Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[stook1]

With that color and contrasting welt stitching, I’d put them around 1960.

Very cool -- thank you sir! I had a feeling they were older than they seemed. The welt stitching and fudging isn't well photographed but seemed more well executed than newer Nettletons that I have. Will post more pics when they land.

 

[smfdoc]

Since several of us are coming out to admit questionable shoe choices in the past, I can also admit to having several pairs of bicycle toe shoes. Both pairs are from Allen Edmonds and I still own the darker pair. The first pair may even have been Hillcrests, but I am not sure. Their fit is typical of AE shoes for my feet in that they do not close well. The pair I still have are called Mapletons and have a comfy rubber sole and the leather is called saddle leather, which feels thick and like a baseball glove. It is a beater shoe that I occasionally put on. They were kept because they actually do close well.

 

[Nobleprofessor]

Anything Can Happen Thursday Vol 2:

NEW OLD STOCK Footjoy Tassel Loafers.

Someone kindly saved the box, the FJ branded Bags, the box and even the little tassel keeper rubber bands. What a great color!

 

[Thomas Crown]

Correct about thrift stores. Selection varies by city. Vegas thrift stores are in love with hideous black square toed abominations. As for Wisconsin, I grew up in Minnesota but spent a good deal of time in the Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls area, and you are right, local products were always preferred. When in an Eau Claire bar for Friday night fish fry, the beer of choice was Walter's ("The Beer That Is Beer") from Eau Claire, Point Special Lager from Stevens Point, or the "green death," LaCrosse's Heileman's Special Export.

Walter’s—that’s going back old school,by the time I could sneak into bars I couldn’t find it anymore. I’m originally from Rockford,Illinois,20 miles south of Beloit Wisconsin and my grandfather’s beer was the nearest brewery-Huber in Monroe,WI (“since 1848,born with the state”). Little breweries all over Wisconsin until Heilman of LaCrosse bought out alot of them in the late 70’s. The age of the craft brewery etc has brought back so much local brewing heritage.

 

[JFWR]

Since several of us are coming out to admit questionable shoe choices in the past, I can also admit to having several pairs of bicycle toe shoes. Both pairs are from Allen Edmonds and I still own the darker pair. The first pair may even have been Hillcrests, but I am not sure. Their fit is typical of AE shoes for my feet in that they do not close well. The pair I still have are called Mapletons and have a comfy rubber sole and the leather is called saddle leather, which feels thick and like a baseball glove. It is a beater shoe that I occasionally put on. They were kept because they actually do close well.

View attachment 1744462

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One time, I saw that this was on stupid sale before I got into shoes, and I was like: Well, let me see it in person, and maybe it would look cool!

Men's Clarks Touareg Vibe Oxford | Shoes.com

Shop Men's Clarks Touareg Vibe Oxford in Oxfords at Shoes.com Enjoy free US shipping on all orders.

www.shoes.com

I thank God that I realized how atrociously DISGUSTING these shoes are.

The colour on the bottom pair is not bad, by the way, but bicycle toes :|

 

[happypebble]

Walter’s—that’s going back old school,by the time I could sneak into bars I couldn’t find it anymore. I’m originally from Rockford,Illinois,20 miles south of Beloit Wisconsin and my grandfather’s beer was the nearest brewery-Huber in Monroe,WI (“since 1848,born with the state”). Little breweries all over Wisconsin until Heilman of LaCrosse bought out alot of them in the late 70’s. The age of the craft brewery etc has brought so much local brewing heritage.

Oh! I forgot all about Huber Bock. Used to buy it in cases of glass bottles.

 

[Thomas Crown]

Also caught in the thrift nets:
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Vintage Nunn Bush “Flexible Fetherwate” Venetian loafers. I’m thinking late 60s or early 70s on these, but wondering what others think.
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I’d guess early 60’s—the logos and “ankle fashioned” is the same as a pair of shell shortwings I have from the 1954 catalog but the “flexible fetherwate” with picture of bending shoe seems like late 50’s-early 60’s marketing

 

[ccpl14]

I’d guess early 60’s—the logos and “ankle fashioned” is the same as a pair of shell shortwings I have from the 1954 catalog but the “flexible fetherwate” with picture of bending shoe seems like late 50’s-early 60’s marketing

Thanks for the info. Any markings on the inside are long gone and they appear to be resoled, so it’s probably going to be largely guesswork.

 

[Thomas Crown]

Oh! I forgot all about Huber Bock. Used to buy it in cases of glass bottles.

My grandfather drank the Huber lager,which was a fine beer for the backyard but Huber Bock was a legitimately good beer at a very reasonable price-especially in returnable cases

 

[friendlygoz]

Anything Can Happen Thursday Vol 2:

NEW OLD STOCK Footjoy Tassel Loafers.

Someone kindly saved the box, the FJ branded Bags, the box and even the little tassel keeper rubber bands. What a great color!



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Geeez those are awesome.

 

[MathMan314]

After seeing some nice bicycle toe shoes posted by you guys today, I am starting to think the style isn't as terrible as people say it is. I'm almost tempted to look for something like the Mapleton or Hillcrest for my collection.

I have a questionable pair of '08 Florsheim Imperial Barringtons with a pretty squared toe. I beleive there was a bicycle toe version of this model as well. Not my favorites in appearance, but I still wear them fairly often because they are very comfortable.

 

[Nealjpage]

Mmmmmmm. Forbidden shoes.

Sea turtle chukkas from Lee Kee.

For what it's worth, they fit fine but are NOT comfortable. Probably serves me right.

 

[NotJeffBagwell]

Anything Can Happen Thursday Vol 2:

NEW OLD STOCK Footjoy Tassel Loafers.

Someone kindly saved the box, the FJ branded Bags, the box and even the little tassel keeper rubber bands. What a great color!



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Tell it true - you are a time traveler, right?

(Sick shoes, btw.)

 

[Nobleprofessor]

As others have mentioned, we have all made unfortunate shoe choices in the past. I will share my confession as well.

Growing up I didn’t much care for dress shoes other than I figured out decent quality penny loafers could be dressed up or down and I could get away with wearing them for lots of different occasions. So, I had well made real leather penny loafers as long as I can remember.

But, in the 90’s and early 2000’s I relented to peer fashion pressure and wore those awful square toe rubber sole shoes that everyone had. They were Kenneth Cole. And I bought a few pair of Cole Haan when they were on sale at Dillard’s.

The Kenneth Cole monstrosities kept splitting. The sole would crack in half. When I returned a third pair, the salesman at Dillard’s suggested that I try a pair of Johnston Murphy Melton Cap Toe. I was pretty irate about the 3rd pair if Kenneth Cole breaking so they gave me a pretty good discount on the J&M. Once I discovered them, I realized paying a little more for dress shoes could make sense.

It took me a couple years to realize the CG that the Johnston Murphy and Cole Haan were made of was leaving something to be desired.

Then, I saw a pair of Allen Edmonds at a thrift store. I bought them, and I was hooked. When I found my first pair of vintage 93602, I knew I had finally found shoe nirvana and I looked back at all the crap shoes I bought and I laughed.

 

[sam67]

Mmmmmmm. Forbidden shoes.

Sea turtle chukkas from Lee Kee.

For what it's worth, they fit fine but are NOT comfortable. Probably serves me right.
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Everything is renewable!