Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[wasmisterfu]

Gents, please help me find these inbound AE ‘Duke’ in a catalog or other. I can’t locate them. Will post when arrive.
View attachment 2185521 View attachment 2185523

I don’t think they’re a catalog offering. I suspect the first four digit value is the date code, not the model, and the second 4 digit code (0629) is the model, with the 0 indicating it was a model for third party retail.

AE, back in the 70’s, would flip date codes and models numbers sometimes (they also weren’t consistent with date code formatting as sometimes it’s day/week/year and other times it’s week/day/year.

Anyway, that’s a very cool pair of a type I’ve never seen before.

 

[vim147]

Recently got my hands on an absolutely wrecked pair of Royal Tweed oxfords.

View attachment 2185603

You can see some of the damage. Deep gouges, oil stains, scuffs through the finish. There was more than I'm showing here. I tried to save the factory finish, but I couldn't cover up all the damage.

So I went another route.

View attachment 2185605

A nice rich, dark brown. You can still see a little of the damage, but the dark color hides it well enough.

Saved another pair from the dumpster!

Which brand of dye did you use ?

 

[wasmisterfu]

Beautiful Empire if you're a 13C

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1715216576/1950s-spectator-wingtip-oxford-allen?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=mens+spectator+shoes&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&frs=1&sts=1&content_source=8eb3c33a03ac39131bd1bbe896963da673020d90%253A1715216576&search_preloaded_img=1&organic_search_click=1

Oh no. Must… resist…

 

[suitforcourt]

Nice! Looks like maybe you put some dark cream polish on the toes…? If not, that a great natural burnish.

They came to me like that. I only use conditioner.

 

[suitforcourt]

Oh no. Must… resist…

Sir, you know the rules of the thread.

If they fit, they ship.

 

[sam67]

Oh no. Must… resist…

Pretty sharp. Just sayin'

 

[wasmisterfu]

Sir, you know the rules of the thread.

If they fit, they ship.

The problem is I already have the following:

Not to mention the black velvet strand things I wore the other evening, a bunch of weaves, and at least one other pair Merlot and Black Broadstreet’s I have sitting in a closet (that I haven’t photographed).

Counselor, what I’m saying is that I’m going to get in really, really big trouble if I buy those shoes. Won’t anyone think of the Spousal Customs crisis I’ll face, and step in and buy these before I do?

 

[wasmisterfu]

Pretty sharp. Just sayin'

65 last, 13c, vintage 50’s spectator with six eyelets…

 

[actionjbone]

Which brand of dye did you use ?

I used Angelus on these, color Honey.

 

[suitforcourt]

The problem is I already have the following:
View attachment 2185755
View attachment 2185757
View attachment 2185761
View attachment 2185763
View attachment 2185765

Not to mention the black velvet strand things I wore the other evening, a bunch of weaves, and at least one other pair Merlot and Black Broadstreet’s I have sitting in a closet (that I haven’t photographed).

Counselor, what I’m saying is that I’m going to get in really, really big trouble if I buy those shoes. Won’t anyone think of the Spousal Customs crisis I’ll face, and step in and buy these before I do?

All I see here are excuses.

So this is the situation: Buy them. They're my size. You're holding them for me, pending my visit to NYC in June and October.

I'm giving you explicit permission to wear them in.

If I come up short on money, then you'll have no choice but to keep them.

Shoe friends regularly do this for each other. You're welcome.

PS. Your spectator collection is phenomenal

 

[eTrojan]

Oh no. Must… resist…

Don't leave me as the only member wearing Empires.

Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

1966 Florsheim 93605

www.styleforum.net

 

[sam67]

I see Etonic like never. 10B anyone. (not my listing)

Eaton Etonic Long Wing Pebbled Leather Derbys Men's Size 10 B C112104 Brown USA | eBay

Eaton Etonic Long Wing Pebbled Leather Derbys Men's Size 10 B C112104 Brown USA

www.ebay.com

 

[suitforcourt]

I see Etonic like never. 10B anyone. (not my listing)

Eaton Etonic Long Wing Pebbled Leather Derbys Men's Size 10 B C112104 Brown USA | eBay

Eaton Etonic Long Wing Pebbled Leather Derbys Men's Size 10 B C112104 Brown USA

www.ebay.com

Definitely not as common. Also a great price.

 

[wasmisterfu]

All I see here are excuses.

So this is the situation: Buy them. They're my size. You're holding them for me, pending my visit to NYC in June and October.

I'm giving you explicit permission to wear them in.

If I come up short on money, then you'll have no choice but to keep them.

Shoe friends regularly do this for each other. You're welcome.

PS. Your spectator collection is phenomenal

 

[wasmisterfu]

Don't leave me as the only member wearing Empires.

Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

1966 Florsheim 93605

www.styleforum.net

There’s a very good chance I’ll pull the trigger on those. But just know you people should be ashamed of yourselves for using peer pressure to enable my questionable (but tasteful) bad behavior.

That said, they’ll need a lot of restoration work to make them wearable (without having something sad happening to them). Just from the photos, it looks like these were sitting in the back of grandpa’s closet for 60 years. They’re going to need an intensive rehydration regimen or they run the risk of getting blown out: