Care and feeding of fancy cordovan leather shoes?

[TMM]

My grampa, while lightening ship, found two pair of brand new, shiny leather, leather soled, rubber-heeled dress shoes, and i believe the type of leather is Cordovan. Good ones, too - one pair is a Florsheim in black with pierced leather decoration and the other is a Walk-Over in oxblood. While i like beaten up old leather boots, these shoes are quite nice and i'd like to know how to care for them properly. Any tips?

As a side note, when gramps was giving me these and i was trying them on, the best music was playing on the radio: real nice old fashioned dance kinda music, with the sax, piano, etc... don't really know what it's called, but the era of the music fit the era and feeling of the somewhat old-fashioned shoes. It was quite the enjoyable moment.

~tmm

[Matthew Carberry]

So, you like the music and the shoes eh?

www.thefedoralounge.com 

The home for all things vintage: lifestyle, clothes (including maintenance) and mindset.  Surprising number of libertarian gun nuts too.  Join us, buy a hat, dress like adults did back when style meant class, not dressing like a teenager at 40.

[TMM]

CAREBEAR!!! when i read your post and checked out the fedora lounge, i nearly *expletive deleted*it! I LOVE the old-era stuff - i wear sport jackets to school, a trench coat in the winter, and a greybrown Dobbs silklined furfelt fedora i picked up at a fleamarket for [ready for this?] $15. I'll have to further investigate TFL. but, what did you mean by "not dressing like a teenager at 40"? i'm a little slow.

while i'm typing, do you know of any musicians that play than nice music i described? Gramps has a record player and records that probably have that kinda stuff, but currently i'd just like some CD's...

~tmm

[Matthew Carberry]

If you're talking standards like Michael Buble there's a small group of artists doing similar stuff, and lots of the bands from the Swing craze are still out there making records.

Do some searching on the Lounge, all sorts of threads.  Oh, look for MK's (the Oleg Volk of Fedora Lounge) new magazine "Classic Style" at Barnes and Noble int he Men's interest section.  Has a guy with a grey Dobb's on on the cover.

As far as dressing like teens goes.  Much of modern society is obsessed with youth and that has led to adults, parents and grand-, wearing the same baggy clothes, baseball caps and revealing crap as their teenage children rather than dressing in age-appropriate attire and making them (shudder) seem "grown-up" and different. 

To me it shows a lack of class and a slavish adherence to modern culture's worship of youth above all.  Shirts are untucked, sneakers are worn with suits and g-d-forbid your clothes are actually tailored.

A lot of these boomers and their spawn don't even know what quality, comfortable, properly fitted clothes feel like so the fashion industry has no impetus to provide it any more.

 

[crt360]

but, what did you mean by "not dressing like a teenager at 40"? i'm a little slow.

I think he means don't do what I do.  After wearing a suit and tie for 8-12 hrs a day, I look forward to putting on a pair of baggy shorts, t-shirt and comfortable shoes.   

[Matthew Carberry]

Around the house after a hard day at work?  Fine. 

Going to a nice restaurant for dinner, or in the office, or to a show.  Then it gets a little tacky.

In general, as long as you aren't actively dressing like the kid who mows your lawn, wear what you want.  But be adult about it.

[grampster]

That music is probably Big Band music and Swing.   Popular up to about the early 60's.

It co existed with the beginnings of RocknRoll which started cranking up in the mid fifties for white kids.  When I was at college in 1962, we still had dance halls in rural Michigan and bands had 10 or so folks playing various instruments, playing big band stuff and swing as well as doing some RnR too.

Go to the music store and ask for Big Band or Swing.  Should have a lot of CD's.

PS:  The Florsheim black shoes with the holes are called "Wing Tips".  Any good leather cleaner/conditioner is OK and buy soft black polish.  Learn how to spit shine 'em.

[BakerMikeRomeo]

when i read your post and checked out the fedora lounge, i nearly s**t!

Dude, you gotta get that under control if you're gonna go out dancing.

Nice find on the shoes and music, though.

~GnSx

[Art Eatman]

1.  Shoe polish.  Sole dressing, for the edges of the soles.  Dauber.  Shoe brush.  Soft polishing cloth.

2.  Do NOT play "Kick the can."  

Art

[Thor]

Initial cleaning can be done with saddle soap and a soft brush. After cleaning, polish them up with some WAX shoe polish. (Liquid doesn't protect the leather) Then brush and buff. Spit shining shoes is an art, to say the least. Most older military folks can do it. It took me all through boot camp to learn to do it well.  When I was growing up, we had an old black guy at the downtown barber shop that used to shine shoes. In five mins, he could throw on a shine unparalleled by the average person. Edge/heel dressing is a nice touch.

[TMM]

Thanks for the replies thusfar. i'll look into the music more, i'd like to be able to listed to some whenever i want.

Any of you guys know of good sites to expand on your advice? i've never gone further than putting waterproofing on my workboots, so i really don't know what i'm doing.

GunnySkox: haha, yea, good point. i'm pretty good at controlling my sailor's mouth when i need to, so i don't think that'll be an issue. not to mention, i'd venture to say that nearly all teens, male or female, swear pretty often. *shrug*

cheers
~tmm

[mgdavis]

Think you missed the joke TMM.
As far as polishing goes: Brush shoes clean. Cotton ball plus either Kiwi Parade Gloss or Lincoln Stain Wax (I only do black, don't know if these come in colors). Moisten cotton ball in tap water, then squeeze dry. Swirl in wax three or four times, don't do it heavy. Start rubbing it onto the leather in a circular pattern, wax-on wax-off style. When it seems like you're no longer "scratching" the wax you have just applied go for another coat. Lather, rinse , repeat. It takes awhile, but I can get my boots looking pretty good this way. You'll get the hang of it after awhile. You might want to start on less-nice shoes or boots.

[wmenorr67]

Thank god I don't have to shine boots anymore.

[Gewehr98]

Thank god I don't have to shine boots anymore.

Me, too. I gave my boots to Goodwill last year, as well as a bunch of uniforms and accoutrements. 

As for dressing up to go out for dinner, if I have to wear a jacket and tie, I'll order pizza and stay home, wearing my comfy sweats or 501s.  Life's too short...

[Art Eatman]

I don't know if the Esquire brand of polish is still made.  It gave a glossier shine than Kiwi.

Art

[Matthew Carberry]

Thank god I don't have to shine boots anymore.

Me, too. I gave my boots to Goodwill last year, as well as a bunch of uniforms and accoutrements. 

As for dressing up to go out for dinner, if I have to wear a jacket and tie, I'll order pizza and stay home, wearing my comfy sweats or 501s.  Life's too short...

Quality suits and ties, jackets etc can and should be as comfortable as any other clothing.  If they aren't, they either aren't fitted properly or the fabric is cheap.
 
More modern suit styles are often cut to look good while standing still, not for daily wear, moving in them can get uncomfortable.  That's where vintage suits shine, better designs and better fabrics.

[crt360]

Quality suits and ties, jackets etc can and should be as comfortable as any other clothing.  If they aren't, they either aren't fitted properly or the fabric is cheap.

OR . . . you live where it's just too damn hot to be fooling around in a dark, wool, multi-layered, full-body outfit, regardless of quality material or tailored fit. 

No dress wear* is going to outdo your favorite old jeans, t-shirt and sneakers for comfort, but aside from being on the unpleasantly warm side for some climates, the good stuff shouldn't cause too much distress.


*modern western dress wear - some of those middle eastern and asian "robe & sandal" type get-ups look pretty dang comfy.

[Matthew Carberry]

That's where linen, seersucker or even light-weave wools come in.  They breathe much better than cotton twill ever will and are soft and comfortable.

To compare heavy, winter weight, suit wools to t-shirts is apples and oranges and a symptom of the problem.  Due in large part to AC and central heat, folks don't even know what fabrics to wear for which season anymore.

All we get is middle weight suits cut badly unless you are both willing to spend a little more money and have access to a tailor who really knows their job.

[Gewehr98]

Seersucker?

Yeah, I'm all over that! 

[Matthew Carberry]

You just know that dressed that smooth ol' Matlock was nailing court clerks two at a time. 

[crt360]

I think I had a seersucker suit when I was a little kid.  When my hair turns all silver (or falls out) and I decide to run for mayor, I'll get another one. 

[wmenorr67]

Well the no shine is not due to being out of the service, but to the Army switching to the desert boot full time now.  They are a tan suede boot.  Opens up a whole bunch of options now for us to wear also.