Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[SecondHandStyle]

Vintage Made in Italy Aldo’s. Are these shell cordovan? They seem to have the roll to them but I don’t know if Aldo ever dabbled with cordovan

 

[CWOyaji]

Not shell. Look at the crinkles at the bend points, shell wouldn't have those.

 

[smfdoc]

Not shell. Look at the crinkles at the bend points, shell wouldn't have those.

You are absolutely correct. For those new to shell, it is important to look for those fine crinkles and other clues that indicate they are not shell. For example, this pair of NOS Stuart McGuire PTBs. The seller is not making any claim that they are shell. At first glance one may think they are shell.

But notice the very fine wrinkles on the left vamp. This strongly indicates it is not shell.

Now check the label. Notice that the sole is man-made. Old shell is usually a higher end shoe for a maker and I would expect leather soles. It is also possible to check the style number on shellcordovanmodels.com.

They made a shell PTB, but the style number was OV-418, as opposed to this OV-443 pair.

 

[CWOyaji]

Not to beat a dead horse, but here are the bend points in a twenty plus year old pair of Alden shell shoes (model 2146). Shell will develop rolls, and sometimes grit gets in them but it doesn't form into lines like the Aldos you asked about.

[EDIT]
These shoes really are nice and deserve another photo.

I'm not sure how old they are, but the store that sold them went out of business back in 2001. The New York Times said they catered to Wall Street bankers and FBI agents among others, marketing was all word of mouth.

 

[suitforcourt]

Not to beat a dead horse, but here are the bend points in a twenty plus year old pair of Alden shell shoes (model 2146). Shell will develop rolls, and sometimes grit gets in them but it doesn't form into lines like the Aldos you asked about.
View attachment 1819084

I think this dead horse has been worn well.

 

[SecondHandStyle]

Not to beat a dead horse, but here are the bend points in a twenty plus year old pair of Alden shell shoes (model 2146). Shell will develop rolls, and sometimes grit gets in them but it doesn't form into lines like the Aldos you asked about.
View attachment 1819084

This visual representation is much appreciated! I’ve only heard explanations via text and what brand new/hardly used Cordovan pairs look like but I never see a visual sample of a heavily worn pair which is what you’re likely to find in the thrift etc anyways. I’ll know what to look out for now, thanks a lot!

 

[suitforcourt]

This visual representation is much appreciated! I’ve only heard explanations via text and what brand new/hardly used Cordovan pairs look like but I never see a visual sample of a heavily worn pair which is what you’re likely to find in the thrift etc anyways. I’ll know what to look out for now, thanks a lot!

If you scroll through this thread, you will see great examples of worn shell and the rolls.

 

[smfdoc]

Not to beat a dead horse, but here are the bend points in a twenty plus year old pair of Alden shell shoes (model 2146). Shell will develop rolls, and sometimes grit gets in them but it doesn't form into lines like the Aldos you asked about.
View attachment 1819084
[EDIT]
These shoes really are nice and deserve another photo.
View attachment 1819147
I'm not sure how old they are, but the store that sold them went out of business back in 2001. The New York Times said they catered to Wall Street bankers and FBI agents among others, marketing was all word of mouth.
View attachment 1819148

The serial number begins with 5F, which means it is a year that ends in a 5. Since the store that ordered them closed for business in 2001, that means they were made around 1995 or 1985. The F reflects the month of creation. Alden‘s Fiscal year begin in November and they would use the letter A. The F indicates the shoes were made in April.

 

[CWOyaji]

That's some next-level Aldenology right there.

 

[friendlygoz]

The serial number begins with 5F, which means it is a year that ends in a 5. Since the store that ordered them closed for business in 2001, that means they were made around 1995 or 1985. The F reflects the month of creation. Alden‘s Fiscal year begin in November and they would use the letter A. The F indicates the shoes were made in April.

🤯

 

[memoriastoica]

For me, they are almost too wide. Apparently this last (2298) is one of the narrower lasts. I don’t think I could wear a last that is any wider. My Foot tends to run a little narrow. 11C is my ideal size in Florsheim. These are UK 10 Medium width.

I wore these all day and they are brand new and never bothered me.

Here is the link.

Sale Now On | Handmade English Shoes & Boots | Trickers | Tricker's

Now on sale, men's and women's handmade english shoes and boots from Tricker's. Up to 40% off a collection of smart and casual styles for a limited time only.

www.trickers.com

I also wear 11C Florsheim's. I can also fit in 10.5D but my heels slip out which is uncomfortable unless I lace my shoes tightly. We should become trading partners! Or just keep an eye out for great 11C vintage shoes.

 

[ZePrez]

That's some next-level Aldenology right there.

+1

 

[friendlygoz]

AE St George boot from 1971.

 

[MathMan314]

I decided to try my hand at making a "Golden Harvest" inspired longwing. Here is the progress thus far:

I saw some Angelus acrylic leather paint in "mustard" while at a craft store, so I decided to do an experiment with it. I'm curious to find out how well an acrylic finish will hold up over time.

For this experiment I used a pair of Dexter for Sibley's of Detroit that I picked up for $5. I stripped them with acetone, which removed what seemed like an acrylic top coat. (It seems I forgot to take a picture of this part, but I can do that with the 2nd shoe.) I then applied 4 coats of the Angelus with a sponge brush, with between 10 minutes and an hour between coats.

I let that set for a bit more than 24 hours and applied Angelus acrylic finisher (a protective top layer) and let that sit for another 24 hours or so. I finished by tinting the mustard color down a bit with some Meltonian light brown shoe cream.

So far, I like the way it came out. The acrylic top coat was easy to work with, and it is far less "plastic-y" than I imagined it might be. It actually seems more pliable and leather like than the original finish on the shoes.

My plan is to finish the other shoe throughout this week, then start putting the shoes to use. Again, I am curious to see how well the acrylic paint holds up over time.

If it cracks or flakes away, I'll just strip everything and dye the shoes navy. If it ends up working well, then that opens up the door for other fun projects, like making spectators!

 

[MathMan314]

I decided to try my hand at making a "Golden Harvest" inspired longwing. Here is the progress thus far:
View attachment 1819685
I saw some Angelus acrylic leather paint in "mustard" while at a craft store, so I decided to do an experiment with it. I'm curious to find out how well an acrylic finish will hold up over time.

For this experiment I used a pair of Dexter for Sibley's of Detroit that I picked up for $5. I stripped them with acetone, which removed what seemed like an acrylic top coat. (It seems I forgot to take a picture of this part, but I can do that with the 2nd shoe.) I then applied 4 coats of the Angelus with a sponge brush, with between 10 minutes and an hour between coats.

I let that set for a bit more than 24 hours and applied Angelus acrylic finisher (a protective top layer) and let that sit for another 24 hours or so. I finished by tinting the mustard color down a bit with some Meltonian light brown shoe cream.

So far, I like the way it came out. The acrylic top coat was easy to work with, and it is far less "plastic-y" than I imagined it might be. It actually seems more pliable and leather like than the original finish on the shoes.

My plan is to finish the other shoe throughout this week, then start putting the shoes to use. Again, I am curious to see how well the acrylic paint holds up over time.

If it cracks or flakes away, I'll just strip everything and dye the shoes navy. If it ends up working well, then that opens up the door for other fun projects, like making spectators!

Note: I still need to take off the excess paint that I got on binding. The binding on these is not leather, so the paint flakes right off.