Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[Nobleprofessor]

what ya got? I'm a FJ fan and 10.5C may work as I'm usually a D

I usually wear an 11C. These are too short for me but they are definitely narrow. So, I doubt they would work

 

[Bopper]

93605s today… View attachment 1950379 View attachment 1950381 View attachment 1950383

The outdoor light really brings out the beautiful colors. Is that color 4, 6, or something particular to the brand?

 

[Bopper]

The incomparable @smfdoc was kind enough to send me the listing for these lovely NOS Florsheim Imperial PTBs in 10eee—from what he says, a near-impossible size. They are model number 78007 and were “Assembled in USA” in January of 1999 (Code AJ). The fit is quite nice—the only oddity is a heavily-padded sock liner that may add a bit of height in the heel area. Beautiful grain and a strong channel for the stitching. Monty immediately took the box. Thanks, @smfdoc, for always looking out for your fellow “eee” shoe pals.

View attachment 1950347 View attachment 1950349 View attachment 1950351 View attachment 1950353 View attachment 1950355 View attachment 1950357 View attachment 1950359 View attachment 1950361

I find that particular vintage to be the most comfortable. Maybe some quality control improvements in fit were made?

 

[Vincent George]

I find that particular vintage to be the most comfortable. Maybe some quality control improvements in fit were made?

Have to agree. My 1997 97626s are incredibly comfortable, too.

 

[smfdoc]

Happy Tuesday forum pals. Congrats to @Vincent George on his Florsheim PTB pick up. I love connecting people with shoes. It is nearly as fun as buying a pair and easier on my wallet. Today, I noticed this pair of Mason Imperial LWB on the shelf and I knew I have not worn them in quite some time. They are very deep chocolate in color, basically cigar.

 

[Nobleprofessor]

I don’t need any more black shoes and I have stopped buying them. BUT, I couldn’t pass up a pair of 96605. These are the black version of the 60’s Ultimate Longwing the 97604. The little details are what makes these so great. They don’t have the visual impact of the 97604, when I need a black pair these will be it!

 

[Bopper]

Nettleton Traditional LWBs in resto stage. They're very wet so they will dry to a much lighter color. I'm undecided as to whether or not to touch them up with a light coat of Light Brown Fiebing's alcohol based leather dye, but probably not on this pair, as the Lexol conditioner is going to dress them up beautifully anyway. I'll try, but it's unlikely they'll be ready for WW. Yes, I clean welt threads with tooth-paste, at least on more casual pairs. On my KH pre- '73 93602's for example, I didn't mess with the welts at all, as I feel they look much better with a suit without contrasting welt threads.

Clean and dry. Very dry. If I had some tan leather dye on hand I would use it, but I do not, so I'm going to skip that step and apply a couple rounds of Lexol now. The result will be a tad more "antique" than is my standard practice, but whatever. It's the toe of the right shoe that I brushed a little too hard when cleaning. I figure this pair will work well for an autumn casual look, i.e., Levi's or brown/grey flannel trousers and an olive/tan/brown tweed sport coat, or something like that. I suppose I can still dye them in the future.

 

[Satoman1]

On my The Saxon by Florsheim 21737

 

[lullemans72]

Hi, thanks for the reply. If you click on my user name in the quoted post it will take you to the original post where the original pictures are posted. For some reason they weren't included here.

Hi again guys, I'm bumping this before it gets hidden behind all the new posts. I would really appreciate some advice from someone on this.

 

[Satoman1]

Hi, thanks for the reply. If you click on my user name in the quoted post it will take you to the original post where the original pictures are posted. For some reason they weren't included here.

IDK if this is the problem, hard to tell from the pic but this video might help.

I've had the same problem few times and the only way to fix it is clean all the cream/wax with Renomat and start all over again. Especially on my pair of Paraboot one side can't achieve mirror shine no matter how hard I try and the other side still does easily. I guess that's the leather problem.

 

[Bopper]

IDK if this is the problem, hard to tell from the pic but this video might help.

I've had the same problem few times and the only way to fix it is clean all the cream/wax with Renomat and start all over again. Especially on my pair of Paraboot one side can't achieve mirror shine no matter how hard I try and the other side still does easily. I guess that's the leather problem.

On my The Saxon by Florsheim 21737

View attachment 1950759

Is that bull hide?

 

[Satoman1]

Is that bull hide?

I believe it's same leather with Beacon model, they calls that leather Walnut Calf. Florsheim has a unique name for each leather type they use, so it's difficult to know what they actually are.

This is the only photo I can find that looks exactly like mine pair. But it's printed Bucknell in the insole, not The Saxon. Maybe this model is a custom-made model for certain stores or schools, sports teams...

 

[suitforcourt]

Happy Tuesday forum pals. Congrats to @Vincent George on his Florsheim PTB pick up. I love connecting people with shoes. It is nearly as fun as buying a pair and easier on my wallet. Today, I noticed this pair of Mason Imperial LWB on the shelf and I knew I have not worn them in quite some time. They are very deep chocolate in color, basically cigar.

View attachment 1950587

For some reason, I thought you sold this pair. I'm glad my memory is wrong.

 

[AHS]

Found a nice pair of deadstock made in Ireland Stacy Adams longwings. 10.5 D. Anyone want them before I throw them up on eBay? Not looking for much $ … but I thought someone here would appreciate them. Send me a pm.

Thanks, AHS

UPDATE: SHOES HAVE BEEN CLAIMED BY A THREAD MEMBER. THANKS!

 

[friendlygoz]

AE Westgate wholecuts with a “meh” museum patina by yours

truly. I may strip them and try the patina again.