Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[sicigpat]

Thanks, I have Bick 4 on the way. Yes I am familiar with v cleat. It’s a great source of info.

 

[Lmrjfud]

Thanks guys . Any recommendations on what conditioner to use . I have saphir renovateur and lexol deep conditioner on hand. I inserted some shoe trees and will take it slow breaking them in

As others have said, Bick 4 is great for replenishing the shoe. It also costs a lot less than the Saphir products. I like using Venitian Shoe Cream as the final coat on shell. It gives the shoe a nice, warm shine. Kind of like candlelight at Christmastime sort of shine. That's because shell is magic, just like Santa.

 

[ICrane]

Hello, everyone. I'm a longtime lurker who's been tempted into a new hobby thanks to the shoe revival contest thread. I couldn't find anything suitable in my size under $15, so I'm posting this here for fun/learning. I found these "union made" ET Wright Arch Preservers in 12B (which somehow fit my 12D feet comfortably):


Help dating them would be appreciated. All I could find was this:

The early, union-made Arch Preservers are excellent shoes. They are not easy to date with precision, but if you can find a pair with a sewn-in cloth label you will have made a score.

Any advice on restoring them beyond Lexol -> Bick4 -> trees? And what to do about this:


Thanks!

 

[wasmisterfu]

This group is a huge fan of Bick 4. As is yours truly.

For me, I use saphir renovateur, and then several rounds of Bick 4. I also have venetian shoe cream for corrected grain leather.

I then have renapur for my heavier snow boots.

If you don't already know about vcleat.com, then read @davidVC 's article to develop an armada of knowledge about shoe care, and vintage shoes.

I use a combination of products, starting with Kiwi Saddle Soap, as a first stage cleaner to get gunk off. I find the Kiwi stuff, which is full of moisturizers (unlike generic saddle soap) is very good at cleaning without further drying (important when dealing with shoes that are dried out). I then use a combination of Allen Edmonds (now discontinued) Conditioner-Cleaner (which I have a whole bunch of) and Leather Lotion; I especially like the leather lotion as I find it pretty quickly gets deep into very dry leather and hydrates it. While somewhat backwards, I usually start with leather lotion, then do the final conditioning with the conditioner cleaner, which is more viscous and oil based and subsequently doesn't penetrate as far as the leather lotion but provides more long-term protection. Then I apply cream polishes and, occasionally and very sparingly, wax.

 

[tocohillsguy]

Bit the bullet and bought some shoes I don't really need, but I have a hard time resisting shell at a good price....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/STUART-MCGUIRE-SHELL-CORDOVAN-PLAIN-TOE-418-T-OXFORDS-SIZE-10-5-D-/142891967173?hash=item21450662c5:g:xbUAAOSwZthbYpSo&_nkw=shell+cordovan&_sacat=0&_from=R40&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&nma=true&si=h9sYxIo%2BNrbci4DatogGr1y38Wk%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Pictures aren't very good, but I took a runner on them. We'll see what shows up.

 

[aaamax]

Daaaaaamnnn!

View attachment 1012970 View attachment 1012971 View attachment 1012972 Hi all
Just bought these off eBay. I can’t believe how beautiful they look in person. I have narrow feet but the right shoe is a bit snug. Will older shoes give a little in terms of stretching? I guess the bigger question I have is should I even wear them or save them as is?

 

[well-kept]

Hello, everyone. I'm a longtime lurker who's been tempted into a new hobby thanks to the shoe revival contest thread. I couldn't find anything suitable in my size under $15, so I'm posting this here for fun/learning. I found these "union made" ET Wright Arch Preservers in 12B (which somehow fit my 12D feet comfortably):
View attachment 1013136 View attachment 1013137 View attachment 1013135

Help dating them would be appreciated. All I could find was this:


Any advice on restoring them beyond Lexol -> Bick4 -> trees? And what to do about this:

View attachment 1013142
Thanks!

Hi, I have since learned that the cloth label, as in your pair, was used from as early as the 1920s, until and perhaps into the 50s. The large brogueing on your pair would seem to place them in the 40s, to my eye. There are loads of archival ads to be found in a Google Images search and you might find the exact model.

 

[mormonopoly]

Hello, everyone. I'm a longtime lurker who's been tempted into a new hobby thanks to the shoe revival contest thread. I couldn't find anything suitable in my size under $15, so I'm posting this here for fun/learning. I found these "union made" ET Wright Arch Preservers in 12B (which somehow fit my 12D feet comfortably):
View attachment 1013136 View attachment 1013137 View attachment 1013135

Help dating them would be appreciated. All I could find was this:


Any advice on restoring them beyond Lexol -> Bick4 -> trees? And what to do about this:

View attachment 1013142
Thanks!

This is a 1960's style, maybe late 50s at the absolute earliest.

Edit: Here they are in a 1966 postcard: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ad...ertisement&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313

 

[Shoonoob]

Congrats on a wonderful pair of shoes. Older shoes can be stretched some, but there is limited stretching in shell. BEFORE you consider stretching, I would a) really condition the shoes to make sure they are not dry. Shell can dry out and become weak. And b) wear them a number of times. The cork bed in the insole will compress some with wearing and this produces some additional room. This, alone, may remove the snugness. So be slow and cautious with anything you wish to do and give the shoe come conditioning and time to adapt and break in before going further. I recently picked up some NOS shell as well. My decision was to wear them. They are one of my favorites and look fantastic.

And just saw @Shoonoob gave the same advice in a more concise manner while I droned on.

Brevity is not always the best idea. You were not droning you were imparting knowledge. I was actually counting on you jumping in with deatiled advice as you have the experience with those lovely shoes in NOS condition.

 

[Shoonoob]

Be careful with the blue dye. It’s very easy for them to look black when finished.
I suggest heavily diluting the dye and testing on a hidden location (tongue).

Leather bleach was not on hand and I am unafraid!

That was really an impulse decision and the shoes cost me $10.00. I wanted to try and get them as light as possible pre-dye.
Thanks for the advice on thinning the dye. 50/50 with alcohol sound like a decent starting point? I am not looking for cerulean blue but I want them to be noticably not black.

 

[ICrane]

Hi, I have since learned that the cloth label, as in your pair, was used from as early as the 1920s, until and perhaps into the 50s. The large brogueing on your pair would seem to place them in the 40s, to my eye. There are loads of archival ads to be found in a Google Images search and you might find the exact model.

This is a 1960's style, maybe late 50s at the absolute earliest.

Edit: Here they are in a 1966 postcard: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ad-1966-Postcard-Wright-Shoes-Haldis-Footwear-363-State-St-Salem-OH/382514082829?hash=item590f9db40d:g:QzwAAOSwwpdW9gXv&_sacat=0&_nkw=wright+shoe+advertisement&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313

Question answered! Thank you both.

 

[wasmisterfu]

Leather bleach was not on hand and I am unafraid!
View attachment 1013277
That was really an impulse decision and the shoes cost me $10.00. I wanted to try and get them as light as possible pre-dye.
Thanks for the advice on thinning the dye. 50/50 with alcohol sound like a decent starting point? I am not looking for cerulean blue but I want them to be noticably not black.

 

[smfdoc]

Not vintage at all, but I wanted to show some shoes I found thrifting today that I will be flipping. The next best thing to buy myself shoes is buying shoes that don't fit. In order, Star Artioli made in Italy, 10.5D. I liked the medallion. Second, Ted Lapidus from Italy 9D, and finally a Salvatore Farragamo 11D. I do not think Italians came in EEE. Shoe Appreciation.

 

[mreams99]

Leather bleach was not on hand and I am unafraid!
View attachment 1013277
That was really an impulse decision and the shoes cost me $10.00. I wanted to try and get them as light as possible pre-dye.
Thanks for the advice on thinning the dye. 50/50 with alcohol sound like a decent starting point? I am not looking for cerulean blue but I want them to be noticably not black.

You might consider diluting that even more (3:1), and testing on the tongue. You really can’t dilute too much. (You can always go over it repeatedly with a dilute dye, which really makes the color more even, in my experience.)

 

[suitforcourt]

Not vintage at all, but I wanted to show some shoes I found thrifting today that I will be flipping. The next best thing to buy myself shoes is buying shoes that don't fit. In order, Star Artioli made in Italy, 10.5D. I liked the medallion. Second, Ted Lapidus from Italy 9D, and finally a Salvatore Farragamo 11D. I do not think Italians came in EEE. Shoe Appreciation.

View attachment 1013289 View attachment 1013290 View attachment 1013291

Well done, sir.
I happened to be on eBay and realized that Salvatore Ferragammo has eee width shoes. I have never tried them on, so don't know if they fit like US branded eee shoes.

I will have to go to Nordstrom to figure out this dilemma.

On a separate note, I now have 2 pairs of shoes for the challenge. I feel like Eric the Eel at the Sydney Olympics. I am participating for the spirit of the challenge.