shoe construction question

[davestlouis]

I bought a pair of Lands' End tassel loafers today at Goodwill for $10, nice soft leather, lined, made in Brazil, "09-04" which I assume is a datestamp. Anyway, my question pertains to the soles and heels...the sole is stitched to the upper to about 2 inches in front of the heel. Should I assume that the back portion is just glued together? Can shoes like this be resoled successfully? The soles are fine, but they'll need heels one of these days.

 

[Jauntyone]

Congrats on your new shoes.
If the shoes are Goodyear welted, most likely the heel is nailed to the upper and the welt begins a bit in front of the heel. This is standard for Goodyear welts, and the shoes can be re-soled.
If the uppers are simply glued to the sole, the stitching is probably just decorative. A good shoe repair person can still re-sole them by cutting off the outer layer of leather and gluing on a new sole.
If the sole is a single unit, molded plastic or urethane, then it might not be possible to re-sole.
Try posting some pictures so that we see the construction.

 

[The Shooman]

Should I assume that the back portion is just glued together? Can shoes like this be resoled successfully? The soles are fine, but they'll need heels one of these days.

No need to worry about re-heeling. When the heel wears down to the first layer, then get a new heel build up. This method won't negatively effect the structure of the shoo.

Upper would be nailed to the heel in that area.

 

[davestlouis]

Thanks for the info, gents. The top lifts on the heels will need attention one of these days, but the leather soles are in great shape. I tried to visit my cobbler Monday, it never occurred to me that they would only be open Tuesday-Saturday and weren't open. Who knew?