Show us your SHOES !!!

[Rudie]

Supposedly 1910-1920.

http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/80004293?img=2

 

[herringbonekid]

thanks Rudie.

i'd love to see a photo of the original owner wearing them, and to see what the rest of the outfit consisted of.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

They actually are not too bad looking, I think the only negative for me would be the toe being curved off to one side. I would tend to think some tweed clothing/suit/sport coat and matching pants would work with the colors/check pattern, but there would be no escaping the shape of the toes on those.

 

[Mario]

Somehow I can see the mid-80's edition of Tom Waits wearing those in great style.

 

[jamespowers]

Orthotic shoes for Pigeon Toed people.

 

[jamespowers]

Somehow I can see the mid-80's edition of Tom Waits wearing those in great style.

He ain't missing them at all though.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Spade sole shoes gone crazy

 

[Isshinryu101]

Missing the point. They are Stetson masterpieces. They experimented with every conceivable design and style. 100% hand-stitched and made with leather that makes today's look bad in comparison. Can ypu even imagine how difficult it was to sew that welt??? The owner never wanted to be confronted with another gentleman in the same room with the same shoes. Mission accomplished. How many can say that today?

 

[Burma Schave]

Shoes like these were not made to be sold to the public. They were one-offs that were made to be displayed at trade expositions and exhibitions. The purpose was to show the great skill and creativity of the shoemakers: the outer limits of their abilities.

 

[Isshinryu101]

Shoes like these were not made to be sold to the public. They were one-offs that were made to be displayed at trade expositions and exhibitions. The purpose was to show the great skill and creativity of the shoemakers: the outer limits of their abilities.

Love that the heel is worn down from wear rather than an "in the display case" model.

More vintage decadence!

 

[Sled Dog]

Thrifted Canadian Dacks in Camel Hide
They have a few miles on them but they are in ok condition and fit me perfect.
As found, have not cleaned or polished them yet. Pic doesnt show the grain that well

 

[Dinerman]

Gotta love Dacks.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Thrifted Canadian Dacks in Camel Hide
They have a few miles on them but they are in ok condition and fit me perfect.
As found, have not cleaned or polished them yet. Pic doesnt show the grain that well

Geez, you stole those for that price, those can be spruced up and look like a million! I love the color and texture of the leather (camel), the grain is attractive.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Love that the heel is worn down from wear rather than an "in the display case" model.

More vintage decadence!

There are perhaps only a hand full of shoe makers that even bother to put the time and work into nailing and "set engraving" the soles of boots or shoes like this example. To duplicate these shoes would cost a fortune if you could find a shoe maker even willing to do so. And as one of a kind that the Stetson shoes are, you are so very correct that someone wore them, could have been their "favorites"? I personally just could not wear them with that toe, but as much as I have learned about what it takes to build a shoe, I have to agree with you again.

In my journeys along the years of seeing some rather different items in a museum, I do have to say I have seen one of a kind items being kept behind the glass showcase, and I do understand some times things are made for presentation purposes only. I have a stainless (all stainless) steel circular saw, porter cable brand that only 100 had been made, from the late 1960's. The saw has an actual transmission for blade speeds and has to have lubrication put into the saw. It came with a presentation metal box a bit upgraded for a saw, and extra goodies to attach to the side of the foot of the saw, a fold out "fence". Now I have used that saw like crazy and it still works like new today. But I can shine the metal of the saw with a buffer and metal polish and it looks like a mirror. Many other builders would see it and tell me it belongs on some display, which is fine, but myself, I use it the same as those shoes were worn and used by the owner!

 

[LoveMyHats2]

So, today my latest purchase arrived, a box within a box, the shoe box containing the Jarman shoes was so old and dry, to even touch the tissue paper or receipt that was inside the shoe box, would make the paper crumble, the shoe box itself simply fell apart if I even touched it, and to say the least I was so very worried about the condition of the shoes themselves.


The old metal shoe trees had a build up of dust and on the back had some rust, which did transfer to the back inside of the leather heel and, to the outer side of the shoes, the stitching thread on the sides of the shoes, even up near the eyelet area...

 

[LoveMyHats2]

My concern not only about the rust on the stitching, but also I noted that some of the tissue paper had actually embedded itself into the leather, and as I was using my saddle soap on them, this paper did not want to come off even with a stiff finger nail brush and some very sudsy saddle soap.....

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Even though the suede on these shoes looked in good shape, as soon as I went to pull out the metal shoe trees, I noted how stiff it was, in fact, these shoes felt like they were made out of pine wood rather than leather, dry, hard, non flexible. The shoe box simply fell apart as soon as I took the lid off and more when I lifted the shoes out of the box....so now I was really worried.

However, the debate about the age, goes to Cookie and Isshy, as the box was for a pair of nettleton shoes as so was the paper receipt, so they had been in the wrong box for maybe a few decades up in someone's attic!


I can barely make out the gold lettering on the soles, it says, "hand flexible" and extra flexible soles.....

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I started to wash and then condition these around 1 p.m., and by dinner time I had already worked in a half of bottle of some leather conditioner, I keep myself well stocked with it....


As of midnight here, I have used one full bottle of the Cadillac leather conditioner on the shoes. I will have to rub with a cloth a bit more to remove the rest of the paper that had become imbedded in the leather in a few spots...some of them have finally come off, but a few spots are still there....

 

[LoveMyHats2]

And yes, I do think with all the evidence in, seeing everything and how these shoes are made, I can see them being from the late 1940's. I have used my suede brush after the conditioner was used everywhere on and in the shoes, the rust of the surface of the stitching on the outside of the shoes is rubbing off a bit when I use a rag on those areas....but I am also now confident I can make these shoes look like new in a day or so. Soaking them was a no-brainer, in the leather conditioner.

 

[randooch]

You're a Shoe Saviour, Dan'l!