Florsheim Shoes

[Ernest P Shackleton]

Good enough for Don Draper

I remember they showed a close up of his shoe while he brush buffed it, and they were really ugly muted moc toe like black patent leather shoes. He was a basic dresser, but his shoes were another level or two below that. I would have thought he had basic wingtips, but that would have been a luxury item for him. I googled for a screen grab, and I was surprised to not find any. I found other screen grabs and promotional pictures of him in other shoes, but nothing of those.

 

[Fifty150]

I'm not likely to hand them over to the local cobbler (if I can even find one anymore, let alone one I can trust)

Thanks to the internet, you can find "celebrity cobblers" with youtube channels, and online cobblers. I've never used any of them. In my area, there are still cobblers. They are a dying breed. Most are over 50, without a line of succession. Nobody is coming into the apprenticeship. When they retire, nobody will buy out their shop.


Shoe Cobbler skills are a dying art. People don't resole shoes like they did 100 years ago, or even 50 years ago. Disposable culture? Maybe. But most people under the age of 50 wear sports shoes, unless they have to wear something else required for work. Very few professions require you to wear a business suit, which would make you wear dress shoes. There are probably more work boots and steel toe boots being sold to blue collar workers.


Back when I first got into "The Game", guys would try to get 10 years out of a pair of boots, by resoling them twice. The brand new boots could last up to 4 years, then 3 years on each resole. 10 years down the line, even with regular shoe shines, the uppers would be worn down, eyelets broken, stitches broken, et cetera....... The economy was different. The cost of a resole was about a third or a quarter of the price of new boots. Then the price of resoling boots crept up to about half of what the boots cost. Now, it cost about 2/3 the price of new boots.


Prices are going up because the cost of living is going up. Rent is going up. Wages have to keep up. I look at how the cobbler has to spend a day working on a pair of shoes......... what is a day's wages? Are you willing to spend a day's wages for a resole? The shop has to charge for the cobbler's wages, the cost of soles, glue, nails, and a markup for other overhead and expenses. So you will have to pay what you make in a day and a half, for that shop to work on your shoes for a day. You can almost see how it costs $200, for the shop to pay the worker $120, spend $30 on supplies, then barely keep up with the rent, utilities, taxes, et al. Not make a "profit". But just keep the shop open.




@ Ernest P Shackleton

Check out some of these online guys. They seem pretty good.




https://www.youtube.com/@AaronG2480

https://www.youtube.com/@Tringshoerepairkeyshop

https://www.youtube.com/@BrianTheBootmaker

https://www.youtube.com/@TrentonHeath/featured

https://www.youtube.com/@WyattDadCobblerCompany

 

[Fifty150]

Apparently, this guy does a lot of Florsheim shoes. I would never spend that kind of money to repair old shoes.

 

[Fifty150]

This is a good price for these shoes.

 

[Fifty150]

I could not resist a good deal.

I didn't want to wait 2 or 3 months for my cobbler to add sole protectors. So I added them myself. Self gratification.

 

[perterra]

I will say they dont make the like they used to, but I will also say, as for myself at 66 years old, I'm glad they dont. Between age, plantares fasciitis and Morton's neuroma I'm okay with never seeing another leather sole in my closet. I had planned on being retired by now, but when covid hit, in March of 2019 my boss told me, you okay with working from home? I told her no problem. Been working from home ever since. Last time I wore a button up shirt I had to look it up on youtube to figure out how to work them. The local church donation center got a load of clothes and boots off me, I got one sport coat left, coldnt tell you the brand, it's wool and comfortable. I know that much. A few pair of khakis, some button down shirts and enough long sleeve and short sleeve Carhartt T's to last me a month. My only experience with newer Florsheims is a pair of brown plain toe Renegade chukkas that are far more comfortable than any of the Florsheims I had in the 70's and 80's. When they wear out, I'll just replace them.

It's way to easy to look around on forums and think, everyone wears Crockett and Jones shoes and matching belt, bespoke suits, carrying a Chris Reeve sebenza and wearing a Rolex. The reality seems to be, more people wear Ecco's, Rockports and Mens Warehouse suits and just look at their phone when they want to know the time.

 

[Fifty150]

they dont make the like they used to

far more comfortable than any of the Florsheims I had in the 70's and 80's

I'm okay with never seeing another leather sole in my closet.

Until modern times, shoes were a luxury item. The average person had 1, maybe 2 pairs of shoes. Shoemaking was a true craft. Techniques refined to such a point that it became accepted far and wide, that a shoe with a leather foot bed, midsole, and outsole held together by a welt, was the better method of construction. It allowed for methodical repairs, and the average person was able to keep a pair of shoes as long as the cobbler was able to replace parts. Not just the outsole. Even the vamp and heel could be patched over or the entire piece replaced. Imagine how 100 years ago, a cobbler simply stitched a new piece of leather over the toe, and the cap toe was born.

I get that there are people who are nostalgic for the past, steeped in time honored tradition, and want to freeze frame a period of time from 100 years ago. And I agree that modern synthetic textiles are less expensive, and are not as durable. Welcome to the modern world. Technology is not such a bad thing. Shoes can now be produced with synthetic material which is lighter in weight, and more comfortable. Foam, rubber, air pockets, and such, makes shoes feel like your feet are wrapped in pillows.

As for leather soles, we all have our preferences. I prefer rubber soles. I like traction. I do not like slipping and sliding. Perhaps there are people who favor style and appearance, and they believe that the leather sole is more elegant. I'll just be the ugly guy with no style, who doesn't fall and break his hip when the floor is wet.

From what I have seen with some of the modern Florsheim shoes - they are not the same shoes from 25, 50, or 100 years ago. If your idea of quality is layers of leather and cork, with 50 nails, then the quality has gone down. If your idea of quality is a comfortable shoe with modern technology, then the quality has gone up. Do you perceive value in paying hundreds of dollars for shoes, then spending hundreds of dollars to resole them? Or do you perceive value in paying less than a hundred dollars on a pair of shoes, and they don't hurt your feet, make you walk funny, or hurt your back?

 

[perterra]

Until modern times, shoes were a luxury item. The average person had 1, maybe 2 pairs of shoes. Shoemaking was a true craft. Techniques refined to such a point that it became accepted far and wide, that a shoe with a leather foot bed, midsole, and outsole held together by a welt, was the better method of construction. It allowed for methodical repairs, and the average person was able to keep a pair of shoes as long as the cobbler was able to replace parts. Not just the outsole. Even the vamp and heel could be patched over or the entire piece replaced. Imagine how 100 years ago, a cobbler simply stitched a new piece of leather over the toe, and the cap toe was born.

I get that there are people who are nostalgic for the past, steeped in time honored tradition, and want to freeze frame a period of time from 100 years ago. And I agree that modern synthetic textiles are less expensive, and are not as durable. Welcome to the modern world. Technology is not such a bad thing. Shoes can now be produced with synthetic material which is lighter in weight, and more comfortable. Foam, rubber, air pockets, and such, makes shoes feel like your feet are wrapped in pillows.

As for leather soles, we all have our preferences. I prefer rubber soles. I like traction. I do not like slipping and sliding. Perhaps there are people who favor style and appearance, and they believe that the leather sole is more elegant. I'll just be the ugly guy with no style, who doesn't fall and break his hip when the floor is wet.

From what I have seen with some of the modern Florsheim shoes - they are not the same shoes from 25, 50, or 100 years ago. If your idea of quality is layers of leather and cork, with 50 nails, then the quality has gone down. If your idea of quality is a comfortable shoe with modern technology, then the quality has gone up. Do you perceive value in paying hundreds of dollars for shoes, then spending hundreds of dollars to resole them? Or do you perceive value in paying less than a hundred dollars on a pair of shoes, and they don't hurt your feet, make you walk funny, or hurt your back?

I'm between the two camps on this, I think leather soles look classier, but there are plenty of synthetic soles that look nice, and the average person doesnt notice sole composition.

Age puts a lot of wear and tear on a body, a lot more than I imagined 40 years ago. I worry less about slipping than triggering the plantares fasciitis again.

 

[Fifty150]

I'm not as concerned with the way the soles look. Very few people are going to see the bottom of my feet.

What I do like is a cushioned step and traction. When I'm on my feet all day, the rubber soles and crepe soles are softer.

I suppose that there are people who are so much into "style", that shoe comfort is sometimes less important. But there is a market for lower priced, comfortable shoes. That's why brands like Rockport are in business. Some of the worst quality shoes are the most comfortable. Crocs are extremely comfortable. I've always liked Dr. Martens because of the Air Sole. Dr. Martens are usually disliked by people who post articles on the internet, because of the cheap materials used in construction. Another shoe which I like are canvas CVO sneakers. Cheap, simple, and comfortable.

I like nice things, I occasionally will spend more on a luxury item....... expensive shoes are not always appropriate. Florsheims fill a niche in my wardrobe. Florsheim shoes are some of the best, in the cheap shoe market. I need cheap shoes that I can wear to a nightclub. Vomit, urine, spilled drinks. On the odd occasion, I may have to run, climb a wall, or get into a scuffle. And while most people don't want to think about it, you need shoes that you can wear to a cemetery. Dirt, mud, grass, and gravel. My full shift, plus overtime, at Panda Express puts my shoes through grease, hot oil, hot water, cleaning chemicals, food scraps, and sauces.

Leather soles are for guys who walk on carpeted floors and sit behind a desk.

 

[perterra]

I think comfort is also a relative thing. In my 20's until late 50's well made leather soled shoes and boots were all I wore and I was always on concrete for hours at a time. The Johnston and Murphy, Dexter, Bass and Cole Haan of the early 90's were excellent, Justin Ropers well polished made great dress boots. Hart Schafner and Marx jackets were among the best. Things change, those companies all did the same thing as age does to people. Go downhill. LOL

I havent had to dress up for work since around 2000, customers I called on were heavy industry, so jeans and boots (steel toe most times) were the norm, but for appointments with front office people, I always dressed nicely, so I would dress nicely a couple days a week just to stay used to it. You could always tell someone who was not used to their clothes by the way they were constantly tugging and adjusting their collars, sleeves, jackets and pants legs.

 

[Fifty150]

6 months down the line. I've gotten my money's worth. Although I fully expect these to last for 5 years, before I need to resole.

 

[Fifty150]

I have these shoes in black.

As a shoe, it does everything I need it to do. It's comfortable. Which to me, is the most important thing that a shoe needs to do. Everything else comes after. Well built. Durable. Good traction. Whatever else other people may want, such as being environmentally sustainable & fair wages to factory employees, never factor into my decision making. Otherwise, I would be living in a commune, composting my own excrement, growing my own cannabis, and making beautiful love to beautiful people without regard to gender.


The brown shoes are now being sold at discounted prices. I am considering. Horween Chromexcel and Goodyear welt don't come cheap anymore. There's value. And I already know how they fit and feel. Plain toe and cap toe shoes are timeless. They won't go out of style.

 

[GHT]

Until modern times, shoes were a luxury item. The average person had 1, maybe 2 pairs of shoes. Shoemaking was a true craft. Techniques refined to such a point that it became accepted far and wide, that a shoe with a leather foot bed, midsole, and outsole held together by a welt, was the better method of construction. It allowed for methodical repairs, and the average person was able to keep a pair of shoes as long as the cobbler was able to replace parts.

That is so true, so much so that the shoemaker, an artisan, has the title, cordwainer. Not a name commonly heard nowadays. The cobbler is the shoe repairer.
Years ago, as you pointed out, a single pair of shoes was just about within the budget of this penniless student, but now, much older with the mortgage a distant memory and a shekel or two in my pocket, I can engage the services of Colin Johnson, a cordwainer of some distinct.

As for leather soles, we all have our preferences. I prefer rubber soles. I like traction. I do not like slipping and sliding. Perhaps there are people who favor style and appearance, and they believe that the leather sole is more elegant. I'll just be the ugly guy with no style, who doesn't fall and break his hip when the floor is wet.

When the upper parts of the shoe are made of leather, constructing the sole also in leather not only gives the shoe strength, it adds to the aesthetic too.


Taking a leaf out of your book, I protect those beautifully crafted leather soles with rubber stick-ons.


Durable, hard wearing and easily replaceable
they extend the life of the shoe indefinitely.

 

[Fifty150]

GHT, those are beautiful shoes. Were those bespoke?

 

[GHT]

GHT, those are beautiful shoes. Were those bespoke?

Indeed they were, but they didn't cost a King's ransom. Colin is an artisan of great talent.
https://www.colinjohnsonshoes.com/

 

[Fifty150]

What was the process like? Did you get your foot measured?

 

[GHT]

What was the process like? Did you get your foot measured?

I can't ever remember being measured in a proper foot measuring device like this:

Colin just asked my shoe size then, using a tape measure he checked both feet for length and breadth. One thing that I do remember is that he noted the sizing in both imperial and metric. I have later learned that having one foot a half size bigger is much more common than you might expect. Fortunately I don't have that problem.

These shoes are not in his catalogue, I simply sent him a text, showing him the kind of garment and colour that I would wear the shoes with, asked him if he could do it and he simply made them.