Information requested about old Florsheim shoes...60's, 70's, 80's,...40's?????

[holiday]

I couldn't resist buying this old pair of Florsheims at the thrift store the other day.

But I really can't seem to find any information about them.

The are in very good shape, and I haven't even really started to work some polish and lotion into them yet. I think they will clean up well. They are a very odd style though, and I don't think they will be for everyday wear.

As you can see, the heels are high and somewhat styled like a Western boot. The full soles are very thin leather. The cap toe and side accents appear to be ostritch. They have 5 eyelets that are reinforced with steel grommets on the inner part of the shoe. The lining of the shoes is grey, with the "reg. us. pat. off." logo in the heel. They are marked "MADE IN SPAIN" on the inside of both shoes.

The toes are pointy, almost like cowboy boots. They look like they could be from the 80's, but I don't recall that style being really popular then. Based on the overall appearance, I think they could be earlier than the 80's, perhaps the 60's or even earlier, but I really don't see this style being from then.

Please see the photos. What do think I have here? Sorry for the low quality pictures, all I have is an older cell phone camera.

http://flic.kr/p/baGdL8
http://flic.kr/p/baGdKB
http://flic.kr/p/baGdJ2
http://flic.kr/p/baGdH8
http://flic.kr/p/baGdFg
http://flic.kr/p/baGdjP

 

[holiday]

I have tried to posts photos but they will not link. I have read the FAQ. As a new member, are there restrictions on photos? I can't figure it out.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

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The stacked heel and wafer sole show that these shoes are from the late 1970s -- the tail end of the disco era.

 

[holiday]

that's too bad, because the 70's were pretty ugly. I like these shoes, but don't want to be associated with the 70's.

what kind of outfits could I wear these shoes with so that I don't look like I am trying to revive the 70's?

at least they aren't brown with square toes and huge buckles...this pair of Florsheims look pretty sleek compared to other 70's things.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

that's too bad, because the 70's were pretty ugly. I like these shoes, but don't want to be associated with the 70's.

Actually, the very end of the '70s saw a revival (among high-end brands and designers, such as Ralph Lauren, YSL, etc.) of all-natural fabrics, pleated trousers, knit polo shirts, narrower neckties and smaller shirt collars. It was hailed in the fashion press as "a return to Depression-era style".


Several years later (the early '80s), the "Preppy" look took over, and ruled side-by-side with Punk/New Wave fashions.

 

[Isshinryu101]

"Made in Spain" is a dead giveaway, along with that footbed.

 

[holiday]

"Made in Spain" a dead give away for date of manufacture? Or something else?

 

[resortes805]

Those are some great disco shoes. I like 'em.

 

[Isshinryu101]

"Made in Spain" a dead give away for date of manufacture? Or something else?

Florsheim made all their own shoes & didn't start to outsource for mfg. until, I believe, the 1970's.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I used to manage a Florsheim store in the 80s. My first impression of the shoe was 70s for sure. A style that was discontinued probably just before I started there. ( In retrospect, I wish I had bought as many of the discontinued spectators they were selling at that time!):eusa_doh:
The exotic leather may well be kangaroo, which they used in some of their Royal Imperial line of shoes. As they were made in Spain, ostrich is a distinct possibility too.

 

[O2BSwank]

I have a pair of shoes that are very similar, except that they are all smooth leather. Bought them and a Bill Blass suit for my college graduation in 1980. Still have them as I haven't worn them since the early 80's. And I had real platform shoes, mostly one, and one and a half ins. but also a pair of six in soles. Think of Pee Wee Herman dancing to "Tequila"! Man were the 70's fun!

 

[Isshinryu101]

The exotic leather may well be kangaroo, which they used in some of their Royal Imperial line of shoes. As they were made in Spain, ostrich is a distinct possibility too.

The exotic strip is ostrich. I'd be interested to see some photos of some newer Florsheim Kangaroo shoes. Most of the US branded kangaroo I've seen is from the 30's & 40's.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Tony Manero lives!

what kind of outfits could I wear these shoes with so that I don't look like I am trying to revive the 70's?

I can't believe somebody didn't beat me to it! Here with a special edition of "What Not To Wear", direct from Brooklyn, ... Can't you just hear the Bee Gees?

 

[holiday]

Thanks for all of your input. This is a great site.

I was walking around in the house last night with these shoes on. Man, are they comfortable!

I am 6' 1/4" tall. With these shoes on I am 1 inch taller. I think they look good without being too "70's retro", prob. because they aren't brown or square or have huge buckles.

I would be very interested to know what type of styling influence these had. They feel like cowboy boots when you wear them and they def. have a Western-style overall look to them, much more than a "disco" look. But what do I know, I was born in 1977, so I kind of passed through the disco age in my youth-like coma.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I would be very interested to know what type of styling influence these had. They feel like cowboy boots when you wear them and they def. have a Western-style overall look to them, much more than a "disco" look.

Your shoe's stacked heel was probably influenced by men's dance shoes (ballroom, tango, disco, etc.), which traditionally have a higher heel than street shoes do. The wafer-thin sole (which did exist as an dress shoe option in the 1930s) is also typical of dance shoes, and was embraced by Italian shoemakers --mostly for loafers-- in the 1950s and '60s. The end of the 1970s saw a big revival of wafer-thin soles for men's "out on the town" shoes.


(The Disco Era was the last time in American history that men dressed up en masse to go out at night, especially for dancing.)