Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[suitforcourt]

Stetson was spot on! I think that's definitely it based on a couple other pairs I looked at after you suggested it. I'll get some more pictures of the others, Cole Haan Imperial is close but not quite it I don't think. I really appreciate everyone who's replied to help! I haven't been on SF in years, but this is reminding me how good of a place it is.

This thread is definitely the best place on the internet. Avoid the political threads.... they inevitably get ugly and personal.

 

[suitforcourt]

You speaking well of them on this forum is what put them on my radar. That was also the case with Sibley's Detroit. The Sibley's shoes are one of my best-fitting, most comfortable pairs. I have a feeling these Executive Imperials will be as well.
Your tier 2 recommendations have been great for me!

I'm humbled that an internet stranger would seriously consider my opinion on anything. Especially shoes.

The Sibley of Detroit pair that I own, was made by Dexter. I own 2 pairs of Dexter and 1 pair of Sibley. Excellent fit and another awesome tier 2 maker.

Also look at Stuart McGuire as they had various lines. Mostly tier 2 and 3. I also enjoy my Sears by Jarman.

I believe most Sears branded shoes made in the US were either manufactured by Jarman or Hanover. Other members own those gems so I'll let them chime in.

 

[memoriastoica]

I'm humbled that an internet stranger would seriously consider my opinion on anything. Especially shoes.

The Sibley of Detroit pair that I own, was made by Dexter. I own 2 pairs of Dexter and 1 pair of Sibley. Excellent fit and another awesome tier 2 maker.

Also look at Stuart McGuire as they had various lines. Mostly tier 2 and 3. I also enjoy my Sears by Jarman.

I believe most Sears branded shoes made in the US were either manufactured by Jarman or Hanover. Other members own those gems so I'll let them chime in.

I bought Executive Imperials because of your recommendations as well. I now have 2 pairs, both are wonderful shoes.

 

[suitforcourt]

I bought Executive Imperials because of your recommendations as well. I now have 2 pairs, both are wonderful shoes.

Both of my pairs are from the EI line. Enjoy them!

 

[MathMan314]

I'm humbled that an internet stranger would seriously consider my opinion on anything. Especially shoes.

The Sibley of Detroit pair that I own, was made by Dexter. I own 2 pairs of Dexter and 1 pair of Sibley. Excellent fit and another awesome tier 2 maker.

Also look at Stuart McGuire as they had various lines. Mostly tier 2 and 3. I also enjoy my Sears by Jarman.

I believe most Sears branded shoes made in the US were either manufactured by Jarman or Hanover. Other members own those gems so I'll let them chime in.

You are an influencer of the vintage shoe world! I appreciate the collective wisdom of this group. Knowledge from this group has helped me to find some nice pairs.

I too have some Sears by Jarman that I enjoy. Another comfortable pair with a great fit and a solid build. 'Twas one of my first vintage longwings and is still one of my mosy frequently worn. I suspect my other pair of Sears was made by Hanover in the 90s.

This discussion really makes me appreciate the tier 2 (and 3) shoes of the vintage world. Still better than most shoes on the market today, they can be found for almost no cost. I think most of my tier 2/3 shoes have been under 20 USD. They make superb "workhorse" shoes that can handle whatever you throw at them.

 

[vestbash]

This thread is definitely the best place on the internet. Avoid the political threads.... they inevitably get ugly and personal.

If correct, I'm putting quite a large feather in my cap on that ID.


On the 2nd pair, Taylor Made Imperial is also an option, they merged with Cole Haan at some point so the markings are similar. There were several companies in and around the Brockton, MA area that made shoes that all have similar stamps. I'm not an expert so I'm just poking around in the dark on this topic.

Without a logo to ID or distinctive size markings, you can still figure out who made the shoes. For example the Taylor Made/ Cole Haan Imperial heels are very distinctive because they are thick leather bends and the heel has an angular shape at the breast that angles backwards towards the back of the shoe, sorry for the probably confusing explanation and much easier to understand what I mean with a photo example. If you upload some more shoe pics it would help a lot.

 

[eTrojan]

Behind on posting for the week. Evidently, I was on a shell cordovan theme for shoe choices.

I declared “Walton Wednesday” and broke out the cognac shell split toes.

On Thursday, I opted for the Alden shell NST (vintage violation).

Today, I grabbed the Florsheim 97626 in color #8.

 

[vestbash]

Behind on posting for the week. Evidently, I was on a shell cordovan theme for shoe choices.

I declared “Walton Wednesday” and broke out the cognac shell split toes.

View attachment 2006687

On Thursday, I opted for the Alden shell NST (vintage violation).

View attachment 2006689

Today, I grabbed the Florsheim 97626 in color #8.

View attachment 2006691

Damn, I'm not a fan of the walton model but those are special. Probably the best walton I've ever seen.

 

[MathMan314]

Vintage violation, but I came across these AE for a steal and decided to get them to bring back to life. I did not know the model, and the uppers looked as though the previous owner spent much of his time kicking things and/or people. But, the soles/heels were in good shape.

My original intent was to re-dye the shoes and try to get the uppers looking as new as possible. Well...they sat around for a while, and I got lazy, so I just decided to see how far shoe cream would take me. I think they ended up being presentable.

I cleaned the uppers with acetone and then used several rounds of Lexol conditioner, AE Bourbon shoe polish, and Meltonian light brown shoe cream.

The model is the Madison Ave., which the internet says is a lower-tier AE made for Nordstrom. Definitely not vintage. But, they fit great and will find a place in my rotation. Maybe some day I'll find the ambition to do a full strip/re-dye.

 

[suitforcourt]

Vintage violation, but I came across these AE for a steal and decided to get them to bring back to life. I did not know the model, and the uppers looked as though the previous owner spent much of his time kicking things and/or people. But, the soles/heels were in good shape.
View attachment 2006755
My original intent was to re-dye the shoes and try to get the uppers looking as new as possible. Well...they sat around for a while, and I got lazy, so I just decided to see how far shoe cream would take me. I think they ended up being presentable.
View attachment 2006759
I cleaned the uppers with acetone and then used several rounds of Lexol conditioner, AE Bourbon shoe polish, and Meltonian light brown shoe cream.

The model is the Madison Ave., which the internet says is a lower-tier AE made for Nordstrom. Definitely not vintage. But, they fit great and will find a place in my rotation. Maybe some day I'll find the ambition to do a full strip/re-dye.

This reminds me that I should bring back the shoe revival competition I used to run.

 

[MrBaho]

This reminds me that I should bring back the shoe revival competition I used to run.

I wish you would.

 

[MathMan314]

A couple rounds of shoe cream made these Executive Imperials look much more lively.

 

[suitforcourt]

Vintage shoes and watch.

One of the last pairs assembled in the US. Paracord laces to give them an extra pop.

This Seiko is a predecessor of the SKX007 with the special Peanuts Gang put on the dial.

 

[madeinbogota]

On the first shoe, I have seen vintage Stetson's with markings similar to what is shown. I've only seen older hand made shoes with markings like that, so that leads me to believe they are a quality true vintage pair.

On the second, they are reminiscent of something like a Cole Haan Imperial or similar period shoes from the 1960s or so, however the markings are far more visible than I am used to which is odd.

Here's a few more pics of them (included the sizing markings again for good measure). Cats Paw heel caps, no distinguishable markings on the insoles, really gorgeous skin throughout though. Any help on deciphering a maker appreciated!

Edit: added a pic of the heels too after reading the thread a bit more, hopefully that can help someone with some knowledge.

 

[clazbaugh]

I know that this is a vintage shoe forum, but are boots permissible? A pair of Rios of Mercedes. Not sure the date, but still has the old markings for a 10.5D (4105).