It's gotta be the shoes!

[Nonchalant]

here are some of my vintage men's shoes, past and present:

Wow. Those green lizard skin and lapis lazuli spectators are out of this world... and the reverse spectators, they're wonderful. There's no comparing the sheer variety and artistic flair evident in these vintage shoes to what you see nowadays.

 

[flat-top]

Cheaterome and flat-top, your collections are incredible! :eusa_clap

Jerome and Marc, you guys have got the goods as well!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Wow. Those green lizard skin and lapis lazuli spectators are out of this world...

And would you believe they didn't sell well when I auctioned them off via eBay? I was flabbergasted. They're from the '30s. A 9 1/2 C size. Ended up going for about $85 to someone in Japan.


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[cookie]

19202 Art Deco Shoes

Those incredible sunray 20s deco Florsheim shoes were made on a machine? What an era!!!

 

[Nonchalant]

And would you believe they didn't sell well when I auctioned them off via eBay? I was flabbergasted. They're from the '30s. A 9 1/2 C size. Ended up going for about $85 to someone in Japan.


.

Chalk it up to the whims of eBay. I remember watching those shoes and wishing my feet were smaller!

Doesn't surprise me that some smart johnnie in Japan got them. A lot of the rarest & finest U.S. vintage seems to end up there. Whoever the fellow who bought them was, he has good taste.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Those incredible sunray 20s deco Florsheim shoes were made on a machine? What an era!!!

Yes indeed. These are by far the rarest golden era men's shoes I've ever encountered. I'll probably never run into another pair like them again.

Here's a similar pair in black. These are probably a little later, from the early '30s:

 

[resortes805]

I had to jump in on this party. . .

Here are the crown jewels...tan and gray suede '30s shoes. These are too narrow for me, but fun to look at.

 

[The Wingnut]

Florsheims. Picked 'em up a few weeks ago for $35.

Oxblood cap-toe Florsheims. Think I paid $8 for these. Funny, I wear these the most, party because they go with everything, partly because they're incredibly comfortable.

Sandy Nevin ventilated cap-toe specs. Paid $65.

Thom McAn mesh specs. Paid $40, I think.

Wingtips from a shop in Milan named Arcando. Unfortunately, the left one has a 'dent' in the sole right at the ball of the foot and it hurts my foot after an hour or so. Too beautiful to get rid of. They were free.

 

[cookie]

Wingnut's Spectaculars

You done real good on the Thom McCann because a near new brown set of identical mesh mamas brought USD400 recently on eBay.

The ventilators are simply fabulous.... no ifs no buts. Ditto the art deco ones though MC's are a better colour combo.

The ocelot and ostrich wingtips are what brand? Please advise....

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Wingnut, among your extraordinary collection, THIS '30s pair is the rarest of the rare. I'm guessing that if you ever sold 'em on eBay, the Japanese market would get in on it. You'd fetch at least $300 for them, maybe $400. (I've done so with other shoes.) What size are they, if I may ask?

 

[The Wingnut]

Thery're 10C, they fit like a glove, and no, they're not for sale I had some dealer friends flip out when they saw them after I'd bought them.

Even more crazy is that the friend that I bought them from paid $5 at a garage sale!

Nutso. I'm glad to have something so wildly rare. I'm contemplating taking them to a shoe repair shop and having them very throughly cleaned...not re-dyed, though, as it would probably cover up the black stitching.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I'm contemplating taking them to a shoe repair shop and having them very throughly cleaned...

Enjoy them thoroughly for as long as you want, take good care of them, and sell them some day for an excellent profit. A win-win situation.


Unless you know of a very, very good shoe repair shop, think twice about taking them in for a cleaning. I've had "reputable" shops (including Zinke's, which has been in L.A. since the '30s) all but destroy my vintage shoes. It ain't worth the risk sometimes.


.

 

[The Wingnut]

Sounds like good advice. Any suggestions as to cleaning the yellowed / dirty areas and restoring the color to the areas where it's worn off a bit?

I've already worn them for a full day that I spent a large portion of on my feet. Not walking shoes, but I wasn't uncomfortable. I enjoyed myself. I even had an elderly couple stop me and ask to take pictures of my shoes!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Sounds like good advice. Any suggestions as to cleaning the yellowed / dirty areas...?

Yes. Use q-tips or flat cotton swabs with a few drops of clear window cleaner fluid on them. Do not spray the fluid directly on the leather. Swab in slow circles, as if you were buffing a car. Replace the cotton once it's dirty.

... and restoring the color to the areas where it's worn off a bit?

Buy some jars of shoe creme in the colors that you need. Do the polishing job yourself -- you'll be more conscientous about it.


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[The Wingnut]

I'll give the Windex trick a try tonight. Not sure where around here I can find some decent shoe cream, unfortunately.

Here's another shot.

...since we're on the topic, my boss brought up an interesting question: Why do some dress shoes(from the factory) have incredibly thick and heavy soles(like I see on many Allen Edmonds and most modern dress shoes) and others are fairly thin and flexible, such as these and my other pair of Florsheims? I suggested the thicker soles might be a manufacturer's preference or an attempt to make the soles last longer. I've noticed thick soles aren't really an indicator of quality, either, since my nicer shoes (with the exception of the Thom McAns) have the lighter soles, and I've seen some pretty cheap-looking shoes with hefty leather soles.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Yours are winners, that's for sure.


The one and only difficulty will be in replacing the light grey flat laces once the originals wear out.


I've been trying for two years to find a pair of thin (pre- 1970s) flat cotton dress laces in light grey. No luck. I'll end up having to dye a white pair, but then the rolled plastic ends will stay white!

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[The Wingnut]

I've had trouble finding decent flat laces at all! The Sandy Nevin specs have waxed laces, since they're the only thing I could find in the appropriate width after I snapped the original matched russet flat laces. They're difficult to tighten since the wax causes friction.

As for the lace ends, just tuck them in. The Air Force taught me to just knot them once and tuck them, then they stay tied and they look cleaner.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I've had trouble finding decent flat laces at all!

Me too, Wingnut. I end up getting vintage (pre 1970) ones off of eBay. They usually come in large batches per auction. Try searching for "flat shoelaces" or "flat shoe laces" in the vintage category and the general clothing category. You'll have to wade through a sea of athletic shoelaces, but dress laces are lurking in there too. And don't forget to look at www.ebay.co.uk


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[herringbonekid]

resortes805, i notice you have at least 5 pairs in this style:

does this style have a specific name ?
thanks.

 

[Tomasso]

The one and only difficulty will be in replacing the light grey flat laces once the originals wear out. I've been trying for two years to find a pair

.

Not vintage but I believe that I've seen them at a few Parisian cobblers, though I can't recall which ones. You might contact this gentleman, he would probably know.