Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[friendlygoz]

I once had a guy on another thread try to refute my assertion that thrifting is largely influenced by the region and economics of the location. I had observed that I could find a lot of AE shoes in good condition because I was in Milwaukee. Not only is AE a local company here,but the population is loyal to local businesses and as a mainly (historically) blue collar city,most of the dress shoe purchases were for occasions rather than work. Therefore they aren’t worn out and the thrifty midwesterners kept them in the boxes with shoe trees as they were an expensive purchase

@CWOyaji and I live a few miles apart and work down the street from each other. It's an expensive region with lots of "fancy" people who take pride in not dressing fancy. In Silicon Valley, wearing jeans and a t-shirt to work probably means you are a billionaire. And yet, @CWOyaji knows how to find the donated clothes of the few fancy dressers around here. I'll never understand how he does it. All I can do is be jealous that he does.

 

[BlueMoonMonday]

Ok, guys lots of recommendations on proper upper conditioning, smoothing and waxing. What I'd like to know is what do you recommend to condition the soles of a vintage pair of shoes? I mean If you have a 50 year old pair of shoes there has to be some danger of any of the leather cracking if not properly cared for. What do you suggest? I've seen Sapphir has a sole conditioner and I considered neetsfoot oil to add a little water resistance but what do you use?

 

[CWOyaji]

@CWOyaji and I live a few miles apart and work down the street from each other. It's an expensive region with lots of "fancy" people who take pride in not dressing fancy. In Silicon Valley, wearing jeans and a t-shirt to work probably means you are a billionaire. And yet, @CWOyaji knows how to find the donated clothes of the few fancy dressers around here. I'll never understand how he does it. All I can do is be jealous that he does.

I look in stores where the old money people donate, closer to my house than yours though.

 

[smfdoc]

I cleaned the stitching on these. They were near NOS, so it was pretty easy. I've had good success on other pairs too, but I also have a pair where the welt stitching just didn't want to be cleaned no matter how much I tried.

What is your cleaning method?

 

[happypebble]

Hi guys. Anyone familiar with Allen Edmonds' "Hillcrest" model? Know when it was made? Anyone have a pair? The one I see on eBay is a bicycle toe. Like? Hate? #Curious

 

[Thomas Crown]

Hi guys. Anyone familiar with Allen Edmonds' "Hillcrest" model? Know when it was made? Anyone have a pair? The one I see on eBay is a bicycle toe. Like? Hate? #Curious

Introduced in fall 2001-not the best of times. I was never fond of the bicycle toe but that was it’s era of popularity

 

[friendlygoz]

What is your cleaning method?

I use foaming Castile soap and a toothbrush and then rinse. if I wipe it takes off the color on the lower uppers.

 

[Nealjpage]

I once had a guy on another thread try to refute my assertion that thrifting is largely influenced by the region and economics of the location. I had observed that I could find a lot of AE shoes in good condition because I was in Milwaukee. Not only is AE a local company here,but the population is loyal to local businesses and as a mainly (historically) blue collar city,most of the dress shoe purchases were for occasions rather than work. Therefore they aren’t worn out and the thrifty midwesterners kept them in the boxes with shoe trees as they were an expensive purchase

I will attest to this. I live in logging country, and Carhartt is everyday wear around here. "Fancy" clothes come from Wal-Mart (or, if you're a high roller, Meier & Frank). If I stumble across anything that's truly high-quality, I assume that it was donated by someone who moved here from somewhere else.

 

[Nealjpage]

Introduced in fall 2001-not the best of times. I was never fond of the bicycle toe but that was it’s era of popularity View attachment 1744302

I saw a pair of these recently at Goodwill. The double oak sole is really nice. I thought about buying to flip on eBay but I left them behind because I didn't want to enable anyone to buy a bicycle toe shoe.

I slept pretty good that night.

 

[Nealjpage]

Maiden voyage for these shell Imperials. These didn't need much work, just a good scrub, some Bick 4, and VSC with brushing. Date code of F, so I'm guessing 1975 or '85.

 

[suitforcourt]

Boots.
View attachment 1721967

Introduced in fall 2001-not the best of times. I was never fond of the bicycle toe but that was it’s era of popularity View attachment 1744302

I saw a pair of these recently at Goodwill. The double oak sole is really nice. I thought about buying to flip on eBay but I left them behind because I didn't want to enable anyone to buy a bicycle toe shoe.

I slept pretty good that night.

Just to get your blood boiling... one of my first "nice shoes" I bought when I joined the work force. And I still have them.

Vintage Dacks Seneca in walnut calf. These were the last set of shoes made by Cheaney for Dacks, prior to their bankruptcy.

When the company was revived in its current form of Matthew Dacks, the Seneca model was kept, but only in black and burgundy "polished calf" (i.e. book binder/corrected grain).

The shoes are super comfortable, and I had them recrafted with JR sole and cat paw heels.

 

[Nealjpage]

Just to get your blood boiling... one of my first "nice shoes" I bought when I joined the work force. And I still have them.

Vintage Dacks Seneca in walnut calf. These were the last set of shoes made by Cheaney for Dacks, prior to their bankruptcy.

When the company was revived in its current form of Matthew Dacks, the Seneca model was kept, but only in black and burgundy "polished calf" (i.e. book binder/corrected grain).

The shoes are super comfortable, and I had them recrafted with JR sole and cat paw heels.

View attachment 1744331

Plus you look super fast when you're sitting still. It's win/win.

 

[friendlygoz]

Introduced in fall 2001-not the best of times. I was never fond of the bicycle toe but that was it’s era of popularity View attachment 1744302

My first dress shoes was a pair late 1990s black Florsheim bike toes. I thought they were pretty money back then.

it’s funny because this is a style I only associate with the mid-90s through the mid-2000s. Was it ever popular before that? Square toe shoes were a thing in the late 70s and early 80s and then again in the early 2000s. But the bike toe… it i don’t think it made a reappearance; this was their only appearance. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[friendlygoz]

Just to get your blood boiling... one of my first "nice shoes" I bought when I joined the work force. And I still have them.

Vintage Dacks Seneca in walnut calf. These were the last set of shoes made by Cheaney for Dacks, prior to their bankruptcy.

When the company was revived in its current form of Matthew Dacks, the Seneca model was kept, but only in black and burgundy "polished calf" (i.e. book binder/corrected grain).

The shoes are super comfortable, and I had them recrafted with JR sole and cat paw heels.

View attachment 1744331

I don’t think they look bad. I like them actually.

 

[BlueSteel]

I saw a pair of these recently at Goodwill. The double oak sole is really nice. I thought about buying to flip on eBay but I left them behind because I didn't want to enable anyone to buy a bicycle toe shoe.

I slept pretty good that night.

Yup - piling on here, but...

I really dislike the bicycle toe. Owned a pair 20 years ago for work. Somewhat luckily, back then I bought shoes to wear hard for a year or two and then discard. So my old footwear fashion mistakes are long gone and don't haunt me...lol!