Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[happypebble]

Question: what is the cursive capital L in the markings inside some shoes? Is that a width?

 

[happypebble]

Speaking of Hanover, I thrifted some 12Ds with Cats Paw heels on the way home. View attachment 1600364
Then put on some Alden for Leather Soul boots to go with Mrs. Oyaji to that temple of quirky store brands, Trader Joe’s.
View attachment 1600365
They've got lots of trendy tote bags
View attachment 1600366
And a whole lot of Two Buck Chuck
View attachment 1600367

Now, I really like TJ's. Great stuff there, and I'll never say no to Two Buck Chuck. That said, I don't go in there a lot because I find it really easy to overspend... Oh, this looks good! And we needed Asiago cheese, and and and...you go in there for a couple items and it ends up being $127.99 at the register. Guess my impulse control is no good.

 

[SirThopas]

Hoping this is the right place to post this!

I have these cordovan Bluchers. Without being worn very much (let alone in punishing conditions), they have developed black lines on the vamp. I have tried the obvious, non-invasive ways of removing the marks, to no effect. I would be grateful for tips on how to get them out. Some people might say they are characterful, but to me they spoil the look of the shoes which I think of as being naturally “clean”.

 

[eTrojan]

Vintage violation:

I've been watching these for a while. Hand made in Italy. Double welt stitching. Looks like some of the stitching around the brogueing isn't very clean, but to my eye, the leather appears supple and high quality. Anything else I'm missing, positive or negative? I am concerned that Italian shoes tend to run narrow to begin with, so a AA-width may be too narrow.

Hand Made in Italy Wing tip Oxford Lace Up Brown Shoes Size 13 AA | eBay

Pre-owned in good condition see photos.

www.ebay.com

 

[JFWR]

Speaking of Hanover, I thrifted some 12Ds with Cats Paw heels on the way home. View attachment 1600364
Then put on some Alden for Leather Soul boots to go with Mrs. Oyaji to that temple of quirky store brands, Trader Joe’s.
View attachment 1600365
They've got lots of trendy tote bags
View attachment 1600366
And a whole lot of Two Buck Chuck
View attachment 1600367

I thought I was the only man to ever wear a pair of Aldens in a Trader Joes.

 

[suitforcourt]

I thought I was the only man to ever wear a pair of Aldens in a Trader Joes.

The few. The proud.

 

[JFWR]

The few. The proud.

There's no Trader Joe's in Champaign, so I often go to this discount super market called Save a Lot. People really, really, really think it's strange when I walk into that store with a sports coat and some nice shoes on. They aren't rude or anything, but I can tell that people are like: What the **** is this guy doing?

At least at Aldi you get people coming off work, too, so you don't feel quite that out of place.

 

[friendlygoz]

Grail pair - Dack’s early 1960s u-wing aka “the Cambridge” - landed from The North courtesy of @Jiqea . These are amazing and are now among the 22 pairs in my top-5 favorite in my collection. The build, color, and style are fantastic. In terms of quality, I’d put them up there with vintage Florsheims. @Jiqea included some vintage flat laces that add a touch of awesomeness. The zebu leather on these is tough as nails; my great-grandkids will be able to wear these. @Jiqea is great to work with and has an Indiana Jones-like ability to find rare Canadian shoes. He’s also a great guy.

 

[MrBaho]

Is Allen Edmonds Polished Calf corrected leather? I know their Polished Cobbler is. What is the difference between Polished Calf, Custom Calf and Burnished Calf. Thank you .

 

[Quantum17]

Grail pair - Dack’s early 1960s u-wing aka “the Cambridge” - landed from The North courtesy of @Jiqea . These are amazing and are now among the 22 pairs in my top-5 favorite in my collection. The build, color, and style are fantastic. In terms of quality, I’d put them up there with vintage Florsheims. @Jiqea included some vintage flat laces that add a touch of awesomeness. The zebu leather on these is tough as nails; my great-grandkids will be able to wear these. @Jiqea is great to work with and has an Indiana Jones-like ability to find rare Canadian shoes. He’s also a great guy. View attachment 1600611 View attachment 1600612 View attachment 1600613

Fine, I'm jello!
What a nice fit too! I bet those laces are WWII era. That's too much preferential treatment, I say!
@Jiqea, sir, Florida man needs love too. McHale UWing. McHale UWing. McHale UWing. McHale UWing. McHale UWing
What do we want?... McHale Uwing
When do we want?... Asap!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JFWR]

Is Allen Edmonds Polished Calf corrected leather? I know their Polished Cobbler is. What is the difference between Polished Calf, Custom Calf and Burnished Calf. Thank you .

Polished calf is cg.

Burnished calf is just burnished so it has darker parts.

Custom calf is just one of their ambiguous labels for calf.

Allen edmonds is a great company but they need to stop with the ambiguous names.

 

[suitforcourt]

There's no Trader Joe's in Champaign, so I often go to this discount super market called Save a Lot. People really, really, really think it's strange when I walk into that store with a sports coat and some nice shoes on. They aren't rude or anything, but I can tell that people are like: What the **** is this guy doing?

At least at Aldi you get people coming off work, too, so you don't feel quite that out of place.

I always get stink eye when I go thrifting in my dress clothes. Even a member here made a snide comment about a lawyer thrifting.

 

[JFWR]

I always get stink eye when I go thrifting in my dress clothes. Even a member here made a snide comment about a lawyer thrifting.

Thrifting is like a treasure hunt. If you didn't want me coming in, why sell it?

 

[stook1]

Fine, I'm jello!
What a nice fit too! I bet those laces are WWII era. That's too much preferential treatment, I say!
@Jiqea, sir, Florida man needs love too. McHale UWing. McHale UWing. McHale UWing. McHale UWing. McHale UWing
What do we want?... McHale Uwing
When do we want?... Asap!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While I agree with the sentiment entirely, respectfully I'd have to advise florida man avoidance in this specific instance. Ever heard of new england man? no? me neither... ? ? ?

 

[Leiker]

Question: what is the cursive capital L in the markings inside some shoes? Is that a width?

Can you show an example in a photo?