Comfort and dress shoes

[Mid-fogey]

Matt, good dissertation...

...on the merits of various shoes.

"Dress shoes" were not originally thought of as such. They were just shoes. In the 30s with a more limited choice of materials, shoes were leather with some cork and sometimes rubber heels. What we call a dress shoe is actually a very functional everyday design that is maximized for usefulness based on materials and manufacturing techniques of the time. Men once wore them constantly with every formality of clothing and for every occasion.

Men used to go through them pretty quickly. Even with repairs, guys were buying at least a new pair every year or so. Given this large demand, and the fact that there were no other, more comfortable options, manufacturers provided quite a variety of choices. As the market declined, so did the the choices. The latest hit has been the shift to overseas production. That has constricted choice ever more.

When what we now call a dress shoe is uncomfortable, the reason is almost always fit. Used to be that a man could even get "split" sizes; which is to say a "D" width shoe with a "B" width heel. Also, getting two shoes of different sizes used to be a special order, but no big deal. Decline in size choices is a real factor in comfort.

Frankly, what is increasingly a speciality good doesn't measure up to the choice and qualtity of what used to be an everyday staple of every man's wardrobe.

 

[cookie]

You've said it all. I have bought a few NOS shoes on eBay which still have the separate fittings for heel and toe. The overseas thing has also led to a decline in quality. There is no real reason for this but it happens all the time because it becomes an opportunity to price gouge by selling inferior product for the same price. I have seen shirts made in the PRC with Italian fabrics (from the top Sydney stores) and they are always defective in manufacture after 6 months of wear - especially fusing on shirts.

 

[Mike K.]

I know we stripped the finish so we could redye them to get a real good initial polish.
I don't suppose you can strip all the black out? [huh]

Actually, I did this once with an old pair of combat boots. Just soak them in a 50/50 bleach & water solution for about a day. With a good stiff brush (not metal wire) or plastic kitchen scrubber, take off the remaining finish. You'll have a greenish color leather from the chrome tanning. After they dry almost completely apply a russet color dye that you can purchase through Tandy Leather, along with a sealer. Then just polish 'em up and wear.

 

[dhermann1]

Pain!!!

I have extremely flat, pretty narrow feet, and have hardly ever been able to find comfortable shoes. I've had Edmonds and Aldens that both killed me. I just wore out pair of Bostonians like the pair above, but they only fit somewhat. I find the laces come undone because they're too wide. The constant wiggle makes them loosen. I just had a pair of inexpensive Nunn Bush shoes resoled. I wish I could find another pair to alternate with. There's is nothing that will suck the energy out of your body like aching feet. It's no accident that torturers like to smash feet. If your feet hurt your whole posture is thrown off, which is bad for your internal organs. I'm seriously thinking of getting a pair of Magnolis. Anyone have experience with custom made shoes? From Indy or anyone else?

 

[Tomasso]

Pain!!!

Try Eneslow, my brother-in-law has a similar problem and he swears by them.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I wish I could find another pair of the shoes a the beginning of the thread. I wore them out walking and dancing and to resole costs as much as the shoe. The uppers are pretty beat up and, well at the cost I'd just like to get another pair to beat up.

 

[carebear]

Matt Deckard, The Destroyer...

A myth... A legend... A name whispered only in fear among shoe-kind...



Can't find another pair of the Bostonians?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Weep not for the shoes for they now have no sole.

 

[carebear]

Not "Destroyer" then, "Sole Eater".



Is that the pair you're referring to though, the higher end Bostonians that were a good mix of AE and Aldens?

 

[Dinerman]

I wish I could find another pair of the shoes a the beginning of the thread. I wore them out walking and dancing and to resole costs as much as the shoe. The uppers are pretty beat up and, well at the cost I'd just like to get another pair to beat up.

Tell me about it, I wore a hole clean through the sole of my most comfortable shoes, a '50s pair of Bostonians, a $5 thrift shop pickup. The resole would cost 10 times what I paid for them. And then they need new heels as well.

 

[olive bleu]

I've been toying with the idea of buying a pair of Bostonians for my husband for Christmas.A couple weeks ago, i was reading some reviews on them on ZAPPOS and there were a lot of comments, it seemed, about how squeaky they tend to be. Do any of you find this to be true?

 

[Dinerman]

I've been toying with the idea of buying a pair of Bostonians for my husband for Christmas.A couple weeks ago, i was reading some reviews on them on ZAPPOS and there were a lot of comments, it seemed, about how squeaky they tend to be. Do any of you find this to be true?

Mine are 50-some years old, and have been resoled at least once as well as reheeled. They've been broken in, and thoroughly loved. They don't squeak at all.

That being said, I've tried some modern pairs on and wasn't impressed with the leather they use now, it felt cheap to me.

 

[Feraud]

I've been toying with the idea of buying a pair of Bostonians for my husband for Christmas.A couple weeks ago, i was reading some reviews on them on ZAPPOS and there were a lot of comments, it seemed, about how squeaky they tend to be. Do any of you find this to be true?

My Bostonians are not squeaky but not the best leather shoe I've owned.

I recently purchased these Florsheim Alistair in black and love 'em!

Edit - I also have the Allen Edmonds Dryden and these are a great one too..

 

[olive bleu]

Thanks for the tip, Feraud, i will check into these

 

[carter]

The most comfortable shoes I wish I still had were a pair of Italian-made algonquins which had a "goat's hoof" pattern on the sole. I have no recollection of the manufacturer's name but I'd really like to find another pair. Does anyone know who the mfr might be?

 

[Matt Deckard]

As for squeaks, they are a lower end of leather soled dress shoes. The leather they use is a bit dry and cracks when compared to the quality of Alden or Allen Edmonds. If you are paying about 50 bucks or less I'd say they are a good deal as a utility shoe. There is an outlet mall in Camarillo where Bostonians can be bought cheep so I have two black pairs from that location and rotate them with my higher priced shoes that definitely last longer and are worth the expense.

 

[Mid-fogey]

I think I've...

...mentioned sole savers on another thread.

If you have a pair you want to last, get sole savers on them when new or recently re-soled. I've been doing that for years and haven't worn out a pair since I started. I have shoes that are 20 years old that I wear once or twice a week. Every year or two I take them to the cobblers and have new sole savers put on with new heels.

Between that and regular polishing to keep the uppers moist, there is no reason a a pair should last a very long time. Also, a re-sole job often changes the feel of the shoe. With sole savers, once I break in a pair, they remain feeling the same.

Finally, by getting my shoes to last far longer, I don't feel bad about buying more expensive shoes!!!

 

[Matt Deckard]

I keep thinking about just using the rubber taps or zip soles or sole savers. It's true, shoes never feel the same after a resole. I don't know if they have to be broken in again or what... same footbeds though the feel is off. Knowing that with rubber zip soles and how easily they can be replaced it should be a no brainer to use them and save your sole from having to be replaced. Though I still like the leather on the bottom, but maybe next time I get a new pair of dress shoes and am at a shop[ that can do a good job adding some rubber I might take the plunge and see how long I can go replacing the rubber before I really need a resole.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Right you are sir!....

I love my Bostonian Raleigh's and wear them with comfort and pride. They truly are comfortable and fit the need for a vintage looking oxford, both military and civilian. They are becoming difficult to find, especially in grown men sizes (I wear 11). But I am on perma-search on eBay for them when they do appear. If any one has a lead on a better source, PM me with the info or post it for all.

Bostonian Raleigh's forever!


-dixon cannon

 

[DerMann]

I don't have that much experience with dress shoes. True, ShoeBuy and Zappos classifies the shoes I wear as "dress" shoes, I wouldn't really classify them as "dressy."

I got a pair of Stacy Adams Madison Oxfords and ankle boots on sale (each pair cost me around $80 shipped). The oxfords are actually bluchers, as are the boots (with speedlaces, though). The oxfords came in burgundy and the boots came in brown. Neither colour was really correct. The burgundy is much closer to a chocolate brown with a hint of red, and the brown is much more of a washed out light brown (tawny comes to mind).

Both were exceptionally comfortable. Although the soles were (are) quite thin, they provided ample arch support. I had the boots resoled last summer (got rid of them halfway through this past year), and they were still quite good after I broke them in again. As of now, I have a nickel sized hole in the sole of my right oxford, but I still wear them as they are very comfortable and still look good.

My only complaint is the use of kid skin. While it is remarkably lighter than many other pairs of shoes in a similar style, it gets unsightly wrinkles at places where it flexes a lot.

Another staple shoe is a pair of Dexter brogues. I actually owned two pair, but the first pair was devastatingly damaged by a trip. The second pair I bought (both from eBay, both for under $30 each), was in the Dexter "Comfort" line which had a rubber trap in the sole. The trap became loose and eventually fell off. Under the trap was rubber cushioning, and after I had them resoled, the new sole's stitching began to pull apart. At this time I became fed up with my cobbler because he had stained part of my brogues with blacking (and claimed that it would come right off) and neglected to put leather heels on them after several attempts. As of now, the soles are basically coming off, as there is no stitching remaining except at the rear of the sole and the tip.