Stratfords for a somewhat formal Florsheim Friday at the office.

View attachment 1717844

Grommet work looks amazing.

 

[Lovable Brogue]

Hoping this isn't too spammy, I've included some links to my (non-monetised) blog for each of the following, as it's a pain to jam all the text in otherwise. Without getting very forensic it's hard to be sure exactly how vintage most of them are, but stylistically a lot of them seem to be in the vintage bucket. Cross-posting with the Bespoke Shoe thread.

I've been buying second-hand bespoke shoes on eBay for a while now. I gravitate towards the "big three" London makers (Cleverley, Lobb, Foster).

As I'm sure most of you are familiar with, this tends to be a non-starter in most cases since the fit of a bespoke pair is rarely standard enough for a random wearer (i.e. me). I've bought and sold probably 30 pairs, and kept two that fit me well enough (and this is buying pairs that look like the outsole measurements are in the right ballpark for my size, not just random purchases). I've done reviews of 7 of those which are listed below.

But the strange allure of the makers and the fact that they can often be grabbed relatively cheaply makes me keep going back for more. And I only buy when I can be pretty confident that I'll be able to sell on for more, so it keeps the whole enterprise pretty cost-neutral (or even positive).

John Lobb St James Quarter Brogues
These were some wide boiz - the Derby lacing could accommodate a G width, maybe more. Other than that pretty much perfect size, so an ideal example of why outsole measurements mean diddly squat in terms of gauging fit. Could have fit pretty well if I jammed a rolled-up sock in the instep.

John Lobb St James Black Derby
One of the two pairs I've actually kept - not an eBay purchase, but rather from classicshoesformen.com. As such they were rather pricey (though they were in new condition), but the fit is really good, and as far as "safe" dress shoes go they are perfect. Far more useful to have in the rotation than black oxfords, in my opinion.

John Lobb St James Snuff Suede Monkstrap
Another pair that, on paper, should have fit well, but on the foot were agonising after a few steps. The tobacco-brown suede is lovely though. I'd love a pair in this style that... you know... fit.

G.J. Cleverley Snuff Suede Lazyman
Not dissimilar to the JL pair before, these also included the bespoke trees (a surprisingly rare inclusion on eBay, they are often sadly separated from the shoes before sale) They were a really nice pair of travel trees, hollowed to within an inch of their life so they were incredibly light. I really struggle with lazyman and loafer fit though, and these were no exception.

G.J Cleverley Wingtip Imitation Brogues
I loved these shoes - the fit was fractionally off, but noticeable enough that they would never be comfy. Probably the finest finishing on any pair on the list - the imitation broguing was exquisitely done, and the colour of the leather - a plummy dark brown - was very appealing.

Foster & Son Captoe Oxford
Probably the oldest pair on the list (or if not, they had a very hard and abusive life). Pretty polarising design details with a really square toe, they are if nothing else a good photographic example of what patina looks like.

Foster & Son Single Strap Brogue
The newest pair, which spurred me to put together this post. No review on the blog yet, but pleased to say this pair are an excellent fit. Picked up for a song on eBay as they were in a bit of a sad state, but I think the after photo (above) and the before photo on the eBay listing (below) show the difference a bit of cleaning, conditioning and polishing can do. Chunky but rather pleasing, all things considered.

So that's it really. Think the only lesson here is don't buy second-hand bespoke shoes online unless you have 1) a lot of patience to restore them and 2) accept that you will probably need to sell them shortly afterward.