Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[clazbaugh]

Vintage French Shriner LWB. Bought them in a really lightly used state. Not sure if I posted these before. Double v-cleat can be a bit of an adventure. First pic is mine and the other two are from the listing. Be curious if anyone has an idea on the date.

 

[mormonopoly]

Here's pair of Florsheim suede ventilated sepctators c. 1950 that I've been wearing.

 

[mormonopoly]

Here's another unworn pair. These are 1950s Johnsonian Guide Step black U-wings.

 

[BlueSteel]

Daughter's birthday party today. So have to wear a watch and shoes that can withstand coughing, sneezing, spillage of pop, and chasing kids around.

I decided that my vintage Dexters that were the last of the ones manufactured in the US in the 1980s are appropriate. They're made with corrected grain so they can withstand any accidental barfs. Corey Hiltz added sole savers so I won't slip when I step on whatever the children spill/upchuck.

Lol - 10 out of 10 for your detailed reasoning, sir!

 

[clazbaugh]

Here's another unworn pair. These are 1950s Johnsonian Guide Step black U-wings. View attachment 2280179 View attachment 2280181 View attachment 2280183 View attachment 2280185 View attachment 2280187

Those are just awesome!

 

[friendlygoz]

AE Clayton in teju…

 

[Raimar]

What is it with spray on paint? Is that what the factory does for color on the entire shoe?

Just a quicker way to get that patina look. It can look good when done properly but I don't particularly like it. This pair is probably 30+ years old so it would not have come from the factory this way.

 

[Raimar]

Has anyone seen this done to a shoe before? It looks like 4 bolts were inserted. Maybe a display model or additional support for a prosthetic leg/foot?

 

[friendlygoz]

C&J shell half strap loafers today…

 

[suitforcourt]

@shoenoob gifted me this pair many years ago. I haven't seen you around here brother, so I hope you're well.

A cobbler rebuilt with double JR soles, toe taps, and cat paw heels. They're part of my ensemble to kick start a 2 day conference.

Happy Friday, shoe pals.

 

[smfdoc]

Has anyone seen this done to a shoe before? It looks like 4 bolts were inserted. Maybe a display model or additional support for a prosthetic leg/foot?
View attachment 2281573 View attachment 2281575 View attachment 2281577

Looks like an Alden shoe. Alden was heavily involved in making specific orthopedic shoes for patients. I believe the bolts were for attaching a brace to the bottom of the shoe.

 

[friendlygoz]

AE suede Dundee…

 

[suitforcourt]

I'm really glad I had the foresight to replace the v-cleats. I was cutting it close this morning to catch my bus ride to day 2 of a conference. So I had to jog for 5 minutes to get to the stop. Luckily I jog on a treadmill 5 days a week. More importantly, these were rebuilt via JR soles, toe taps, grommets and rubber heels. Surprisingly, this pair performed well as running shoes on pavement.

 

[clazbaugh]

First pair of shell! 93606 from 1967. Very lightly worn.