WWII Army Officers Dress Shoes

[Mike K.]

Officer's dress shoes - revisited

Just a heads up to anyone interested...
Lands End now stocks a nice oxford called the Men's Regular Essential Plaintoe Shoe (Item #09807-3ADX). For $80 it looks like a very nice alternative for the WWII officer's dress oxford. They even come with flat laces! I just ordered a pair in dark brown which, on the website at least, appears to be somewhat russet colored.

 

[scotrace]

.

Their paper catalog shows a better choice, I think. A $150 calfskin plain toe oxford. But I'm not finding it on the site.

 

[Baggers]

Officers were allowed a bit of leeway since they had to purchase theirs privately, as long as they were plain toed and the color of russet was a close enough match to the rest of their leather accessories such as the visor of their service cap.

Cheers!

 

[Mike K.]

Review of Lands End shoes

Okay, mine arrived yesterday afternoon. The shoes are full grain leather in a nice mahogany brown color than appears to lighten slightly after flexing. I laid the shoes side-by-side with an Aero A-2 russet jacket. The shoes are just a bit darker in shade, but not by much, and they have a slightly less reddish color than the flying jacket. I suspect that a little russet shoe polish will take care of bringing them to a more russet color if one desires. The shoes are lined with leather of a tan color. Eyelets number five and have metal eyelet rivets only along the inside piece of leather, i.e. they'll reinforce the eyelets but cannot be seen. Laces are brown and flat. The sole is made of black rubber. Lands End makes a similar shoe in calfskin that has leather soles (about twice the price), but I'm not a stickler for authenticity. Besides, who looks that closely when you're wearing them? The rubber soles make the shoes light weight, and overall they compare favorably to my Polo and Rockport leather oxfords. Stitching pattern and plain toe conforms to traditional WWII officers shoes. These shoes run $80 - compare to several times the price for some of the repros currently on the market.

One last note - the Lands End plain toe oxfords also come in black full-grain leather, tan suede, and ivory suede.

 

[matei]

How do you shine the brown ones?

Just a question... how do you shine brown shoes? My only real experience is shining black boots and dress shoes. That is what I had when I was in the Army.

Whenever I shine the brown boots or shoes, the polish turns a flaky grey and it looks awful. I used the wife's hairdryer to melt newly applied polish, and that seemed to work a bit, but still... I don't think that there were a bunch of GI's back in the day, passing the hairdryer around the barracks!

Even my well-honed spitshine technique couldn't help me - same results!

 

[Mike K.]

Might be the brand of polish that you are using.[huh] I've always used Kiwi and never had a problem. Some people go with a colorless polish. I've also tried the clear stuff and even though it won't hide the scuffs it'll shine up nicely.

 

[scotrace]

Another vote for Kiwi.
I'm curious what other shoeshine products others might use?

 

[MrBern]

which shade?

which shade do people here use for their WWII style shoes?
Some of my friends jsut use brown while others prefer a lighter shade.. Some prefer cordovan for more ooomph. I have other friends who prefer brown, but in the kiwi parade gloss as it uses a different wax for a brighter shine.

 

[scotrace]

For my Buzz Rickson Low Quarter Officer's shoes, I use clear because I don't want to change the color. On others that are close I use brown. Cordovan for cordovan shoes, etc. Good results with spit shinging.

 

[DanielJones]

Well, after wearing the ATF WWII U.S. service shoe for about a week now, I'd have to say that they are quite comfortable for everyday wear. I put some good insoles in that have good arch support and no complaints frm the dogs. ATF has good deals on e-bay when they have what you want on there.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[priestyboy]

The Polos are long gone but I've found these:

http://www.colbubbie.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=170

Bummer is that they have rubber soles. But for the price maybe a good cobbler could fix 'em up.

Just a thought.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

PB - just what I've been lookin' for!..

The Polos are long gone but I've found these:

http://www.colbubbie.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=170

Bummer is that they have rubber soles. But for the price maybe a good cobbler could fix 'em up.

Just a thought.

Thanks for the heads-up!
-dixon cannon

 

[priestyboy]

The Polos are long gone but I've found these:

http://www.colbubbie.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=170

Bummer is that they have rubber soles. But for the price maybe a good cobbler could fix 'em up.

Just a thought.

Well, I got my Col Bubbie's Brown Oxfords in and they're not bad. They're the light weight Bates like the black bates the USA, USAF and the like wear. At first the leather looks like vinyl but after wearing them for a few hours and getting the creases into the tops and switching out the laces for cotton ones from Wal Mart, they actually look okay. And gee, for the price...! The rubber soles are okay but to have a cobbler put leather ones on would be awesome.

My only complaint is they squeak when you walk...even on carpet. I tried them on with my USN Khaki Service Dress and they look fine.

I say order them, I'm happy!

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Thans for the reveiw PB..

Well, I got my Col Bubbie's Brown Oxfords in and they're not bad. They're the light weight Bates like the black bates the USA, USAF and the like wear. At first the leather looks like vinyl but after wearing them for a few hours and getting the creases into the tops and switching out the laces for cotton ones from Wal Mart, they actually look okay. And gee, for the price...! The rubber soles are okay but to have a cobbler put leather ones on would be awesome.

My only complaint is they squeak when you walk...even on carpet. I tried them on with my USN Khaki Service Dress and they look fine.

I say order them, I'm happy!

I'm on it!

-dixon cannon

 

[DanielJones]

I tried them on with my USN Khaki Service Dress and they look fine.

I say order them, I'm happy!

Could you show us a picture of them with the pinks? Thanks!

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Matt Deckard]

Buzz Rickson Officer shoes

Where can i get them in... anyone sell them in London? I tried on a friends pair here then he was shipped out o Iraq. I don't recall the size though they were my size and fit perfectly.

 

[Speedster]

ELC used to stock them, but they are not on their web-site anymore. In the States HPA still have them listed: http://hpassociates.chubbsdog.com/

Whether there are any shops in London who sells Buzz Rickson i'm afraid i do not know.

 

[Baggers]

If you can't locate any BRs in your size, What Price Glory has announced that they should be getting in a new shipment of officer's low quarters next month. Probably not as nicely made as Rickson's, but his should be a lot less expensive and also available in large sizes.

Cheers!

 

[scotrace]

I have a pair of those Rickson's and they are the very best shoe I own in any style. Beautifilly made and very comfortable. They only come out for wear about once a month. It was a lucky buy: HPA posted them at a discount and I called right away. $150.
You would have to swap out the laces for some WWII originals as for some reason they come with laces that are too short to tie properly.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Hmmm so why are they so rare in the WWII reenactment scene? Price?