Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[gravityscanner]

Welcome to the thread!
I can't help on the age, but those look very nice.

Are you sure they need to be resoled? If you could post more pictures, especially of the soles, we could offer you more advice.

Here are a few more pictures. I guess my main concern was with the wear on the toes at the front. My grandfather said they are likely the original soles… great grandfather did not wear very frequently. Going to see what else I can find out about the age. He did tell me that some work was done on the heels for both see attached. Do you have any advice on how to best take care of the leather on these? I don’t plan to wear them frequently, just every once in awhile.

 

[friendlygoz]

Here are a few more pictures. I guess my main concern was with the wear on the toes at the front. My grandfather said they are likely the original soles… great grandfather did not wear very frequently. Going to see what else I can find out about the age. He did tell me that some work was done on the heels for both see attached. Do you have any advice on how to best take care of the leather on these? I don’t plan to wear them frequently, just every once in awhile.

They look to be in good shape. If they were mine, I'd condition them with Bick4, brush, buff, and enjoy. Any local cobbler can apply a rubber half-sole if you are worried about the leather getting worn down. But if you are wearing them infrequently, that may not be necessary.

 

[Oshare]

Here are a few more pictures. I guess my main concern was with the wear on the toes at the front. My grandfather said they are likely the original soles… great grandfather did not wear very frequently. Going to see what else I can find out about the age. He did tell me that some work was done on the heels for both see attached. Do you have any advice on how to best take care of the leather on these? I don’t plan to wear them frequently, just every once in awhile.

Thanks for the photos.

The heels were replaced, but seem to be okay.

If you push on the bottom of the soles in various places with your thumb, or from the inside of the shoe, do you feel any really soft spots? Like it's mushy or there isn't much leather left?
Just visually, my guess is that there is still some life left in those soles.

What you might consider is having a cobbler put on Vibram rubber half soles if the leather soles are not soft and mushy.

Especially if you don't plan to wear them too often, Vibram half soles can extend the life of the shoes before you need to do a full resole. They will also drastically cut down the wear on the toes.

 

[sam67]

Here are a few more pictures. I guess my main concern was with the wear on the toes at the front. My grandfather said they are likely the original soles… great grandfather did not wear very frequently. Going to see what else I can find out about the age. He did tell me that some work was done on the heels for both see attached. Do you have any advice on how to best take care of the leather on these? I don’t plan to wear them frequently, just every once in awhile.

The other guys have been around longer than me but I would treat them as the functional art that they are and wear them! There are very few USA made shoes left of this quality. Wyatt and dad recently redid my 1977 shark saddles- all new except the uppers. I’m also a Saphir addict. You can see cleaning guides on their webpage. While I don’t treat weekly like they mention ($), I like their products. You get those babies redone and next thing you know you’ll have 30 pairs in the closet . Enjoy!

 

[Kawini]

Good morning guys. I have two questions for the shoe bros as I begin to assemble a collection of shoes for myself. For reasons unexplainable, I’ve been bitten by a shoe bug and have bought 14 pairs of shoes online - mainly eBay but also some other platforms - over the last four months. I will admit that all are not “vintage.” There are some Florsheims in the mix, but the better part of this haul are English makers. Onto my questions:

First, a few pair that I bought are a squidge or two too small for me. One of my first lessons in this game is that a 10.5D is not a 10.5D is not a 10.5D (with apologies to Alice B. Toklas). A couple of these I’d really prefer to hold onto. Do I have any good options? I have read comments endorsing stretching and comments assuring me that I will ruin the shoe if I try to stretch them. Then there’s the dunk them in water and wear them until they dry suggestion. 🤔🤔🤔 Mainly the problem is in the width, not the length. What’s the general consensus here?

Second, if I decide that I have to sell some because of fit issues what is the best way to do this? Is eBay the best place, or is there a better platform for selling. I have never sold an item on eBay before, so the selling game is going to be new to me.

Thanks, guys, for an interesting thread and for your expert advice.

 

[smfdoc]

Happy Thursday forum pals and welcome to the thread @Kwaini. As for his question, yes, you can stretch shoes, especially calf or CXL. Shell, not so much. Look back through the thread or search the thread for the word "stretch" and you will find some earlier posts and advice. Today I am off for lunch with an old friend and its a good time to also break out some old shoes for the occasion.

 

[eTrojan]

Here are a few more pictures. I guess my main concern was with the wear on the toes at the front. My grandfather said they are likely the original soles… great grandfather did not wear very frequently. Going to see what else I can find out about the age. He did tell me that some work was done on the heels for both see attached. Do you have any advice on how to best take care of the leather on these? I don’t plan to wear them frequently, just every once in awhile.

That’s an older heel plate for J&M. It matches the one in a pair of my shoes that I suspect are from the 1960s. I haven’t done a lot of searching for vintage J&M catalogs or newspaper ads on newspaper.com to identify when the branding changed to put bookends on it, but there are some folks here who track that brand more closely.

Agree with @Oshare that feeling the sole to see if it’s mushy is the best way to tell if it needs a resole. If you’re not going to wear often, a little give is fine.

 

[Nobleprofessor]

Assuming the Holy Grail of Florsheim collecting is: NOS 93605, and 97604, Yuma Shell Cordovan, Stratford, and weathered moss, what am I missing?

Picture of Stratford included because that is one pair I don’t have.

I did find one of my grail pairs recently. Florsheim Drexel Shell Cordovan

 

[Bopper]

Happy Thursday forum pals and welcome to the thread @Kwaini. As for his question, yes, you can stretch shoes, especially calf or CXL. Shell, not so much. Look back through the thread or search the thread for the word "stretch" and you will find some earlier posts and advice. Today I am off for lunch with an old friend and its a good time to also break out some old shoes for the occasion.

View attachment 1943089

Bravo. Light grey trousers/suit is the definitive pairing with pretty much any color wingtips.

 

[Bopper]

Assuming the Holy Grail of Florsheim collecting is: NOS 93605, and 97604, Yuma Shell Cordovan, Stratford, and weathered moss, what am I missing?

Picture of Stratford included because that is one pair I don’t have.

View attachment 1943171

I did find one of my grail pairs recently. Florsheim Drexel Shell Cordovan



View attachment 1943181 View attachment 1943183

I could live without ever even seeing a Yuma. The Drexel is sweet. A beef-roll would be even better.

 

[Bopper]

Good morning guys. I have two questions for the shoe bros as I begin to assemble a collection of shoes for myself. For reasons unexplainable, I’ve been bitten by a shoe bug and have bought 14 pairs of shoes online - mainly eBay but also some other platforms - over the last four months. I will admit that all are not “vintage.” There are some Florsheims in the mix, but the better part of this haul are English makers. Onto my questions:

First, a few pair that I bought are a squidge or two too small for me. One of my first lessons in this game is that a 10.5D is not a 10.5D is not a 10.5D (with apologies to Alice B. Toklas). A couple of these I’d really prefer to hold onto. Do I have any good options? I have read comments endorsing stretching and comments assuring me that I will ruin the shoe if I try to stretch them. Then there’s the dunk them in water and wear them until they dry suggestion. 🤔🤔🤔 Mainly the problem is in the width, not the length. What’s the general consensus here?

Second, if I decide that I have to sell some because of fit issues what is the best way to do this? Is eBay the best place, or is there a better platform for selling. I have never sold an item on eBay before, so the selling game is going to be new to me.

Thanks, guys, for an interesting thread and for your expert advice.

If you can find a set of 10.5 D or E trees, insert them, clean the shoes again using lexol cleaner or saddle soap and rinse thoroughly with lots warm water. Allow to dry, maybe 48 hours or more and then go to town on whatever dyeing is needed, followed by several rounds of conditioning and detailing. Then put them away for a couple of weeks. Then, maybe yet another round of conditioner. Leave the tight trees in throughout the entire process. They will conform to slightly larger trees, fixing creases at the same time. My opinion is that using a shoe stretcher is a much riskier method.

 

[Kawini]

Thanks Bopper. That’s really useful information.

One thing I’m not clear on from your description of your protocol is whether or not to do the washing and rinsing with the shoe trees in place, or whether to put the trees in after the washing and rinsing. Wouldn’t it be better to let the shoes “rest“ with dry trees?

Also, about the trees. Where do you find specifically sized lasts? I’ve been using three part cedar lasts in a brand that comes in S, M, and L. I have found (surprisingly) that S in that brand fills the shoes nicely and is a relatively tight fit. I suppose I could try an M.

But is the moist shoe going to conform to the larger tree, and lose its originally lasted shape. One of my new old pairs, for example, is a relatively narrow waisted shoe by Gaziano and Girling that has a distinctive shape. Will using your method change the shape of the shoe by much, do you think?

Thanks tons again!

 

[friendlygoz]

Edwin Clapp with burnishing by yours truly

 

[Oshare]

Good morning guys. I have two questions for the shoe bros as I begin to assemble a collection of shoes for myself. For reasons unexplainable, I’ve been bitten by a shoe bug and have bought 14 pairs of shoes online - mainly eBay but also some other platforms - over the last four months. I will admit that all are not “vintage.” There are some Florsheims in the mix, but the better part of this haul are English makers. Onto my questions:

First, a few pair that I bought are a squidge or two too small for me. One of my first lessons in this game is that a 10.5D is not a 10.5D is not a 10.5D (with apologies to Alice B. Toklas). A couple of these I’d really prefer to hold onto. Do I have any good options? I have read comments endorsing stretching and comments assuring me that I will ruin the shoe if I try to stretch them. Then there’s the dunk them in water and wear them until they dry suggestion. 🤔🤔🤔 Mainly the problem is in the width, not the length. What’s the general consensus here?

Second, if I decide that I have to sell some because of fit issues what is the best way to do this? Is eBay the best place, or is there a better platform for selling. I have never sold an item on eBay before, so the selling game is going to be new to me.

Thanks, guys, for an interesting thread and for your expert advice.

Welcome to the thread and the shoe addiction!

Thought 1) If you picked up some newer pairs, how broken in are the shoes already? If not much, maybe they will loosen up after you wear them for a while. If you can bear it, you might try wearing the same shoe for a week or so, to help them loosen up and stretch to fit your feet. It's a lot harder to break them in if you only wear them once every few weeks, once you have a bunch of pairs and start to rotate through your collection.

My best size is a 9.5E, but most of my collection is 9.5D because it's a much more common size. Until the shoes are well broken in, they can be quite painful after a few blocks of walking.

Thought 2) If you are feeling pressure and discomfort only in specific points, you could try to stretch those specific points for a better fit. A shoe stretcher usually comes with plastic knubs for this. Otherwise, what @CWOyaji does is use larger shoe trees and stick on felt pads for furniture feet to strategically stretch at certain points.

 

[Bopper]

Thanks Bopper. That’s really useful information.

One thing I’m not clear on from your description of your protocol is whether or not to do the washing and rinsing with the shoe trees in place, or whether to put the trees in after the washing and rinsing. Wouldn’t it be better to let the shoes “rest“ with dry trees?

Also, about the trees. Where do you find specifically sized lasts? I’ve been using three part cedar lasts in a brand that comes in S, M, and L. I have found (surprisingly) that S in that brand fills the shoes nicely and is a relatively tight fit. I suppose I could try an M.

But is the moist shoe going to conform to the larger tree, and lose its originally lasted shape. One of my new old pairs, for example, is a relatively narrow waisted shoe by Gaziano and Girling that has a distinctive shape. Will using your method change the shape of the shoe by much, do you think?

Thanks tons again!

Yes, wet, wash, rinse, repeat, with the shoe tress in place. No need to submerge them. I try not to get too much water inside the shoe, but it won't hurt them. I use the spray nozzle at the kitchen sink. Work up a lather with a wet shoe-shine brush. I have one dedicated to this task.

Lasted trees: I got mine with a pair of longwings found on David's Watch List. I didn't realize the trees were included until they arrived Hard to find. If you are 10.5 D I think that is a medium. Like everything else shop around.

As long as you use trees big enough to fit your pairs snuggly.

Change the shape? Yes, but you won't notice it. The width is mostly at the ball of the foot, where the upper meets the insole, and we're talking 1/8 inch???, i.e., 1/16" on each side???

Have you tried nylon dress socks? That might be an easier fix.