Show us your SHOES !!!

[Isshinryu101]

what's the story on these beaut's?? Nice!!!

DSCN0127 by king_gabardine, on Flickr

DSCN0128 by king_gabardine, on Flickr

DSCN0132 by king_gabardine, on Flickr

 

[cookie]

DSCN0127 by king_gabardine, on Flickr

DSCN0128 by king_gabardine, on Flickr

DSCN0132 by king_gabardine, on Flickr

Those are pretty old. To get them in NOS is incredible. To get them without any sign of dryness aka pristine is pretty amazing. The giveaway is the classic 40s Biltrite heels with the Cats Paw style buttons. Wonderful!

Here are two pairs of Stetson Old Masters spade shoes which I have from the 40s. Cane Rod Maker now owns the burgundy ones.



Okay without revealing your source how did you find those gems?

They have qualified for FL vintage shoe score of the year rating IMO.

 

[YETI]

what's the story on these beaut's?? Nice!!!

Thanks! I believe these were from eBay several months ago. ^^ kewl kicks cookie^^

I'm in search of some b/w spade sole spectators.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Thanks! I believe these were from eBay several months ago.

And a very similar pair just sold on eBay today, I think. Really.

 

[Isshinryu101]

As per Marc's request:

Stetson Saratoga in Black Alligator

 

[flyfishark]

Florsheim vents I just picked up (not in league with the shoes above, but how many shoes are? Great shoes, all of you).

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[Isshinryu101]

VERY COOL, Sir Fly! DON'T FORGET to let me know when you're gonna sell those black captoes!!!!

By the way, since you're doing Vent Specs...

A Couple pairs from Stetson, this time Suede.

Black...

& Gray...

Florsheim vents I just picked up (not in league with the shoes above, but how many shoes are? Great shoes, all of you).

 

[Isshinryu101]

I LOVE when sellers say, "These belonged to Dad, or my Husband!" More times than not, they're selling sizes all over the place & are just making up a nice story.

The seller of the above specs (and the Gators) posted, "These are my Husband's" for all 4 pairs. The above pairs were all a 10D. Obviously her husband had funny feet, because the 4th pair was a 9C... perfect for my feet! Luckily, they're the "funkiest" of the bunch...

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And yet, it's curious that all three of those ventilated pairs are in the same style (with small variations), and by the same maker.

What's the deal with that?

 

[Isshinryu101]

And yet, it's curious that all three of those ventilated pairs are in the same style (with small variations), and by the same maker.

What's the deal with that?

I would venture to guess that either the seller or someone else raided an old, out-of-business Stetson re-seller. They also sold a coupla pairs of tan Saratogas (REAL nice). One was a 9 1/2A, and the other like a 11AAA... too narrow for people of 2011 earth for the most part.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

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I've never run into a Stetson shoe that I didn't like ... and I've never run into one that my feet could wear.

My sadly useless black alligator Stetsons were identical to yours ... but what kind of a size is 8 AAA?

 

[Isshinryu101]

I've never run into a Stetson shoe that I didn't like ... and I've never run into one that my feet could wear.

My sadly useless black alligator Stetsons were identical to yours ... but what kind of a size is 8 AAA?

I often wonder about the narrow sizes of times past. Obviously people's feet have grown from the early 1900's to now. Did they get wider as well? Obviously the "medium" (or "D") width is at least similar from 1930's to now, as I can wear 30's "D" width shoes.

I had a discussion about this with my 91 year old cobbler. He thinks that there are a lot of narrow footed people now that just wear the medium width because it's there and width isn't really considered now. I've been "brannocked" quite a few times in my life, and NEVER had the width checked. They go straight off length. In the "old days", people expected shoes to actually fit.

Logically, I suppose we can assume that a lifetime of wearing shoes that were too wide & didn't offer true arch support resulted in a current generation of relatively flat-footed people. Flat & wider than they'd be if they wore the right size shoes throughout life.

Besides my cobbler, I've a good friend who I discuss these kinds of things with often. I guess that's a sign of "Shoe addiction".

 

[Tomasso]

These would work well with blue/white seersucker.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

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Your cobbler seems spot on about these things.


One thing's for sure: in the U.S.A., mass-manufactured 'dress' shoes used to be made in every conceivable shape for every conceivable foot. Pointed, squared, tapered, 'keystone', rounded, narrowed, 'snug' heeled, wedged, spaded, high vamped, medium vamped, low vamped: whatever you needed, you could find. Furthermore, shoe salesmen were trained to study your feet and recommend shoes with the right features for you.


By the late '30s, America's mass-manufactured dress shoes had reached a pinnacle that today's equivalent footwear can't match. I reckon that your cobbler would agree.

 

[cookie]

My sadly useless black alligator Stetsons were identical to yours ... but what kind of a size is 8 AAA?

You American have funny feet! BTW Marc is that cap in your avatar a make up from a vintage original or the real McCoy?

Isshi you pimpin' now bro'?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

You American have funny feet!

My 9D feet agree with you. 8AAA is ridiculous.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

These would work well with blue/white seersucker.

They'd also look great with a lightweight gabardine suit in that particular shade of blue.

 

[Tomasso]

By the late '30s, America's mass-manufactured dress shoes had reached a pinnacle that today's equivalent footwear can't match.

That can be said about America's manufacturing prowess in general.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

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Back then, it was about making the right shoe for your foot, not about forcing every foot into the same type of shoe.

 

[YETI]

VERY COOL, Sir Fly! DON'T FORGET to let me know when you're gonna sell those black captoes!!!!

By the way, since you're doing Vent Specs...

A Couple pairs from Stetson, this time Suede.

Black...

& Gray...

Those just sold recently on eBay. Worth every penny if you ask me. They're my size too, just not my budget.