Vintage Dress shoe appreciation, tips, maintenance and advice

[smfdoc]

Happy Wednesday forum pals. Despite the peer pressure, I am side stepping WTW for plain toes.

 

[WoolyLamb]

Happy WW. I am coming to the conclusion I may need to strip this down some. Any tips for getting back darker hues?

 

[Satoman1]

Not my listing. Do you think these are really J&M or is that a dropped in footbed logo? Hand written model numbering.

VINTAGE 1950’S JOHNSTON AND MURPHY ARISTOCRAFT SPECTATOR OXFORD SHOES | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VINTAGE 1950’S JOHNSTON AND MURPHY ARISTOCRAFT SPECTATOR OXFORD SHOES at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

J&M do made shoes for Frank Brothers but I think the Aristocraft line only appeared since late 60s and early 70s. Perhaps the footbed was replaced by J&M itself.

 

[greekgeek]

Not my listing. Do you think these are really J&M or is that a dropped in footbed logo? Hand written model numbering.

VINTAGE 1950’S JOHNSTON AND MURPHY ARISTOCRAFT SPECTATOR OXFORD SHOES | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VINTAGE 1950’S JOHNSTON AND MURPHY ARISTOCRAFT SPECTATOR OXFORD SHOES at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

💯 J&M. Lots of private label Frank Bros. By J&M, might be a rebuild with those sockliners?

 

[Satoman1]

Maybe vintage violation. My last 2023 shoes (Lunar calendar, 8 days until the new year), C&J for PRL picked fresh on my way back home after the last day of work before the New Year holidays.

 

[smfdoc]

Happy Thursday forum pals.

 

[friendlygoz]

Dack’s kudu wholecuts today…

 

[eTrojan]

Has anyone had any luck using a bench grinder to polish shoes? I have some cotton buffing wheels, but have been trying to find some horsehair wheels to no avail.

Anyone else have better luck?

 

[actionjbone]

Wow, can't believe I haven't been on SF in a few years.

When I started working from home full time (you can probably guess why), I almost completely stopped wearing shoes. I had one pair of modern J&M beaters I wore on rare occasions I left the house.

A couple months ago I started feeling the itch again. Started cleaning up my collection and wearing them again - I might not be going to an office every day like I used to, but I missed wearing the things!

 

[WoolyLamb]

Wow, can't believe I haven't been on SF in a few years.

When I started working from home full time (you can probably guess why), I almost completely stopped wearing shoes. I had one pair of modern J&M beaters I wore on rare occasions I left the house.

A couple months ago I started feeling the itch again. Started cleaning up my collection and wearing them again - I might not be going to an office every day like I used to, but I missed wearing the things!

You can though. I work from home and do and it makes a world of difference for me.

 

[actionjbone]

You can though. I work from home and do and it makes a world of difference for me.

Thought about it, but I'm really not a shoes-inside person.

I've got a couple good pairs of house slippers, but shoes are for outside only.

 

[WoolyLamb]

Thought about it, but I'm really not a shoes-inside person.

I've got a couple good pairs of house slippers, but shoes are for outside only.

Well at home I have dedicated “work” slippers. Anytime I leave the house I swap out.

 

[memoriastoica]

Interesting pair of Florsheims popped up on Ebay. Wonder how the quality is: https://www.ebay.com/itm/176221007060?hash=item2907972cd4:g:EbMAAOSwyr9lvb~A

 

[smfdoc]

I guess the stars and planets are aligning again. I was lamenting to myself that I had all of the vintage shoes I would likely find. Being a EEE guy tends to ace me out from many makers and I now have examples of all the Florsheims and a few other brands that fit. Lo and behold, I stumbled across a pair of French Shriner shell PTBs in my size. No, I certainly do not need them, but I try not to slap fate in the face when my number does occasionally come up. I guess they are pretty unusual as they did not even appear in the shellcordovanmodel.com list. (I promptly added them to the list using my top secret access to such important places.) VCleat.com says French Shriner stopped production in 1971. Pics and comments when they arrive.

 

[actionjbone]

Interesting pair of Florsheims popped up on Ebay. Wonder how the quality is: https://www.ebay.com/itm/176221007060?hash=item2907972cd4:g:EbMAAOSwyr9lvb~A

The date code is way too blurry to read, sadly. So it's hard to say for certain when they were made, but based on the style, maybe late '70s? Possibly '80s, but that strikes me as more of a '70s style.

I'd be scared to wear them without many rounds of thorough conditioning. Those look like they sat in a retail box for years, and in who knows what storage condition.

Other folks here are more qualified to narrow the date. But I do see a couple of manufacturing flaws, so these seem like "good but not peak."