Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[smfdoc]

Those beautiful 93605 inspired me to sport mine today. They go great with blue.

 

[VegTan]



Hello members need your expert insights, I recently purchased Hanover L B Sheppard Shell LWBs from eBay, they are gorgeous pair of shoes and have full leather heels with v-cleats. Which I have not seen on Hanover shells, I have 3 Hanover shells and they all have rubber heels. Help me to find the age of these shoes...pictures

Spoiler

Yeah, L B Sheppard's v-cleats are hard to find. Probably the clear label of MADE IN U.S.A. was made after the 1970s to 1980s and no MADE IN U.S.A. label around the 1960s to 1970s.

v-cleat heels without MADE IN U.S.A.
http://www.t-8intl.com/ds/ds816.html
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NWOB-Hanove...es-size-9-5-B-AA-/162071855441?orig_cvip=true

rubber heels without MADE IN U.S.A.
http://www.t-8intl.com/ds/ds815.html
http://www.t-8intl.com/ds/ds991.html
http://www.t-8intl.com/ds/ds883.html
http://www.t-8intl.com/ds/ds1273.html
http://www.t-8intl.com/dress/dress1053.html

v-cleat heels with MADE IN U.S.A.
http://www.t-8intl.com/wingtip/wingtip597.html

rubber heels with MADE IN U.S.A.
http://www.t-8intl.com/ds/ds1089.html
http://www.t-8intl.com/ds/ds785.html FD
http://www.t-8intl.com/dress/dress1386.html FD

Interestingly, this Iron Age by Bostonian around the 1970s has the Hanover's (probably) FD mark. Clarks bought Hanover in 1977 and Bostonian in 1980.
http://web.archive.org/web/20110120012406/http://www.clarksusa.com/eng/aboutus/aboutclarks.cfm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-HANOVER...-AA-PEBBLE-GRAIN-/272281154213?orig_cvip=true

 

[VegTan]

A History of Long Wing Bluchers


1963 Allen Edmonds
https://issuu.com/allenedmonds/docs/1963-catalog

1959 Nettleton
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...v9XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HfcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1655,3592368

1954 Roblee (Brown Shoe Company)
http://blog.dancestore.com/2013/09/05/1954-roblee-flying-wing-mens-shoe/)

1950 Florsheim
The VIKING. Extended Wing Tip Blucher in Golden Brown Random Grain, Storm-welted full double soles. $22.50
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/97412401/

1948 British Walkers (J.P. Smith Shoe Company)
A RICH BROWN SUEDE SHOE with the new long wing-tip styling, leather sole and heel : (top left) $19.05

http://www.bambootrading.com/proddetail.asp?prod=1463

Let me know when you guys find out the first appearance of each shoemaker's LWB, especially older ads than British Walkers. I'd appreciate it.

 

[smfdoc]

A History of Long Wing Bluchers


1963 Allen Edmonds
https://issuu.com/allenedmonds/docs/1963-catalog

1959 Nettleton
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...v9XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HfcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1655,3592368

1954 Roblee (Brown Shoe Company)
http://blog.dancestore.com/2013/09/05/1954-roblee-flying-wing-mens-shoe/)

1950 Florsheim
The VIKING. Extended Wing Tip Blucher in Golden Brown Random Grain, Storm-welted full double soles. $22.50
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/97412401/

1948 British Walkers (J.P. Smith Shoe Company)
A RICH BROWN SUEDE SHOE with the new long wing-tip styling, leather sole and heel : (top left) $19.05

http://www.bambootrading.com/proddetail.asp?prod=1463

Let me know when you guys find out the first appearance of each shoemaker's LWB, especially older ads than British Walkers. I'd appreciate it.

Wonderful stuff. I look forward to following the URLs you listed. I do have a 1960 catalog from AE for the MacNeil and it has the same image as the one you used for the 1963 catalog.

 

[davidVC]

I believe the elaborate Hanover "FD" mark means "Factory Defect".

I once had a NOS pair of model 2365 Hanover LWBs and the medallian was clearly off center. Which was disappointing when I noticed it. The pair had the same "FD" mark and logo.

 

[davidVC]

Nice ads.

I didn't live through the era but looking at old ads but I believe the long wing style (blucher with medallian, broguing, double leather soles, storm welt and extended cap toe), became popular in the late 1950s. The first mainstream ad for one that I have seen was an 1951 Esquire ad for a Florsheim Viking S-1405.

 

[davidVC]

I just cleaned up a pair of vintage Shell Cordovan Florsheim Imperial 93606 PTBs. The date code wore off but I believe the pair is from the 1960s based on the heel.

You can see why old Shell is sought after. It develops an amazing depth of color with age. In the last photo, I put a modern Allen Edmonds Shell Cordovan MacNeil 9097 for color comparison.

 

[smfdoc]

I just cleaned up a pair of vintage Shell Cordovan Florsheim Imperial 93606 PTBs. The date code wore off but I believe the pair is from the 1960s based on the heel.

You can see why old Shell is sought after. It develops an amazing depth of color with age. In the last photo, I put a modern Allen Edmonds Shell Cordovan MacNeil 9097 for color comparison.

Dave, those are really beauties. What was your primary method of cleaning?

 

[MattRiv]

Picked up a pair of moderately worn vintage Alden x BB shell cordovan tassel loafers for just $40! They have been resoled with a half sole, but still have the original heels which have about half of their life left. I have no clue how to date Alden shoes, but I would imagine these are at the very least 20 years old.

They fit a tad long, but are the best fit that I've gotten in a while with a loafer. There is only one notable scuff on the heel, everything else came out with a damp cloth and a brush.

 

[meister]



Hello members need your expert insights, I recently purchased Hanover L B Sheppard Shell LWBs from eBay, they are gorgeous pair of shoes and have full leather heels with v-cleats. Which I have not seen on Hanover shells, I have 3 Hanover shells and they all have rubber heels. Help me to find the age of these shoes...pictures

Very nice shoes

 

[smfdoc]

Ordering shoes in 2016 is a breeze. We pick up the phone or place the order via email or directly purchase off the website. It wasn't always so easy and the catalogs shed a little light on ordering shoes in those bygone days. For example Allen Edmonds was proudly advertising their new answering machine in 1970. It offered the ability to leave a message on the weekend or in the evening when one wanted to save money by calling in the evening.



The answering machine was actually a tremendous breakthrough, as evidenced by the 1960 AE catalog. The back page of the catalog provided a handy Telegraphic Code sheet to be used when one wished to call Western Union and send AE a telegram to order those shoes.



Each shoe in the catalog was assigned a code name. For example, the Mac Gregor in black was code named Hamburg and the Briar Scotch Grain was code named the Harlem. This is seen in example 1. Each length and width was also given a code name. My 11 EEE size was code named Gill. So I could tell Agnes from the Steno pool, "Send Allen Edmonds a telegram that says 'Harlem Gill Yellow'" and they would know to send my 11 EEE Mac Gregor shoes Parcel Post COD. This was the final days of such ordering as the code sheet was no longer seen in the 1964 catalog.

 

[davidVC]

Dave, those are really beauties. What was your primary method of cleaning?

The shoes were in decent shape when I got them. I used Venetian Shoe Cream. On the front, I also used the back of a spoon (with VSC as a lubricant), to ease some of the rolls.

 

[VegTan]

English shoemakers, Taylor & Lord and Churchs, used French shell cordovan. Bostonian and Bates imported shell cordovan. I wonder if the latter, too, were French shell. (Bates used Horween's shell, too. See p.6.) Anyone know of the French tannery's name?

Reading Eagle, 1959
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...aYhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SJoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2057,3276823

The New Yorker, 1980
Rare masterpieces created by the skillful hands of the finest British craftsmen combined with one of the world's rare exotic leathers into soft, supple, yet durable , classic footwear with full leather calfskin linings. Exclusively yours from Church's, where these all leather classics are available in black or brown "Genuine French Cordovan".


Ocala Star-Banner, 1958
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...1YFPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_gQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4830,550725

BATES 1965 Fall Winter Catalog
https://issuu.com/vegtan/docs/bates_1965fw

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Wonderful stuff. I look forward to following the URLs you listed. I do have a 1960 catalog from AE for the MacNeil and it has the same image as the one you used for the 1963 catalog.

Thanks. Some catalogs are missing on AE's issuu. Is yours a 1960 spring & summer?

Nice ads.

I didn't live through the era but looking at old ads but I believe the long wing style (blucher with medallian, broguing, double leather soles, storm welt and extended cap toe), became popular in the late 1950s. The first mainstream ad for one that I have seen was an 1951 Esquire ad for a Florsheim Viking S-1405.

Thanks. Here is Viking S1437 in Life Magazine, 1953.
https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=HkgEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA6&hl=en&pg=PA8#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[smfdoc]

I didn't live through the era but looking at old ads but I believe the long wing style (blucher with medallian, broguing, double leather soles, storm welt and extended cap toe), became popular in the late 1950s. The first mainstream ad for one that I have seen was an 1951 Esquire ad for a Florsheim Viking S-1405.
[/quote]

Thanks. Here is Viking S1437 in Life Magazine, 1953.
https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=HkgEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA6&hl=en&pg=PA8#v=onepage&q&f=false

[/quote]

$17.95 was no small amount of money in 1953 as the average annual income then was $4000. The wife could buy a pretty nice dress for $5 and Florsheim was selling based on the savings in the long run. Some things don't change.

 

[mreams99]

Changing gears to a more casual shoe....
I recently ran across these vintage chukkas. I was surprised to see that they were made in Spain for Sears. Does anyone know anything about that?
I'm not a huge fan of the squarish toe. Other than that, I like the look of these.

That crepe sole looks like they were worn once, then put on a shelf for the next 40 years or so.