Stetson Old Masters

[carter]

Here are photos of a pair of Stetson Brogues I picked-up a few months ago. I believe these are totally original. Even my son thinks these are "a great pair" of shoes.

 

[feltfan]

Those are great shoes! Love the metal details on the heels and
the cutout Stetson logo. Congrats.

 

[tonyb]

Ditto.

And what's that little piece-o'-pie-shaped thingy on the heel called? Got an old pair with that very feature. Kinda wonder if it just isn't done anymore, and is therefore indicative of a certain vintage. Yes? No?

 

[DerMann]

I too am curious about the piece of metal on the heel. Definitely going to have to get a cobbler to install them on all of my leather heeled shoes, as they do wear out rather quickly.

 

[tonyb]

They ARE pretty cool, DerMann, but know that with those things on your shoes, you won't be sneaking up on anyone but the deaf.

 

[carter]

The Thingy

Ditto.

And what's that little piece-o'-pie-shaped thingy on the heel called? Got an old pair with that very feature. Kinda wonder if it just isn't done anymore, and is therefore indicative of a certain vintage. Yes? No?

That thingy is a v-cleat. Not uncommon in the 50's. No idea how long they've been around. There's a You Tube video of a guy showing off his Florsheim Imperials with v-cleats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgKTpUOn8ps

 

[bigshoe]

Another solid nice looking pair of shoes. If you lift up the sock liner can you see any stitching? They look like a double sole mckay and fair stitched.
You would have to find a real old repair shop and look in the dark dusty corners to get any of those cleats. I have never seen them before.
Tom

 

[carter]

Another solid nice looking pair of shoes. If you lift up the sock liner can you see any stitching? They look like a double sole mckay and fair stitched.
You would have to find a real old repair shop and look in the dark dusty corners to get any of those cleats. I have never seen them before.
Tom

Tom, I cannot lift the liners. They are firmly in place. I can tell you that the inside is fully leather lined and beautifully stitched with no sign of deterioration whatsoever. The leather throughout remains very soft and supple. These shoes have seen very little wear in their lifetime.

 

[cookie]

Stetson 'v' Cleats

I suspect that Stetson (being a superior brand) would have had these made by Florsheim to their own heightened specs and design. Those shoes would last 10 years without resoling with normal wear. The pinking and punching detail on those is remarkable and totally original to Stetson especially the treatment on the heel counter...

 

[carter]

I don't know. Here's a photo of the Stetson Shoe Company building in Weymouth, MA. They opened in 1936 and closed in 1973. There's the possibility that they were made in this facility. The soles and heels on vintage Florsheim Imperial v-cleats certainly look nearly identical to those on these Stetson Old Masters.

 

[cookie]

Badging of Vintage Shoes

I have a few pairs of ventilated shoes/spectators. It has been suggested by an eBay seller that:

To the best of my knowledge all Ventilated Mesh Spectators made in America appear to have been made by one firm, O’Sullivan’s. They were brought to market, however, under the labels of myriad shoe stores small and large, coast to coast. O’Sullivan’s even heeled their shoes with heels imprinted with the Logos of their largest customers, like Nunn-Bush, Florsheim and Crosby Square. Production of this type of Spectator began in the 1930s and came to an end in the 1960s.