VOL. IV NO. 1 (Aug 08') On Footwear... AA / Esky

Read all the excellent articles written by the LL style scholar, Etutee.
Etutee
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Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:41 pm

Gents,

It has been a long while since I have posted anything on this forum, at least not in great detail that is. So I have received many requests in the meantime to do another detailed post on some subject of menswear and I was in fact thinking about doing one for a while. The topic of the post is of vital importance because as always (those who have read my pervious posts in the past) know that I stress on writing about something that is at least somewhat pragmatic within our times. Naturally with this post the process was no different but this time I also wanted to discuss something that I haven’t touched on in a while or not at all.

Two topics were of most interest to me this time- hats and shoes. It was a tough decision deciding between these two. On one hand I have done a post on hats some 2 years ago but haven’t ever done anything exclusively on hats. I had good material on both of these subjects and eventually I found myself leaning towards footwear primarily because it is much more relevant in a way to our times than headwear.

Plus what really got me interested in footwear was an article wrote specifically on a good fitting shoe rather than focusing all on mere construction. To me that was of interest because when it comes to the “ye’ good ole days” i.e. 20s 30s and who-ha, there is an awful lot of misinformation out there and it is further propagated by sources who take 20s and 30s as their inspiration but never really describe what, where and how exactly. That was one of the main things I had in mind when I picked the subject of footwear for this post.

There are many great article on footwear construction out there and many that describe shoes from 1930s and so on but almost none of them ever touch the subject of the proper shoe fit, at least not even nearly as in detail as we discuss some of the other things like fit of a jacket or Neapolitan Clothing for that matter. So I looked deep within my books to find something direct from those times that dealt with not only construction, materials but also fit and what was considered a “good fitting” RTW shoe back then as opposed to now.

So, without further delay let us get down to business at hand. This post is divided into 3 sections. The first section deals with the history of footwear (in moderate detail) from 1850-1950. The second section deals with the process of skin treatment in a tannery before being made into a shoe. The third section is the main feature! Detailing both aspects- construction and good fitting for shoes in 30s with lots of pictures.

Now, few minor things before getting started…

These articles are written to provide some useful information about quality shoes aspects back in 30s. Please don't step into a shoe shop today expecting your sales person to attend you in that particular manner. It is an obvious enough point but I still feel like it needs be pointed out. This post is written with the assumption that you DO understand the rules of proper and improper footwear. As such in here we are not going to discuss them. If that is not the case with you, please use the link below to read the footwear post in there FIRST before reading this one. It is about footwear also and from 30s. It will go about the rules and some other details that you may need to know.

Vol. I No. VI (Sept 05') CONCERNING SHOES

Look, it is not important that you follow these old rules and you must strictly abide by them in our times. I have no problem with people discarding old rules anytime they feel like it. For example you may like to wear plain black oxfords with your formal wear. Why? If for nothing else you just don’t care or give a hoot about what is correct or incorrect, as long as it looks good to you its okay. That is perfectly fine, in fact wear flip-flops with black-tie if you like the look and enjoy life and be happy!
However, I have a HUGE problem with someone wearing black calf oxfords with formal wear not because they like them but because they think that is “correct” or that’s what they are “supposed” to wear. Another one of my favorites is like showing the belt buckle underneath the vest because that is the way you are “supposed” to wear it.

That is exactly the kind of behavior these posts are to help repel.
So here we go! Just take this easy and try to go over this slowly. I have explained things wherever it seemed necessary. The italics are direct from the source and other are my comments.

We will start with the history first. IF you are not interested in the history and blah, blah then go straight to section II as that is the main feature of this post.

From AA Fall 35’
History Of Shoemaking


AMERICAN shoemakers have seen many styles of shoes leave their hands since the day of Thomas Beard. That worthy would scratch an incredulous head could he slip his foot into a modern machine made shoe. Thomas made his shoes low around the ankle and graced them with a huge silver buckle. They were “straights" and frequently interchanged for uniform wear. As a craftsman he may have often wished to shape the shoe more to the foot, but certainly he never was blamed for badly fitting shoes. The good New Englanders soaped the heel and toe to get into their shoes, and if a bunion or corn caused a groan or two that night, it was an ancestor, and not Thomas, who received a round cursing. For corns and the like were considered hereditary, or perhaps due to those witches who were especially thick in early New England and cared little about Godly, folks' feet. After 1800 boots became fashionable, preferably with rather high heels. Spring heels were adopted in 1835 and for the period between 1840 and 1855 heels were discarded entirely by some. Boots with red sheepskin tops were the rage, and each occasion called for its different variety.

"Straights" were worn right up “to the Civil War, at which time the public had quite a few vastly witty jokes about the new "crooked," shoe. The army brogans McKay made for the soldiers were so popular that the style was immediately adopted for civilian wear. Leg boots faded wholly by 1890, and with the change from boots to shoes came the idea of linings, either light leather or cloth, making it possible to use lighter outer leather. The introduction of rubber footwear occurred at this time, making possible the production of the new, lighter weight shoes. The public had known of rubber for many years, but chiefly as a curiosity. To the man in the street in the early nineteenth century, rubber was a curious something brought home as a souvenir of tropical cruises and kept thereafter in a bottle. The Roxbury India Rubber Company, sensing the possibilities of the new material as early as 1833, was producing 'in Roxbury, Mass., rubber-coated shoes, as well as other waterproof articles.

Charles Goodyear, Jr. inadvertently stumbled upon the innate weakness in the new industry which, if uncorrected, promised a collapse as rapid as had been its rise. The most conscientious manufacturer was forced to admit that his best rubberized product was apt to melt and get sticky in summer, and just as easily stiffen and crack in winter. Vulcanization corning, in 1914 producing nearly half the total production in the country, and ac-cording to recent figures, still dominating the manufacture of arctics and gaiters, of which nearly 5,000,000 pairs were produced in 1931.
The rubber heel first introduced in 1895 was very heavy and very hard, of thick rubber held in place on the shoe by screws, but with its beneficial properties almost nullified since the wearer quickly wore down to the metal and walked on a surface far less comfortable than leather had been. Nevertheless, the rubber heel with its embedded metal screen, making attachment possible with-out the use of special templates as in the case 'of leather heels, made rubber heels highly popular in the repair trade and its replacement of leather heels in that category was nearly one hundred .percent. Today a screen of soft metal plate or laminated plywood is embedded in the rubber so as to become a part of it, forming a base of contact with the leather. A single nailing brings the nail heads in con-tact with the plate and embedded in the rubber so that they are out of sight and cannot work loose.

The ankle high shoe, fastened -by laces, buttons or elastic gores, continued until comparatively recently as the most popular style and at present has given way to the oxford type of low-cut shoe; because of the greater support it affords the ankle, the low-cut shoe gives evidence ground of this story has been tanning, the rock on which the shoemaker stands. Thomas Beard brought his first rolls of leather with him, but his original supply was soon exhausted, and he and other early settlers soon were busy tanning leather. The tanning methods used were those inherited from the old Hebrews of Joppa. Each tanner would sink a board vat .into the ground and sprinkle the bottom with finely ground oak bark. The hide was placed over this after first having been scraped clean of hair, loosened by lime, and the hide then covered with a layer of bark. Another hide was added and sprinkled, and so on, to the depth of the vat. Water was poured over all and the hides left to soak for six months or more, depending on their weight.
In the nineteenth century, Sir Humphrey Davy's experiments in tanning proved that hemlock, volani, mimosa, divi divi, myrobo-lans, quebracho, Oakwood and chestnut were suitable agents to add to the accepted standard group consisting of oak bark, sumac and gall nuts. His research, although under-taken for British interests, had far-reaching effects in America where hemlock grew in great profusion. By 1850 "leaching" was introduced into tanning methods and "union leather" had a widespread recognition while the chrome process of tanning was becoming adopted. Machinery for tanning and leather working progressively supplemented these improvements, and it must suffice here to say that modern scientific methods and industrial efficiency have placed the industry in a position of recognized merit. The World War was a supreme test of both the tanning and leather industries, creating a tremendous demand for civilian and military shoes. The War had one distinctly gratifying result on shoe construction,, since that period marked the first professional consideration of properly constructed shoes in their relation to the general health of the individual.
The medical profession has recently taken a very -keen interest in the construction of footwear, recognizing that many apparently disassociated ailments can be traced to the feet. Research is constantly going on to improve the shoe of today, and our footwear is a balanced blend of serviceability, attractiveness and healthful comfort.


Okay with that out of the way now we are about to the start of the 20th century and from here on I selected the incredibly well quoted and detail text written by Esquire editor O. E. Schoeffler back in 60s. It is broken down by the decades so 1900-1910s then 20s and so on. It is an extremely interesting study and will go through many different shoe styles through their origins and their correct use in the settings they were meant to be worn. I will point out important things as we move along.

On Footwear…

The look of men’s shoes bears a direct relation to the cut of the trousers being worn at the time. At the turn of the twentieth century men’s shoes were high and usually were made in a pointed-toe style that perfectly complemented cuffless trousers tapering down to the very narrow bottoms. This exaggerated trouser style was called "peg-top." Not until the appearance of deep trouser cuffs did the pointed toe give way to a so-called bulb toe (a bulb shaped toe with sole extensions that were widest at the sides), which served to balance the new deeply cuffed trouser bottoms.

Whether pointed or bulb-toed, men's shoes in the first decade of the century were either laced or buttoned, and either style usually was equipped with a cloth tab at the back to aid in slipping the shoe on and off. Often the top half was made not of leather but of a closely woven cloth in buff or gray, which gave the shoe an. especially dressy appearance. A sharp buttonhook was essential for buttoning and unbuttoning high-buttoned shoes. This sounds remarkably uncomfortable today, but the clothes-conscious man at the turn of the century did not demand, or expect comfort from any item in his wardrobe. His shirt collars were high and starched, and his heavily padded suits were buttoned high. But since the laced shoe was somewhat less trouble than the high-buttoned shoe, by 1905 a substantial number of men were beginning to indicate a preference for the laced model finished on the upper part with four hooks on each side to expedite lacing up the shoe. Yet one trade paper noted that the button models were still "very popular among the city trade."


Here you have to understand that the classic balmoral or dress boot whether laced or buttoned was always with uppers made of some sort of softer material than the rest.

An issue of Boot and Shoe Recorder in 1905, the year cuffs first began to be worn on trousers, reported "a new last which is being brought out for the coming season, and which, has been named as typical of high quality Marquis. It is a full toe, has a straight tread, with a fair amount of spring, and carries a regular heel. It is, in short, a good serviceable shape—one which will be in favor for more than a single season." Narrow toes still predominated, however, with black far outranking brown as the proper shoe color. Black glazed kids were being worn that year in all the different lasts and patterns, with both single and double soles. "Shiners" (patent kid, patent colt, and horsehide enamel) were popular in various combinations with dull leather tops.

Among the most desirable leathers in 1905 were box (boarded) calf, Eli calf, gunmetal and Black Diamond calf, French-process chrome calf, old-fashioned wax calf, black and colored cordovans, and willow calf. Storm leather in black and russet and French veal in black and color were being used in 10- and 12-inch bluchers. Two typical shoes in this storm line were a russet French veal 12-inch blucher on the whole-quarter pattern, made with a bellows tongue, having a full double sole to the heel, a half-Scotch edge, 18-square, and large eyelets to the top (this shoe was also shown in black leather); and a 10-inch seamless blucher made in black storm calf, with a double sole, a half-Scotch edge, and a small cable stitch. Recommended for the "snappy dresser" was a French-process chrome calf buttoned shoe with a pebble calf top, a perforated vamp, and a wing tip, made with a wasp toe (a name given to one of the six-odd most popular narrow toes), a double sole, and a military heel: "A very swell shoe for young men's wear."

A new "hygienic" shoe was introduced. Made with a felt innersole to absorb perspiration and ensure flexibility, it was said to be an improvement over the cushion sole in that it did not become hard and crack but remained soft and in place. The material for this innersole was identified as the best piano felting.
"Sidewalk" shoes were another footwear category, the name being chosen to help differentiate between dressier city styles and the storm boots or heavier footwear. Among them was a new last: a narrow toe with a good outside swing and a higher, military heel. Patent colt was the leading leather in sidewalk shoes, and button and blucher patterns were the favorites, the bal having lost some of its prominence in high-grade shoes. The "rivet shank" was a new feature in some sidewalk shoes and was publicized as furnishing an extra support to the arch of the foot.

By 1910 the oxford, or low shoe, was on the market and was being widely advertised. Most of the early oxfords were laced, although some had three buttons. Among the most popular leathers were patent, velour calf, and Australian glazed kangaroo. Heels varied from a broad low style to a medium heel and a semi-military heel. The blucher tie predominated, a fancy perforated diamond or wing tip was very popular, and the bulb, or freak, toe was fashionable now that almost all trousers had deep cuffs. Although the oxford was a broader and much more comfortable shoe than earlier types, it was not to be accepted by the general public for almost ten years. Like the high starched collar, the high shoe was to linger on despite the fact that as early as 1907 men's suits had begun to lose their overstuffed look and take on shapelier, more youthful lines. For the next several years, the oxford would be worn almost solely by the avant-garde dresser, who in this proper period was in the minority among American men.

1910-1920
By 1915 the oxford was being widely advertised. That year a full-page advertisement in the Boot and Shoe Recorder featured 3 of the 131 styles the Regal Shoe Company carried in stock: a russet calf oxford with a fawn cloth panel, a black calf blucher oxford, and a black calf with a black rubber sole and a black rubber heel. At this time both high and oxford shoes often featured new invisible eyelets for which "no metal tip" shoe laces had been designed. They were advertised as "guaranteed not to rust, pull off, fray out, look tinny, nor catch in the clothing. Always look new."

A 1913 survey of fashions seen at winter resorts in the South noted the increasing popularity of the oxford along with that of the knickerbocker suit. An especially fashionable outfit worn by one Palm Beach man consisted of a knicker suit of rough herringbone silk and thin wool, a hat of soft leghorn, and white buckskin oxfords trimmed with brown calf. Reviewing this survey, & Men's Wear writer expressed a desire to see a gradual acknowledgment of the comfort of the various English lasts ("which our grandfathers wore"), which he judged to be far superior to "our modern, misshapen conception" (Mar. 6, 1918). These English lasts had strongly rounded tips and appeared in many forms, from medium-stout fancy country shoes to full brogues for all-around use.

The Increasing popularity of the oxford was accelerated in 1919 by the serviceman returning from World War I, who much preferred it to the high shoe. The well-dressed man of the postwar period was comfort-conscious as well as clothes-conscious and, in the opinion of one fashion reporter, paid greater attention to the appropriate shape of boots and shoes for various occasions: "Those for formal day or evening usually have a true formal look to them. They present a long, plain, severe appearance, with a narrower toe than made for informal use. The stouter, less ceremonious foot covering has a truly sensible appearance in its straight last and common sense width of toe and the various kinds for sporting use appear a study of comfort. Town shoes are, in the main, rather modest, with a plain tip across the toe, or maybe it is a bit newer to have this toe punctured in some inconspicuous pattern. Full brogued shoes and those otherwise elaborately punched and recognized as belonging to country dress are often brown and white or black and white buckskins trimmed with brown or black calf. When the warm weather comes these lounge shoes will be equally popular in and out of town" (Men's Wear, Apr. 9, 1919).

Within the next few years, the college man (a fashion influence to be reckoned with in the era of "flaming youth") would turn to laced oxfords, and the high shoe would be gone except as worn by the diehard who also preferred a high starched collar.


Now, I want to share with you gents something truly amazing. Below are some of the actual pictures of the footwear offered in 1915 straight from Brooks Brothers catalogue. They are very important in realizing as to what was being sold by Brooks back in the day and you for yourself can also visually see how well that coincide with the history text explained above (& below).

This first one is depicting Spats and Gaiters

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You should note that spats were extremely in vogue up till 30s and then they rapidly fell from favor in place of newer shoe styles. They were deemed “excessive” all of a sudden and the only remaining venue was that of formal day wear.

The next one is about formal footwear day and evening

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Here the thing to not is that patent leather was used back in those days as “correct” for both day and evening footwear. Soon after the 20s the daytime use of patent leather as formalwear fell off from popularity and it never regained its strength there again. One of the big reasons for this movement was the Duke of Windsor (a prominent style icon of the time) almost exclusively wore plain black oxfords with his formal daywear clothes. Now that many not be the only reason to summarize the demise of patent leather from day use but certainly is one of the biggest contributors.

Below Balmoral and Blucher boots in assorted leathers

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Oxfords

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Casual footwear

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Note the full balmorals white buck boots #16K28! The Two tone Style #16K25 is one of those simple but rare models of two tones that is never seen today.


1920-1930

By 1924 fashion scouts covering the Palm Beach winter season reported that white flannel trousers were replacing white linen knickers, white shirts were still being worn by more than 50 percent of the fashionable men, and white shoes were by far the favorite footwear. Most of the white shoes had heavy black and varnished rubber soles. "The white shoes with tan wing tips and straight tips are in high favor with the best dressed man. The soft leather or buckskin shoes are seen in a very small number" [Men's Wear, Mar. 19, 1924, p, 8]. According to a survey of the shoe preferences of 300 of the best-dressed men vacationing at Palm Beach, the all-white shoe accounted for 20 percent of the shoes being worn; white with a tan wing-tip toe cap, for 19 percent; white with a tan straight-tip toe cap, for 14 percent; tan wing-tip, for 7 percent; white with a tan saddle strap, for 7 percent; tan straight-tip, for 7 percent; white with a tan toe cap and strap over the vamp, for 7 percent; and white with a black straight-tip toe cap, for 5 percent.
In late summer in 1925, fashion scouts covered the scene at Newport, Rhode Island, the most fashionable American summer resort. Blazers were being worn extensively, and with so many of the younger men wearing the new Oxford bags, the wide-bottomed trousers introduced in the United States that spring, many shoes not only featured a wide toe last but showed more extroverted styling as well. A reporter covering Newport for Men's Wear asked the following question:

"Supposing some shoe manufacturer came along and tried to sell you a white buckskin shoe with a bright red saddle strap and a loose, narrow, bright red ball strap across the toe of the shoe, what would you say to that manufacturer? You would say, 'Jazz!' wouldn't you?
"It all depends on who starts a style whether it is smart or 'jazz,' If someone of no reputation featured such a shoe you would still say it was 'jazz.' But supposing some store with a reputation for having only correct merchandise featured such a shoe, what would you say? 'Jazz'? Not on your life. You'd be all wrong! For if Brooks Brothers featured such a shoe it would be unquestionably a new and correct shoe.

"'How come?' you ask. Because if they featured such a radical shoe it would be sold to and worn by the men who make a new style correct.
"Well! They have featured such a shoe and I saw at least a half-dozen of the best dressed men at Newport wearing it. The artist has illustrated the shoe and if you think your shoe department is going to be up-to-the-minute next year on the new and correct shoes for men without this red idea in sport shoes, you've got another think coming to you. Next issue we will illustrate another new sport shoe coming to the front, the white buck shoe with the diminutive wing tip and side strap" (Sept. 9, 1925, p. 61).
Meanwhile, on the campus at Princeton University, generally considered the headquarters for the country's best-dressed students, undergraduates favored the tan shoe over the black shoe in all styles, in some cases by a ratio of 3 to 1.

An article in the Boot and Shoe Recorder on March 7, 1925, described several of the fashion trends that had appeared or were about to appear in men's footwear:
"Styles for men do not center around any particular pattern. The vogue for broad-bottomed trousers insures the sale of broguey types to the younger men and shoe men are almost unanimous in their views that as long as the young men express their favor for loose-fitting trousers the place for the broad-toed and heavy-looking oxford is warranted.

"In sharp contrast to the clothing trend's relation to the shoe for younger men, the movement for lightweight, and in some cases featherweight styles, has gained more impetus than heretofore. It is a general opinion that the vogue for men's lightweight styles is one that must be brought about gradually. It is obvious that there are ever so many more manufacturers placing an extreme lightweight style before the retail shoe merchants this year than last. Almost without exception every shoe firm making men's footwear had samples made, which indicates a growing trend for this type of shoe when compared with the progress of a year ago. Last year there were few houses putting out a lightweight pattern and the development is a healthy indication.

"No doubt the history of the light tan movement for men, which was commenced a few years ago as a measure to increase per capita consumption, can be used as a parallel to the present lightweight shoe case. Light tan oxfords for spring and summer wear were not introduced overnight. It took a few seasons before they were worn to any marked degree by men, and perhaps we can use that knowledge as a guide for anticipating the rapidity of progress for the lightweight shoe. Meen regarded the sharp change from the dark brown and reddish brown hues to the yellowish tan tones as too marked. But they gradually saw the 'light,' with the result that the light tan oxford is the ideal style for spring and summer. In fact, light tan shades are with us to stay. Likewise the contrast between those heavy-looking types, which have been men's style leaders for some time, and the very light-appearing featherweight pattern, is also very marked. One manufacturer has made a wise move to overcome this feature by making a shoe that ranks just between the featherweight and heavier type, both in appearance and structure.

"There is every indication that marks the lightweight-shoe-for-man-movement as a healthy measure to bring about a greater per capita consumption which will consequently benefit the entire trade. There's no question but that it would be an ideal condition to have men buy a distinct shoe for spring and summer and regard it as solely a shoe for mild seasons, consequently resulting in the retail shoe merchant selling a heavier oxford or shoe for fall.

"The wider toe last has been used extensively in the manufacture of patterns for spring and summer wear, yet the styleful effect does not border too much on the broguey effect, due to the fact that the edges are closely trimmed. The wider extension employed on welts of shoes for the young men desiring the extreme brogue models, is missing in the new patterns. The effect is very good; it gives a broad and roomy shoe for a man, carrying plenty of style, which is brought about mostly by the skillful finishing of the closely-trimmed sole edges, rather than by broguey lines,
"Stitchings, mostly in double rows, are used in many styles. There seems to be a tendency to break away from the practice of applying several rows of closely placed stitchings. Pinkings are very smart; finer designs being employed on many new styles. Pinkings extending along the vamp to the quarter are generously used. Tips are being perforated in lighter designs on shoes for street wear, but, of course, sport types call for heavy perforations."
The writer predicted that 1925 would be a big sports shoe year, expecting that the influence of the new biscuit-color flannel trousers for young men would have a favorable effect on sports shoes:
"One manufacturer, who always does a splendid trade on men's sports, has designed a shoe to match the biscuit trousers. It is a wide toe model with tan calf wing tip and elk vamp. The elk matches the biscuit shade very well. Black calf with elk is shown in many new sport models. The crepe sole is used very much, and is favored over any other type. White buck is also used in many sport types. It contrasts well with tan calf, which is used for tips, backstays, etc.
"The reception of the tie is a debatable question, but probably its place is in the classification for lightweight shoes. Some designers have taken a long step forward in trying to combine the most style possible in ties. A broad, almost square, toe tie is one of the latest developments in this tie. It's built over a brogue last."
Meanwhile, in some of the larger American cities the young man who favored the newer, more extreme fashions was choosing the patent-leather oxford with side gores for street wear. The stylish but more conservative man who favored a highly polished appearance found it in an oxford of shiny leather.
Even with so many new ideas in styling and the fashion influence of the young, a national survey taken in 1925 revealed that the ratio of oxford sales to those for high shoes was 4 to 1. Unlike American women, who accepted fashion changes with alacrity, men sometimes ignored new fashions and clung to the old and familiar.

Chosen as a shoe for the 1925 man who wanted "a fair dash of style" was a tan oxford with a medium-round toe and fine pinkings. Yet despite the growing popularity of tan leathers, black oxfords continued to sell. Their sale was credited to the fact that the conspicuous tones of the light-colored shoes made them out of place in the evening for the man who wanted to be appropriately dressed.

A Men's Wear reporter noted in 1925 that, in his opinion, "the exacting workmanship necessary to manufacture high styles in women's footwear is just as much present in the patterns selling to men. Oxfords fit much better around the ankles than heretofore. Details, like finishing the heel, attaching the tongue to the lining beside the lace stay, are indications that steady development in style lines is being made. Development in comfortable-fitting qualities is evidenced by the prevailing types of wide, round and roomy-toed lasts,
"Blucher patterns are more attractive than ever before. Pattern makers have put considerable style into the lines. The presence of spring in the last allowing the toe and sole to swing slightly upward, adds much to the general appearance of the lines. It also serves to insure a better fit across the ball of the foot, off-setting creasing which very frequently develops when there is no toe spring."

A movement to increase men's per capita consumption of shoes took shape in New York in 1925 when committee members of the Joint Styles Conference recommended that retail shoe merchants and their salesmen put greater stress on the importance of "talking changing shoes more often" to their customers. Recommendations were as follows:
"Besides the importance of dressing for the occasion, it is of vital importance to shoe men who have their customers' interest conscientiously at heart, to see that they and their shoe fitters know the importance of changing shoes as often as one changes hose or underwear. It is a known fact that shoe linings absorb perspiration, the acid from the body, and retain the poisonous element more than hose or underwear and therefore must be left off to be ventilated and exposed to fresh air. Blisters and callouses and even infections are caused by wearing the same pair too often and for proper foot comfort and sanitation one should have enough pairs of shoes to change frequently. This important health idea, plus the importance of wearing shoes for the occasion, if properly fostered by retail shoe merchants, will sell more pairs of shoes for them and work to the real advantage of the consuming public."

A Men's Wear fashion reporter, taking stock of what he judged to be some of the smartest men's footwear on the market in mid-decade, remarked: "All of these boots and shoes are void of that heavy or puffed effect at the toe. The rise is gradual from toe point to instep" (July 8, 1925). Among the styles he liked were an American custom-made shoe of white buck with brogue tips and facings of red mahogany brown calf; an American handmade custom shoe of reddish tan Russia leather with a full brogue finish and a slight extension sole; an English handmade shoe, for summer town or country wear, of brown buck with tips and so on of russet Russia leather* ("One of the best readymade shoes I've ever seen!"); an American custom-made gaiter boot of patent leather ("Today it is considered smart for winter evening dress"); an English handmade boot with lowers of patent leather and uppers of brown buckskin, having small bell-turned buttons of shaded mother-of-pearl ("This is a strictly dress boot for day wear that should never appear with informal day attire of any kind"); and an American custom-made boot with lowers of patent leather and uppers of heavy kid ("This is a model perfect in its shape, a pivot last around which varying fine fashions have fluctuated for more than a hundred years").


*It is important to note that whenever they spoke of Russia Leather they were referring to the specific treatment process of the leather through which it achieved a distinctive look and aroma and not so much the leather itself as how it is mostly understood today.

Paying a return visit to Palm Beach in 1926, Men's Wear reporters noted the popularity of the cocoa-brown buckskin shoe that had been worn by the Prince of Wales during his visit to the United States in 1923. Brown was an outstanding resort-wear color that year, and among the fashion sketches made was one that showed a particularly smart Palm Beach outfit: "A symphony in brown—brown leghorn hat, tobacco brown belted jacket, biscuit flannel trousers with a pair of Prince of Wales cocoa brown buck shoes."
In 1928 Men's Wear recommended that the retailer not ignore the element among the younger generation in his locality that "resembles to a large degree the Broadway type. They may spend the evenings in the drug stores and pool parlors, or else they may pass their spare hours in making a round of the homes of their fair young lady friends in rickety Fords or shining Packards. But still they have this desire to spice up their dress, and if you count upon their patronage to supply you with your daily bread and butter, it is necessary that you be progressive, and keep up with the latest styles worn by the lads along the Great White Way" (Dec. 5, 1928). A survey of the styles favored by the more affluent Broadwayites showed a great variety of shoes; among them the wing tip had risen in popularity from 8 to 14 percent. Whereas there had been little change in the relative number of broad-toe, or balloon, shoes as a class, there had been a distinct increase in the blucher model of this last. The margin of black shoes over tans continued to rise, but that year's 71 percent for black to 29 percent for tan was considered to be about the greatest spread that could be expected. The report concluded 011 this note: "An interesting thing to note in footwear is the number that wore spats. As you can see, it is a remarkably large number 11 percent. Beige and medium light grey are the two prevailing colors,"

A report on fashions worn at a Princeton University house party weekend in May of that year revealed that wing tips had risen slightly in popularity and that most Princetonians favored sports shoes of plain white, white with a black or tan saddle strap, and white with a black or tan wing tip.

Since progressive menswear shops in key American cities made it a rule to send their buyers to Palm Beach each winter to study the fashions being worn there, they were well aware in 1928 that the plain white buck shoe was preferred by the smartest men at exclusive clubs. As a Men's Wear reporter put it, "This shoe as worn by the majority has a heavy black rubber sole, or if the sole was originally of some other color, it is almost invariably varnished black, giving a neat and finished appearance to the footgear.

"Numerically, the wing tip shoe is far in the lead, if the various styles in this type are taken together, and one of the wing tip styles, as a single type, is in second place.

"The very latest style in footwear for men is the Deauville sandal of white leather with a design woven in a darker leather, but as yet this has not appeared to such an extent that it could be included in the survey."
By 1929 shoe manufacturers and retailers agreed that the way to sell more shoes was by "styleage" rather than "mileage," A speaker at the annual convention of the National Shoe Retailers Association in Chicago deplored the fact that the proprietor and the salesman in the shoe store were responsible for having taught the customer, when making a purchase, to think of how long it would wear instead of how it would improve his appearance or fit into his wardrobe. Almost simultaneous with this lament was the introduction of what the trade called "hot dogs": colored kid oxfords in blue, green, and red. Produced by a number of leading manufacturers, these eye-catching shoes were to be exhibited to shoe merchants throughout the country in order to promote lightweight footwear for summer.

The most newsworthy developments in 1929 were considered to be happening in the sportswear division. There were, for example, all-snakeskin shoes, although some critics expected that these, like alligator shoes, would prove to be too heavy and insufficiently porous for summer wear. There was certainly no question but that comfort was one of the chief factors in promoting satisfaction with shoes.

"Because of the continuous walking hither, thither and yon upon the campuses, the first requisite is that shoes be comfortable," said the preface to a survey in Men's Wear (Nov. 20, 1929) on shoes worn by college students in various sections of the country in the fall of 1929. At Princeton and Yale, considered to be the two most fashion-conscious universities, the popularity of the plain-toed all-white buckskin, especially the shoe with a black sole that had been so popular among fashionable men at Palm Beach in the winter of 1928, could not be overemphasized. Other survey findings showed that wing-tip shoes, especially in a deep mahogany color, were still in first place, the semipointed toe continued to be favored by the great majority of undergraduates, and the saddle-strap sports shoe retained its popularity in both black and white and brown and white. Among Mid- western students wing-tip shoes had gained in popularity, and dark brown shoes were being worn in great numbers; of the sports shoes, the white shoe with a brown wing tip was preferred. At universities below the Mason and Dixon's line, the popularity of the wing-tip shoe had more than tripled in twelve months; heavy English-model blucher shoes also showed a marked increase. In the Far West, straight-tipped shoes in black were great favorites with students, and wing tips were being worn by about one out of six students. Black was the favorite shoe color, followed by tan in dark shades. A notable increase had been registered in wing-tip sports shoes, which were now worn by one of ten rather than one of fifty students; almost all these shoes were black and white. The heavy blucher (in reality, the army trench shoe with hobnails and steel caps) continued to be popular with upperclassmen at the University of California at Berkeley.

1930-1940
While during the Depression years many shoes were worn with holes in their soles, there were also well-groomed shoes in sufficient numbers to give the fashion press something to write about. Although the national economy was sagging, some fortunes remained intact, and it was to this well-shod minority that the fashion press turned its attention.
In 1931, for instance, a Palm Beach style survey found that "a higher percentage of men were seen at Palm Beach this season wearing well groomed, smart sports shoes than ever before. It is safe to say that practically every man at Palm Beach this season had at least two pairs of sports shoes. The influence of this class has done much to accelerate the mass acceptance of sports shoes and in turn put money in the shoe dealer's till" {Men's Wear, Mar. 25, 1931).

Getting down to specific preferences, the survey noted: "Although the two-color wing tip shoe is still the leading style, it has registered a decline of nine percent in the past year. Notice that four out of five men wearing this type of shoe preferred the brown trim as against the black,
"The all-white buckskin continues to step forward. The total of 27 percent, an increase of six percent over last year, is made up of 17 percent plain toe, six percent straight tip, and three percent wing tip. The rubber soles of these shoes are invariably finished with black enamel. Not a few have red rubber soles, but the sides are blackened.

"Two-toned shoes with straight tip trims are also more popular than they were a year ago, so an increase in the demand for this model can be anticipated during the next six months. Here again the brown trim is an overwhelming favorite. Practically nine out of ten men wearing this type of shoe preferred the tan or brown trimming and only a small minority had black strappings on their shoes.
"The grey jacket and tan flannel trouser combination has no doubt tended to increase the number of brown buckskin shoes worn this year. Many of the men favoring this ensemble choose brown bucks. Although there has been a more widespread popularity of this style, it is believed that the movement of this style to mass acceptance will be gradual. Practically all the brown buckskin shoes had rubber soles with dark brown or black enamel on the sides. It is very significant that the majority of all two-toned shoes had brown trimmings."

A survey of men's clothing stores with shoe departments reported in Men's Wear on April 8, 1931, showed that $5 was the roost widely carried price line, favored in 40.7 percent of the stores. The $10 shoe was in second place, accounting for 36,05 percent. (The prices in the stores surveyed ranged from $2 to $35.)
By the spring of 1932 the brown buckskin shoe favored by men of fashion was reportedly gaining public favor. Although it was intended originally for country wear, it was expected to be seen on city streets that summer. One trade writer described the rising popularity of this shoe with so many references to fashionable resorts that, to someone reading his report today, it hardly seems possible that it was written at the depth of the Great Depression:

"The brown buckskin shoe has been accepted to such an extent by well dressed men in England that no wardrobe is considered complete without at least one pair of these shoes. Men at Newport were wearing brown buckskin shoes last summer, while at Meadowbrook and Piping Rock they were favored so strongly last season by the polo crowd that it seemed that every man who really 'belonged' was wearing brown buckskin shoes. From Palm Beach came reports in February that the very smartest dressed men at the Seminole Club and other fashionable places were wearing brown bucks, not only for golf, but for general daytime wear. Wealthy members of the so-called horsey set that spends the season at Aiken showed a preference for this type of shoe in February and March" (Men's Wear, Apr. 20, 1932).

The writer concluded that both wing-tip and plain-tip styles of brown bucks were correct arid could be worn properly in town with tan, brown, olive, or gray gabardine jackets and odd trousers ("Many of the men attending hunt meets on Long Island are quite partial to the brown jacket and grey trousers combination with brown buckskin shoes").
In the meantime, although the vogue for white buckskins continued, it was anticipated that most sports shoe business that year would be done in the brown-and-white wing model and the all-white buckskin shoe. In two-tone wing-tip shoes the trend was moving away from the black-and-white combinations.
In 1934 Apparel Arts, as an incentive to shoe sales, published a photographic review of the correct shoe for the occasion, noting that "an important point is that additional sales may often be attributed to the intelligence of a salesman who is abreast of the fashion trends":
"A typical shoe for business wear is this conservative custom oxford with spade sole trim, in black or brown. Its simplicity and freedom from detail fit it for wear with any type of business clothes and are in keeping with office environment. Since the business shoe is not subjected to rough usage, it can be comparatively light in construction,
"This classic fully brogued oxford is characteristic of shoes which are classified as being for street wear. Note how both the sole and upper of this shoe are heavier than seen in the business shoe. In design, as well as in construction, it is in agreement with clothes of the tweed and rough worsted type with which it is usually worn.
"A plain toe blucher oxford of brown buckskin with thick crepe rubber soles—representative of shoes for country wear. Worn with country clothes, it is naturally sturdy in construction. Incidentally, this shoe may be worn in the plain blucher model and, in fact, is currently considered correct with the elimination of the extension tongue.

"To be classified among shoes for active sports wear is this full brogued golf oxford with heavy leather soles and steel spikes riveted through the is coming into wider vogue than ever.
"Suitable for formal day wear is this patent leather oxford with cap toe, worn with white linen spats and the correct clothes for daytime weddings, public ceremonies and other occasions of formal day wear. It is also correfct for semi-formal evening wear. Its lighter construction and freedom from detail are in keeping with the purpose of the shoe" (vol. V, no. 1, 1934).

By the mid-thirties spats had all but disappeared from the fashion picture except for formal day wear. Derived from the heavy cloth gaiters worn by Britishers with knickerbockers in the country, spats came into vogue in the United States with the advent of the oxford and remained popular throughout the 1920s. For wear with business suits, spats were made of buff, gray, black, or dark brown box cloth with side buttons. They slipped over the wearer's shoe and were fastened with a buckle and strap underneath the shoe.
In April, 1934, Esquire featured the latest variation on the plain white buckskin shoe: a white buck with red rubber soles and heels, made without a lining. It was presented as a particularly stylish shoe for resort wear and spectator sports. In fact, red rubber soles reappeared in the fashion pages of Esquire in June, 1934, this time attached to a pair of white bucks with brown calf trim. In December of that year, a trade writer reported that the Prince of Wales had ordered from R. R. Bunting of London and Paris a pair of white buckskin shoes trimmed with brown, and the reader was informed of the following styling features: "The line of the Derby front is cut very straight, or to a point, with perfectly plain stitching, doubled around the cap and on the saddle."

In November, 1935, Esquire published photographs of what was almost a complete shoe wardrobe: "The virtual absence of black prevents our calling this a complete shoe wardrobe, particularly in view of the current fashion for black shoes with brown clothes, but here at least are the salient features in the season's best models: beaver velour type treated sheepskin slippers with heavy soles, Russian calf riding shoes, oil grain hiking and shooting shoes, calf polo or hacking boots, calf field boots, black hunt boots with mahogany colored tops, oil grain waterproof moccasins, calfskin brogues, long grain blucher calf shoes with imitation stitched tip, and brown reversed calf semi-brogues with square custom toe," To make this a complete shoe wardrobe the following should be added: "Evening pumps and one or two pairs of black shoes on a town last, plus a pair of patent leather dress oxfords."

By the mid-thirties, Norwegian-model shoes had been adopted by well-dressed Americans. Variations of the shoes made by hand by Norwegian fishermen during their off-season, they first became popular in London, where American tourists discovered them. Soon two variations were being seen at fashionable American winter resorts: a slip-on style with a moccasin front that was called "Weejuns" and a laced style with a moccasin front that was known as the Norwegian-front shoe. The July, 1936, issue of Esquire showed Weejuns of brown polished calf and a pair of brown-and-white Norwegian shoes.

During the last half of the decade increasing emphasis was placed on lightweight summer clothing, and soon shoe manufacturers adopted the concept of seasonal changes, particularly in summer footwear. Shoe men remembered that textiles often make satisfactory substitutes for hides, and outer sole. Since it is intended for an active sport, it must be both comfortable and durable. Note the wide, comfortable toe and the adequate swing in the last, insuring an easy fit and avoiding crowding.
"The patent leather pump with light flexible sole—for formal evening wear. This is correct for any formal evening occasion where the tailcoat is worn. Its suitability to the occasion for which it is intended speaks for itself, and it might be mentioned that the pump, which has lost none of its dignity by 1936 huaraches and espadrilles were vying for attention at American summer resorts. Inspired by Mexican peasant footwear, huaraches had woven straps of leather over the top and only a single strap toward the rear. Brought from the Basque country, the espadrille was a casual slip-on with a top of canvas or other fabric and a rope sole (or a sole of rubber or other material made to resemble rope).

"Comfort is the big watchword of the new summer shoes," wrote a trade writer in 1936, when many summer shoes were not only lightweight but also perforated to make them cool. The perforated shoe was already an established fashion in the South and West by the early 1930s, and by 1936 men in the East and North were also wearing these air-cooled shoes with their lightweight summer suits. Giving a more detailed account of these shoes, the writer said: "They are cut to the minimum in serviceable weight; they are made with plaited leathers or with fabric for the sake of comfort, freedom and ventilation. Their soles will be flexible leather or rubber. Many are being made with 'stuck-on' soles to eliminate surplus weight. Indians, mountaineers, North and South, have been consulted for ideas to add utility and comfort, and perhaps a fresh style note" (Men's Wear, Mar, 11, 1936).
Although all-white shoes, with or without perforations, continued to be the favorite summer shoes, many perforated shoes gave their wearer not only cool comfort but a splash of "hot" color as well. A prime example was a yellow chamois blucher with a red sole.

"Wash and wear clothing will be of great importance and will call for lighter colors or combinations in shoes," continued this 1936 article. "The new ideas in fabric shoes (footwear styled in Palm Beach or other summer-suiting fabrics to match clothing) fit well into the town-style picture." Among stylish examples of the fabric footwear of the thirties were a white sailcloth oxford trimmed with white calf and a beige sailcloth trimmed with brown calf. Both shoes had leather soles. Handsome shoes fashioned of Palm Beach cloth included one finished with brown leather piping at the toe cap and around the top edge and another finished with brown patent leather.

By the mid-thirties sandal styles ranged from beach types to near oXfords; they came in many leathers, including smooth and reversed calf, in trimmed models and in combinations such as brown calf on white reversed calf or buck. In 1936 Men's Wear published a photograph of the film director Mervyn LeRoy wearing brown sandals with a tweed suit, although the reader was advised that, when correctly worn, sandals were "strictly a beachwear style. On the Riviera the well dressed men wear them with a pair of sailcloth or linen slacks and a knitted sports shirt, always at the seashore and never with lounge suits in town. This is a point the merchant cannot overstress in selling sandals to the customer. Correctly sold and worn, sandals mean extra sales. If this job is incorrectly done, there lies a danger of sandals competing with sports shoes." Three years later Men's Wear reported: "The growth of sandal business is enormous. Men are not satisfied with one pair, and these shoes are being retailed at very reasonable prices, thus making them very popular."
Moccasins were more important than ever, and the retailer with a customer who normally refused to consider novelty footwear was assured that he could make a lifelong convert by selling him a well-made moccasin. As a Men's Wear journalist said, "There has evolved a real man's shoe for a man's purposes in every conceivable situation and for every need,"

By the spring and summer of 1938 toes were more rounded, ventilated shoes were registering greater gains, and the status of the all-white shoe was being questioned by some buyers, who considered it inappropriate for wear with lightweight suits in the new synthetic yarns and washable fabrics. Meanwhile, all-gray, trimmed gray, and two-tone gray oxfords were selling well in the Central West and South, although their sale in the East was extremely limited.
Moliere boots became popular for spectator sports or simply for a country squire look. Slightly more than ankle-high, these boots, usually in reversed calf, were often featured in the thirties. Pigskin, a new leather for men's shoes, was first used in the United States in the Moliere model. By the end of the decade, however, the Moliere had been supplanted by the chukka. or desert boot, a sports blucher, usually with two eyelets, that covered the ankle.

A double-page spread in Esquire in 1938 demonstrated the enormous variety of shoe styles from which the American man could choose. For beachwear there were red espadrilles and yellow goatskin sandals; for resort wear, reversed-calf monk-front shoes, blue canvas shoes with rubber soles, and brown-and-white shoes with crepe soles and heels; and for the beach club, brown-and-white Norwegian moccasins.

That year there was a trend toward shorter vamps in the new spring shoes. A Men's Wear writer observed that it was now possible to make a man's foot look smaller by proper shoe proportioning, based chiefly on the principle of the shorter tip and shorter vamp. The tip was shortened in both straight and wing designs. The broader toe, an established style that had been dominant in men's shoes for several seasons, also helped give a short effect. Bluchers also had a new look that was a compromise between the rounded "raglan" models and the square cut of earlier seasons,
Esquire in November, 1939, featured a shoe and socks wardrobe. Prominently displayed were bluchers, half brogues, monk-front shoes, Norwegian shoes, and chukka boots. Their fashion importance was enhanced by the fact that trousers were now narrow in cut and were worn short.



Below are some shoe wardrobe pictures or illustrations from 1930s.

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Pay close attention to the two different types of pumps depicted. Note the plain tip black oxfords for formal wear and finally the reptile skin slippers at the back.

1940-1950
"University undergraduates dress like normal people, only more so," observed Esquire in September, 1940. To prove this contention the editors showed Ivy Leaguers in Shetland sports jackets, covert slacks, Harris Tweed topcoats, and such shoes as brown calfskins with red rubber soles and fringed tongues, white-and-brown or white-and-black saddle-strap slip-ons, chukka boots in the monk-front style with a strap and buckle over the instep, and brown reversed calf with a moccasin tip and a thick crepe sole. Thick soles on sports shoes were becoming commonplace both on and off campus not only in the chukka boot but also in plain-toe bluchers and laced moccasins. Many shoe advertisements in 1940 and 1941 promoted "double-soled protection" or "overweight sole." Shoes were described as "smooth and suave to see, plenty husky underneath."
In November, 1943, during World War II, when fashion was restricted by the reality of ration coupons, Esquire attracted its fashion-conscious readers with a spread of shoes that included this "patriotic" model: "a simulated wing tip that conserves material by dispensing with the usual extra layer of leather for the perforations." War Production Board restrictions on wearing apparel affected shoes, and composition soles were being used to conserve leather.
After the privations of the war, men were in a mood to dress up and express themselves. In the spring of 1948 Esquire launched the "bold look," an appearance of husky self-confidence that affected every item in the American man's wardrobe. Hefty, thick-soled bluchers, wing-tip moccasins, and brogues were perfect complements for broad-shouldered, aggressively patterned suits, widespread shirt collars, and ties with Windsor knots.
After a temporary dip in popularity the white shoe made a strong comeback with the introduction of the slip-on white moccasin in 1948. Christening the shoe the "Cat-Cay" after Cat Cay in the Bahamas, Esquire recognized it as embodying the bold look for resort sportsmen and in its November issue featured it in white reversed calf with a strap over the instep and a red rubber sole that could be black-enameled: "Not only obviously good-looking but the deep soles are ridged to give you the firm and soft footing you normally get from specially built sports shoes." The Cat-Cay enjoyed a popularity that continued well into the next decade.


Now with all this history on this side you should have a much better grasp of how some of these styles were used in their respective times. Whenever a certain style rose to prominence whose place did it took and what was it preceded by. I have not gone in further detail with my own comments mainly because it is quite detailed as it is and If there are some questions that you have after reading this section point them out and we will be sure to discuss them in good old forum fashion.

END OF SECTION I OF THIS POST
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START OF SECTION OF II OF THIS POST

Finally here is the main feature of this post. This is the article I have been meaning to put out for past 2 years but for some reason never got around it. This will go over what they back in 30s considered a good fit for an RTW shoe as well as the construction. Plus it is going to over some of the other finer aspects of various types of common leathers used back in 30s, their sources, leathers derived and uses.

So take it easy and go over it slowly. I have included many rare pictures that were with this and elsewhere to help you understand this article better.

From AA Advanced Fall 34’

The Art of Selling quality Shoes


No matter how smart the style, no matter how expensive the leather, no matter how fine the workmanship — if a shoe doesn't fit, it is worthless. Bearing upon the subject of correct fit are the three main points covered by the photographs and sketches above.

The first is the matter of measurement. It is not sufficient to measure only the left foot because, while the left foot is usually larger than the right and the larger foot determines the size, it might be the right foot which is the larger. Again, it is not enough to take measurements for length alone, since the width is of vital importance. Further stressed is the fact that inasmuch as an individual's foot is actually longer when he is standing on it than when he is not, measurements should be taken with the customer in a standing position to secure maximum length of foot.

The second point is that which relates to the three basic types of feet, demonstrating that for true fit the shape of the last should provide for these three major variations in the shape of the foot. While not all shoes take this factor into account, it is at least an item of information concerning the anatomy of the foot which all shoe salesmen should know.

The third point is covered by the eight photographs which illustrate eight checks for insuring correct fit. Given a pair of hands, the willingness to apply these checks and a little practice, any salesman can make certain that no man he waits on will ever walk out of the store with a pair of incorrectly fitted shoes. And that, in itself, is at least half the battle.

MEASUREMENT AND FIT

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1.Measuring the left foot for length—the customer is in a standing position because it is his standing or "walking weight" which determines the maximum expansion of the foot. Note how salesman holds down the toe to secure full length.

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2. Measuring right foot for length—the salesman measures both feet in order to take into account any deviation in size. The same points apply concerning "walking weight" and position of sales-man's hand as at left.

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3. Measuring left foot for width—often overlooked, but none the less important, is the fact that both feet should be measured for width as well as for length. Again measurements should be taken while the customer is standing.


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4. Measuring right foot for width—this completes the measurement of both feet for both length and width. By exerting light pressure on the foot with his thumb the salesman measures the foot at its maximum width.

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5. After measuring the feet, the salesman should analyze them for type, there are three basic types of feet with respect to shape, each require-differently shaped last for exact fit. The first type of foot, illustrated at the left, is that which flares to the outside, with about three-fifths of the foot to the outside of an imaginary line drawn through its center. The second type, center, is a straight foot with an equal portion of the foot on each side of the imaginary line. The third type, right, flares to the inside with about three-fifths of the foot to the inside of an imaginary line drawn through its center.

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6. Checking to ascertain whether the ball of foot and ball of shoe coincide. The salesman runs both fingers over the ball of the shoe, as shown, to determine whether the customer may require a longer or shorter arch shoe than he is wearing.

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7. Checking to determine whether the shoe provides a sufficiently smooth and firm support under the arch. If the support is not firm, the foot requires a shoe which provides a more rigid support to the arch.

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8. Checking to ascertain whether the fore part of the shoe is comfortably filled. By running his thumb over the vamp of the shoe, the salesman can easily determine whether the customer may require a wider or narrower width shoe.

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9. Checking to determine whether the outline of the sole of the foot coincides with the outline of the shoe's innersole. The salesman runs his fingers along both edges of the shoe in the manner illustrated.

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10. Checking to insure that there is sufficient room between the end of the great toe and the end of the shoe to allow the foot to expand in walking, considerable pressure must be applied on a hard shoe to perform this check correctly.

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11. Checking to determine whether the shoe lies smoothly over the instep and whether the lace opening is sufficiently wide to take up the natural stretch of the leather. The salesman pinches up his fingers over the instep, as shown.

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12. Checking to insure a snug fit around the top of the quarter of the shoe. If the top of the shoe gaps after the salesman has firmly gripped the counter, the foot may require a last with combination measurements.

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13. Properly creasing the shoe by running a stag bone or buttonhook across the vamp, as indicated. This also provides a general check on fit, since if a shoe is correctly fitted it will crease straight across the vamp.


Now below some of the important shoe styles back when the article was written are depicted below along with their suitable use.


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We have gone in great detail in past (about 3 years ago to be exact) about the merits of a punched cap patent leather oxford. If you are not sure about this shoe in formality spectrum I suggest you buy the plain tip version that is… if you are getting a patent leather shoe formal wear shoe. This tradition of punched cap patent leather shoe hails mainly from its use as daytime formal wear. Instead consider this version below, which indecently back in fall of 34’ was being introduced the very first in RTW market .

The shoes shown above are not intended as constituting a fashion review, although each model is correct for the occasion with which it is identified, but are illustrated rather to establish the basic styles as an approach to the subject of fashion in selling shoes. Space does not permit the showing of the many other models which, varying from the styles pictured above, are equally correct for the occasions mentioned.

It goes without saying that the salesman must be in a position to recommend the correct shoe for any purpose specified by the customer and be currently informed at all times in order that he can offer authentic fashion counsel. The customer who has been incorrectly advised about style and finds himself out of place as a result of misinformation given him by the salesman is not likely to provide the salesman a second opportunity.

An important point is that additional sales may often be attributed to the intelligence of a salesman who is abreast of the fashion trends. And even an understanding of the basic styles alone will enable a salesman to cover all phases of the customer's shoe wardrobe, discover in which respect it may be lacking and suggest an additional purchase.

Aside from this, the salesman should not only be able to suggest the correct shoe for the occasion but also give the reason why and back up his advice with authenticating information pertaining to the style he has recommended. Naturally he must continually supplement his knowledge of the basic styles with current fashion news as it reaches him.


FOOTNOTE TO FASHION

Presenting a New (and Different} Dress Shoe Which Recommends Itself for Far More than its Novelty


SOONER or later all trends in fashion turn back on themselves and get a fresh impetus from old sources. The velvet knee-breeches of Beau Brummell are not yet in our midst, but the increased popularity of the tailcoat and opera hat have been recent indications of the return to formal sartorial perfection. In making these concessions to true formality, however, we have found the standards of today on an even higher level in regard to ease and comfort, without detracting from the element of fashion correctness.
Hard have been the trials of those seeking ease in wearing the formal evening shoe—the pump. Exact fit is essential in the wearing of the pump, and even then the tendency to catch at the instep uncomfortably and the looseness at the heel have discouraged the otherwise strong in heart. The majority have fallen back on the conventional patent leather shoe.
Pictured here for the first time is a new dress shoe which combines the formality of the pump with the comfort of the ordinary patent leather shoe. Side-stitching has been omitted, and a single piece of patent leather has been modeled upon appropriately light soles to fit the foot securely and correctly. The pinch of the pump has been altogether avoided, achieving the ease of the brogue.


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Unbroken smoothness is the final touch in elegance to the perfect dress ensemble, and this new dress shoe with its suave exterior is, on that score alone, a noteworthy .contribution to the craft of footwear fabrication. APPAREL ARTS presents it to both retailer and manufacturer at the very beginning of its importation to this country. It provides a new story to tell the buyer of any item of formal attire, and certainly no man who is thinking in terms of formal wear could fail to be interested in this smartly comfortable version of the dress shoe. The pump will always be considered a correct dancing shoe, but the features of this new mode should make it unusually popular.

Elsewhere in this issue we have recounted how the undergraduates in the college and university centers have shown a decided inclination toward increased formality in their attire. This has brought about a brisk pick-up in the demand for the various accessories of formal correctness, sending the collegian scurrying for just that little touch of swank that would lead individuality to his attire. Here is the next item for him, and for everyone who, prizes personal appearance. For any alert merchandiser on the lookout for something new, this dress shoe is an entry well worth his attention.


Before going into leathers and constructions we will look at pictures at some of the other shoe styles as they were presented through various years of 30s.

The first two are the correct shoe for formal day wear and business wear oxford.

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Just to be perfectly clear I am not advocating the use of the first one, only the second. Black straight tip punched cap oxford will fill 99% of your business and semi-formal (day) needs.

Below are two of the more casual models and best suited to non-black colors, especially the last one.

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The full or quarter derby brogues should be executed in brown but then again we don’t care for these matters in this day and age, do we?

Shoes and Hats from March 38’

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Note that the oxford wingtip with brouging is executed in brown instead of black. Remember that the brouge can be in oxford version and the derby. In oxford version black is correct but for derby versions of brouge brown is the most "correct" or suitable color and it should be executed on a country last whereas the oxford version can be on a more metroplitan last.

Shoes & hats again from March 39’

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Now, below is a small section about various important leather s of the time, their sources, and sub-leathers derived. This list is by no means comprehensive.

A GLOSSARY OF LEATHERS

Calf

SOURCE

Continental Europe
Scandinavia
Chicago and New York Packer Skins
Country Skins

LEATHERS DERIVED

Calfskins
Suede (Suede is a small calfskin with the
flesh instead of the grain to the outside.)
Patent Leather (Enameled finish on the
grain side of the calfskin.)
Grain Leather (Constituting, as a rule,
the heavier weights of small hides printed
in designs with plates.)
Buck Finish Calfskin (Calf leather of
the larger skins tanned on the flesh side to
simulate buckskin.)

Calfskin may be divided into three classifications. Calfskin proper comes from small animals which, as a rule, are killed before they are weaned. Those animals whose skins run from 15 to 20 feet are called kips; these skins are not so choice as the small calfskins, being slightly coarser. The third classification includes skins which run above 20 feet, called small hides.

Kid

SOURCE

Brazil
India—heavier hides
China
Spain—used principally for women's shoes

LEATHERS DERIVED

Kidskin Cabaretta Kid Suede (Used women's shoes.)

for cheaper grade

Kid leather comes from an animal which is a species of goat. Those animals whose pelts run up to 7 feet are classified as kids, while cabaretta skins are usually larger and are used principally for the uppers of cheaper shoes and for linings. Kid leather has a very fine grain, is extremely soft and flexible and is therefore ideal for all soft shoes. Under the heading of kid, may be placed the classification of sheep whose skins are used in large quantities for linings. Sheepskins come from both domestic and imported lambs.

Kangaroo

SOURCE

Australia New Zealand

LEATHERS DERIVED

Kangaroo Suede Kangaroo

Contrary to general opinion, genuine kangaroo does derive from the animal of that name which abounds in Australia and New Zealand. The skin makes an ideal shoe leather because it combines lightness with strength. The skin of the kangaroo differs from calfskin in that instead of being layer upon layer of fibers the entire skin is made up of one series of interwoven fibers. It is for this reason that kangaroo leather is 17% stronger for its weight than any other leather.

Buck

SOURCE

Brazil—for men's shoes
China—small skins for women's shoes
Java—both men's and women's shoes

LEATHERS DERIVED

Buckskin

Buckskin comes from an animal in the deer classification and differs from other leathers in that it has no grain and no flesh side. It is very soft and, as a result,-very comfortable to wear. It may be tanned in one of two ways—by an oil tannage which provides a yellow back buckskin or an alum and formaldehyde tannage which provides a buck-skin that is white through and through.

Horse

SOURCE

France Domestic (US)

LEATHERS DERIVED

Cordovan
Patent Colt (Lacquered horsehide.) Regular Colt (Used principally for work shoes as it is tough and long wearing but not very slightly.)

The actual shell cordovan is not a leather but derives from the muscle of the horse. This muscle, located at the rump of the animal, rather than being a part of the skin proper is a layer under the skin.

Steer

SOURCE

Argentina
Texas
Europe


LEATHERS DERIVED

Outsoles
Insoles
Counters
Box Toes
Welting
Heels


Sole leather comes from steers and cows, with the various leathers being cut from different parts of the hide. Outsoles come from the middle of the back and insoles from the hind shanks, shoulders and belly. Counters and box toes are cut from the fore shanks and hind shanks while weiring comes from the shoulders and heels from the shanks. The choicest animals in this classification are found in Argentina and those ranked next are found in this country.


Next we will go over the critical steps that were involved in producing a quality shoe back in those days. You can compare that with our times.

Good Shoe Construction

FROM the day that the leather for a quality shoe is cut until the day that the finished pair is packed, a shoe will go through as many as 155 separate operations. Naturally, then, any attempt to picture the step-by-step construction of a shoe must weed out not only such minor operations as marking the uppers and sewing on the labels but also some of the relatively more important processes. The photographs on this and the opposite page necessarily represent only the highlights in the construction of a shoe. Yet from them can be traced, in comprehensive outline, the evolution of a shoe from leather to finished product. The method of shoe construction depicted here is the Goodyear welt system, which accounts for some ninety-five per cent of all men's quality shoes. Among the other methods of construction, the McKay system is the most extensively used next to the Goodyear welt system. In the McKay process, the outsole and insole are stitched together through the inside of the shoe, with the complete elimination of the welt. This enables a less expensive, and less satisfactory, type of construction, due to the elimination of the cost of the welt plus the cost of stitching the welt. It may be said that all men's shoes made by the McKay process are cheap shoes but not all cheap shoes are made by the McKay process.

A comparatively small number of men's shoes are also made by the cement process in which the outsole is cemented to the insole, holding the upper in place at the same time. This process is employed especially in the construction of lighter weight shoes.

Shoes made by the cement process may be either high grade shoes or low grade shoes.
As a guide in following the process of shoe construction portrayed above, the operations may be broken down into the following general classifications. The first scene of operations is the leather sorting room, then follow the upper leather cutting room, the skiving room, the stitching room, the lasting room and the Goodyear and finishing rooms. For each of these stages of construction the major operations have been represented in the series of photographs.

But one phase of quality shoe construction which the photo-graphs do not cover is that of inspection. It may be taken for granted that in a factory where high grade shoes are made the product will receive a complete and rigid inspection at every vital point along the line of operation.

Another element which enters into the making of a fine shoe and which cannot well be represented photographically is the number of operations involved. As mentioned before, a good shoe will undergo as many as 155 individual operations. That figure becomes more significant when one balances it against the 115 to 120 operations which suffice for the cheaper grade shoe. An additional factor which seriously affects the quality of the finished product is the length of time taken in construction. Where a quality shoe may be made on a schedule of from two to three weeks, the cheap shoe is often rushed through the factory in less than half that time.

Major Steps involved in Quality Footwear

Image


1. Sorting Leather—Here each skin is minutely inspected and re-inspected by trained sorters. If accepted, the skin is classified as to grade, color and weight and stored awaiting orders. If rejected, back it goes to the tanner who will probably sell it to a manufacturer of cheap grade shoes

Image

2. Cutting Upper Leather—Here the upper leather is cut by hand around individual patterns for each style, size and width for each section of the upper. Some manufacturers cut their upper leathers by a machine process which is called "clicking."

Image

3. Skiving— Here a knife-like rotating disc skives or bevels down the edges of the various sections of the upper so that when they are later stitched together there will be no trace of bulky, uneven seams. Edges are skived wherever two pieces of leather are to be stitched together.

Image

4. Stitching Linings- Here the linings are stitched to the uppers with fine quality silk thread. At this point the upper, after being cut and skived, have entered the fitting room where its various portions are stitched together and begin to be assembled in a finished shoe.

Image

5. Vamping- here, in this fitting room operation, the finished vamp is being attached to the finished quarters, making a completed upper. After emerging from the fitting room the uppers are sorted in lots and are ready for the operations in the lasting room.

Image

6. Pulling Over- Here the upper is tightly pulled over and temporarily tacked to the last which gives it its shape and size. On this last, in a quality factory, the uppers will remain a minimum of seven days to ensure conformity to the last and to allow the leather to dry out thoroughly.

Image

7. Staple Side Lasting —Here the edges of the upper are pulled over the sides of the last and stapled to a channel which has previously been raised on the insole and to which the welt will be attached. The insole has been tacked to the bottom of the last in advance of the pulling over operation.

Image

8. Bed Lasting—Here the shoe is placed in a sort of bed, a wire is stretched around the toe and tightly fastened and the heel seat is firmly nailed down. Before the upper is placed in the bed laster, it is steamed to make it softer and more pliable.

Image

9. Inseaming—Here the welt is attached to the channel on the insole. Afterwards, the surplus portions of the upper leather and lining are removed, the welt is beaten down, a steel shank is inserted and the concave portion of the insole is filled with a light weight cork and tar mixture.

Image

10. Rounding — Here, after the sole laying process in which the outsole has been pressed on to the bottom of the last, the excess leather is trimmed off the outsole and welt, A channel is later raised on the outsole in order to facilitate the next operation of outsole stitching.

Image

11. Goodyear Stitching — Here, in this operation which constitutes the essence of the Goodyear welt system, the outsole is stitched to the welt. The machine has two threaded needles, which penetrate the sole from top and bottom. The threads meet and are locked in the outsole.

Image

12. Leveling —Here the shoe goes under a concave roller which moulds the outsole to the exact contour of the bottom of the last. Dipping from side to side as the shoe passes under it, the roller shapes the outsole with almost human intelligence plus an exerted pressure of a ton and a half.

Image

13. Heeling — Here the heel is firmly nailed to the outsole. If it is a leather heel, the section or base is first attached and then the top lift. If it is a rubber heel, the same machine serves the same purpose, holding the heel in place and nailing it to the outsole.

Image

14. Slugging— Here rolls of wire or wood are cut into small sections which are driven through the top lift and into the base of leather heels. From this operation derive the rows of "slugging wire" which stud the edge of the heel and help prevent it from wearing down.

Image

15. Heel Trimming —Here the excess leather or rubber of the heel is cropped around the edge to give the heel a smooth, trim appearance. There is always more leather to trim off than rubber because in leather heels an extra mar-gin must be allowed as a safety factor against shrinkage.

Image

16. Edge Trimming —Here the edges of the sole are trimmed, preceding their visit to the edge setter who irons and smooths out the edges. In the above extremely delicate operation all that the worker has to guide him in trimming the sole to the proper width is his eyesight.

Image

17. Bottom Sanding —Here the rough surface of the sole is sanded and smoothed, preparing it for the finish which is later applied. Following this operation the last is pulled out and the shoe completes its period of seven days or more on the last.

Image

18. Treeing —Here the shoe is cleaned of all dirt which it has accumulated during its two to three week journey through the factory. Dressings are then applied; the shoes are laced, given a final inspection, packed and dispatched to the retailer and through him to the consumer.

4 Critical Aspects of Good Footwear

Leather —Any footnote to shoe quality logically starts with leather since any quality shoe either starts with high grade leather or never starts at all, regardless of what happens to it in the factory after that point. Good leather is a vital factor in the appearance, the durability and the comfort of a shoe. This leaves little to add concerning the importance of leather.

Lasts —A good last (i.e., a last made of well seasoned wood in accordance with precise measurements) is the foundation of a good shoe. Quality shoes are made over a last of the exact size and width stamped on the finished product—they require no juggling or camouflaging of size markings. And, a further point, the upper of a quality shoe remains on the last at least seven days.

Patterns —The wearer never sees the patterns from which his shoes are cut. But the patterns can make or break a shoe, for over them the upper leather is cut—and it must be cut accurately. A quality factory may have on hand well over a million different patterns one for each size, half-size and width so that there need be no skipping of either widths or half sizes.

Workmanship —Who makes it is al-ways a good guide to how it is made. And the word "who" represents not so much an inanimate corporation as a group of individual workers. That these individual workers must be each a craftsman in his own right has been true of quality shoe making ever since its earliest days—and it is likely to be still true as long as good shoes are made.


AFTER a salesman has schooled himself in all the elements of measurement and fit, fashion, leathers, construction and the art of "trading up," his self-education is still not finished unless he has taken a post-graduate course in the subject of completing the sale. Or, to express it differently, after he has sold the customer one or more pairs of shoes, his job is still not done until he has seen what he can do about also selling the customer some of the accessories which are associated with shoes.

In this category come such articles as hosiery, slippers, belts, suspenders, garters, shoe dressings and shoe trees. They may represent a classification of merchandise aside from shoes and subordinate to shoes, but they net enough profit to pay the rent in more than one store. The point is that the overhead goes on regardless of whether you sell accessories or not, and therefore every time you sell one of these articles your gross profit on it becomes net.


Before going any further I want you to have a look at the basic 10 RTW shoe construction methods that were present at that time. Each of them will have its own labeled picture so you know what they are talking about next time you heard the phrase “stranded screw” for example.

The 10 basic construction methods back then were called; 1. Goodyear Welt, Pegged, Mackay, Cemented and Silhouwelt, Turned, Pre-welt, Standard Screw, Stitched Down, Moccasin, and Littleway. Below are their pictures. Have a good look at them!

Image

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Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

I guess that settles anything about construction and fit and maybe a bit more here and there. All that remains in the process of leather tannage and properties of skin which we will discuss in next section.

Edit. I have corrected some errors about picture description of oxfords and derby style shoes.
Last edited by Etutee on Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:05 am, edited 2 times in total.
Etutee
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Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:48 pm

START OF SECTION III OF THIS POST

In this section below you will read about what was the general process for skin selection and treatment back in 1930s, what were some of the things they considered important and what not so important.


From AA Fall 33’

SKIN'S AFTER LIFE

From the death of the animal to the sorting of the leather—A tabloid cyclopaedia of tanning


TANNING is older, even, than agriculture. Man felt the discomfort of bitter winds, one must assume, before he felt the first inclination to accumulate foodstuff. Accordingly, with the animal's hide, plus the animal's fat and brains, plus the crude cure of the sun's rays, he first tanned skins into leather. Thus clothing was born. Thus the first crude shields, the first primitive sandals.

To indicate how recently tanning has "come of age", from a technological standpoint, to show how recently science has begun to take a hand in finding some more exact means of conversion than the old rule of thumb methods, it is only necessary to mention one change of process that has come about since the turn of the present century. Only thirty years ago tanners still used the manure of chickens, pigeons and dogs for that portion of their conversion process which, following the soaking of the skins in lime, is used for a preparatory softening (technically known as "bating"), prior to the tanning which transforms the skin to leather. Today, less picturesquely but more scientifically, the tanner uses a ready prepared mixture of pancreatic enzymes. In the dyeing, too, other days meant other ways. For no good reason beyond that familiar one of "our fathers always did it so", tanners used the product of human micturition in their dye drums. The tanner's wagon was a familiar sight on Main Street corners, where it stopped at every saloon to pick up a barrel of the tradition-specified ingredient. Finally, it occurred to someone to question the reason. Since then, tanners have used ammonia.

TODAY the leather industry, as represented by a few of its more progressive members, both here and in Europe, is definitely research-minded. Scientific study of what goes on in the traditional process of tanning, in terms of what action that process has upon the constituent fibers of the animal's skin, has given tanning a greater impetus of progress per year, for the last five years, than it has had for the last five centuries.
Today, for example, we are able to take you behind the scenes and show you things that were unknown and unguessed at, just a few years back, in that microcosm of tiny cells and fibers which makes up the hide of the animal and which constitutes the every-day covering of the average man's feet, hands and waist.

You can read the whole story in pictures; it really leaves nothing untold. It will tell you, as you follow it step by step, not only what things are done, and how, but also why, and with what effect upon the skin. In the plant photographs showing the successive operations to which the skin is subjected, you will find the facts about leather; in the photo-micrographs you will find the truth about it—the inside story of that which is invisible to the naked eye, which determines so largely the difference between quality and the lack of it.

The process, as revealed in this parade of pictures, is typical of that in use in the most modern tanneries today. With minor exceptions, too technical to go into and concerned chiefly with leathers that are little used, it is the story of almost all shoe uppers, some sole leather and a majority of garment leathers. It is the story, too, of some, though by no means all, of the differences between good leather and poor —the story of the hazards of leather making at those points of the process where, through lack of skill or knowledge, the tanner fathers a failure.

Thanks to research carried on for the benefit of the industry as a whole, tanning is now very close to being a scientifically controlled process. Time was when the tanner attributed a thirty or forty day run of poor grades to nothing less inevitable than the proverbial "act of God". His methods were comparable to those of a dog trying to get through a fence— strictly trial and error. Today, thanks to such inside knowledge as these laboratory specimens reveal the tanner can tell, in very short order, whether-he is getting all the quality that the worth of the skin affords. He still can't, and probably never can, overcome nature. But at least, and at last, he can understand it.

It is safe to say that American tannage is at least as good as that of any other country. It is not possible, however, to say the same thing for American hides and skins, and perhaps it never will be. Various things contribute to the grading of skins. The European skins, as a general rule, are better than the American, in the case of calfskin. The European farmer is prone to take better care of his cattle than of his children, with resultant benefit to the quality of European skins. Another reason is that America is a beef-eating country, whereas the European countries are veal-eating. Aside from the matter of geography, the calendar, too, has a bearing upon quality. The season of the year in which the animal is slaughtered makes a big difference. This seasonal variation of skin quality can hardly be generalized, however, since it is also subject to such variables as climate and geography.

AMERICAN calf leather is the finest that is made, but the biggest part of the American supply of calfskin comes from abroad. Almost all of it is chrome tanned, although the tannage varies, say, between the light suede finish calfskin for a windbreaker and the full grain calfskin for the better grade shoe uppers. (Sole leathers are, for the most part, vegetable tanned.) Bull calfskins (made from the skins of bulls-to-be, from a few days to a few weeks old) constitute about ninety per cent of all calfskins tanned. Cattle hide is used for all shoe soles, and for uppers of heavy shoes, such as work shoes and shoes for various outdoor sports, as well as for luggage and belts. While calf is by all odds the most widely used leather for men's shoes, goatskin and kid may be expected to increase in importance as the trend toward light weight shoes follows as a natural consequence of the trend toward lighter clothing. It should not be assumed, however, that all calfskin is heavy.

Featherweight calf is made, and is increasingly popular, for summer shoes for men and is, of course, virtually the only weight of calf used in shoes for women. Kid and goat are sometimes differentiated from calfskin by the fact that the skin pattern is marked by tiny pores in groups of three in a row. In general, the smaller and finer these pores are, the higher the quality of the leather and this applies to all skins and leather. While the coarseness of grain is influenced to some extent by tannage,- it is chiefly determined by the type and origin of the skins. For example, skins from China are generally coarser, while skins from India are generally finer. Sheepskin, which is an excellent leather for garments and gloves, is less and less used (except as linings) for men's shoes in fact, may be regarded as the sign of a very cheap shoe. Yet it is the source of cape, suede, chamois, doeskin, mocha and flesher, among the glove leathers. Buckskin, always popular for gloves, has had increasing importance as a shoe leather, rising on the tide of favor for sportswear. The skin that has been improperly soaked, limed or bated, or improperly tanned, results in a leather of inferior quality. It may be of faulty quality either inside or on the surface—and in either case it will crease more quickly, and soon split or crack along the creases.

Good tanners' "seconds" usually represent only natural skin defects, bad spots that are cut out in manufacture. But the layman has no ready means of knowing, except to his sorrow after the test of actual use, whether the tanner has done his job properly. For that matter, even the average manufacturer, to say nothing of the average retailer, must make leather quality largely a matter of trust. The cheapest product, hurriedly or faultily processed from the poorer skins, is often given a dressing treatment sufficiently ingenious to simulate, for a while at least, the firm lively texture of the better leather. There are various rule of thumb tests, enjoying vogue now and then among buyers who fancy themselves as amateur detectives, by which they swear they can "judge leather". In general, they are too fallible to be worth passing on to you. At best, they can do no more than enable you to tell in a fairly haphazard and inaccurate way, which leathers come from the cheaper, and which from the better, skins. You would still be at a loss to tell which, though coming from the best skins, represent poor grades through faulty process.

Trite as it may seem to say so, there is better, way to insure leather satisfaction than to see to it that it represents a tannage that can be trusted—that it is the product of one of the progressive leaders among the tanners who are known for a high grade product. Today, when buyers at wholesale as at retail are feeling less than ever inclined to buy on trust— to rely upon the seller's good faith and honesty of practice—it is more necessary than ever. For tanners^ like all other producers, have been subject, these last few years, to an unexampled pressure. Some have met it by increased efficiency and improved process. Others have met it, much more than half way, with a cheapened product. Stick to the standard few who are above suspicion — until times, if not human nature, change for the better.

Steps Involved in Tannage

1. This is the way the skins appear as received by the tanner. They have been cured, shortly after the death of the animal, by the slaughterer. This curing which involves treatment with salt, arrests the decomposition of the skin which begins, as a result of bacterial action, very soon after slaughter. Research has shown that an animal's skin actually lives from three hours (in the case of a lamb) to eleven hours (in the case of mature steers) after slaughter.

2. The cured skins are trimmed, the unusable portions being cut off be-fore the process of con-version from skin to leather is begun. This process begins after this point, with soaking of the skin in water or a solution of a chemical for anywhere from six hours to four days, the soaking time varying with the skin's condition and the class of leather desired. This soaking, when properly timed, restores the skin to the moisture con-tent it had when on the living animal.

3. All dirt, hair, scraps of flesh, and foreign substances must be removed before skin can be-turned into leather. Thus begins a series of alternate scrapings and soakings—the former being given by knives and by machines that look like a cross breeding between an over-grown clothes .wringer and a gargantuan pencil sharpener—while the soakings are performed in pits and in drums that resemble the old family washing machine. Shown here is a second trimming, between soaking and liming.

4. "Leather is made in the lime" according to an adage of the tanning trade, which means that, after soaking, the immersion of the skins in a solution of lime brings about necessary chemical changes which have a direct bearing upon the skin's ultimate quality as leather. The lime solution acts as a depilatory, dissolving the structures adjacent to the hair, thus making it easy to de-hair the skin. More important still, it adds further swelling of the fiber bundles— it is their ability to swell that indicates ultimate quality of leather.

5. After the skins have been taken out of the lime pit they are trundled over to an unhairing machine which has a whirling circular blade (the pencil sharpener principle) which removes the hairs that were loosened in the lime pit. Additional un-hairing must be given by hand, by the men in the background who stand at beams like those shown in photographs 2 and 3 and remove the remaining hairs by scraping the skins with two handled knives. Now the skins are ready for "bating".

6. The skins arrive at that stage of the process, preparatory to the actual tanning, known as "bating". The skins are placed in vats which are rotated by a revolving paddle. These vats contain a liquid which is a mixture of pancreatic enzymes. The action of the enzymes is a digestive process difficult to demonstrate, or even define, which results in a softening of the skin. This is where the leather's ultimate pliability is largely determined, although at this point the skin has not yet reached the tanning stage where it becomes leather.

7. Now the tannage be-gins. In the chrome tanning process, tanning is accomplished by treating the bated skin after it has been fleshed (by going through the machine shown at the extreme right in photograph 6) with a mineral salt. This solution of chromium sulphate is thoroughly drummed into the skins in the drums which are shown in the background. When they come out they are light bluish green color. Twice again —for fat liquoring and for dyeing—the leather will be put in revolving, drums like these.

8. Setting out, which involves putting the skins through a pressure ma chine like a huge clothes wringer, makes the tanned skins dry enough to be workable. Then splitting and shaving reduce them to the desired thickness. Dyeing follows, then the skins are set out again to dry and fat liquoring takes away their stiff hardness. After successive soakings and dryings of this kind the leather lacks mellowness and possesses excessive "give"_ or stretch, A massage imparted by this staking machine imparts mellowness and equalizes the stretch

9. Now the leather is ready for final drying. It is toggled upon these drying frames so it will not shrink out of shape in the dryer. After the toggles have been clamped, as is being done by the men in the foreground, the frame is stood erect, as it appears in the background, and then slid into place in the dryer.

10. Now the finishing operations begin. This is the first one, which is known as the buffing. This is done by hand on wheels covered with abrasive coated paper. In the case of good' leathers, this is done only on the flesh side, to give it a nice feel and look. Only the poorest, cheapest leathers are buffed on the grain side. With poorer skins this must be done either with a knife or an emery wheel.

11. Now the leather gets a series of seasonings, consisting of alternate applications of thin layers of seasoning compound and drying, until it is uniform in color and affords a proper foundation for the glazing operations that follow. This same spreading on of finishing materials is also repeated again, some-times more than once, after the glazing. Al-though this material is spread on at several different times, each layer is exceedingly thin.

12. This is the glazing operation which puts a bright finish on the seasoned leather. This is accomplished by the rubbing of the glass cylinder up and down on the surface of the leather. The operator moves the leather around so that each portion of its surface is struck and rubbed by the glass cylinder which is attached to a swiftly moving arm. Leather comes to the glazer with a dull lackluster surface —leaves it with a bright high finish.

13. To impart a final smoothness, removing all wrinkles and making the edges lie perfectly flat, the glazed leather is now ironed by hand. This is the last operation in the making of fine leathers; it is one that is only very seldom skipped, even in the making of leathers of mediocre quality. Note how the finished leather now gleams under the light—it is soft, mellow, pliant but firm. Now the leathers go to a sorting room for grading.

14. This is the final show-up where the good, the bad, and the indifferent must be segregated in a very accurate grading. The best leathers, of course, simply represent the best skins—since no tanner can improve on nature. By scientific control of the tannage, however, the most progressive tanners obtain a remarkable uniformity— getting out all the quality that nature put in. After this point the skins are measured on an ingenious machine (light leathers are always sold by the square foot), then packed and shipped.


END OF SECTION III OF THIS POST

Hmmm… to be very frank I have more to go on shoe care recommendations back in the day but honestly, I am getting kind of tired and will have to stop. This thing is long enough as it is and should give you plenty to munch on. I have partially destroyed my books (all this scanning and photocopying crap) for the sake for your education. I have put it up there and now it is in your hands. Make sure whatever you do that this does not disappear in some great cosmic internet glitch or something cause I sure ain’t doing it again!

Take it easy…

P.S This post would have NEVER been possible without Dopey's help so 3 cheers for him!
Last edited by Etutee on Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Manself
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Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:27 pm

Thank you for what has obviously been an extraordinary amount of work.
angelo
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Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:44 pm

Dear Etutee,
Thank You very much for this last titanic and superb contribution. I think that all the LL Community will be indebted with You for all Your Posts that have largely contributed to the growth of knowledge about the history and the evolution of classical masculine elegance.

Angelo
couch
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Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:47 pm

Etutee, thank you as always for this hugely informative contribution. I can see the cracked pages that resulted from some of the scans; please know that your regret about this is shared and that your efforts are very much appreciated.
schanop
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Wed Aug 20, 2008 1:41 am

Dear Etutee,

This is great. Thank you very much. I will still have to read it in details later on. Could you also please comment on a good fit of the lace opening for oxford style shoes in the historical perspective? I noticed that there is quite a bit of an opening in the photo shown here for which it seems to be quite different to the current preference of having little opening.

Regards, Chanop
pvpatty
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Wed Aug 20, 2008 2:19 am

This will take me a while to get through! Many thanks, Etutee.
marcelo
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Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:46 am

I will need some time to peruse the entire article in order to be able to append a less laconic and unimaginative comment than this: it is an amazing contribution. Thanks a lot!
le.gentleman
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Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:52 am

marcelo wrote:I will need some time to peruse the entire article in order to be able to append a less laconic and unimaginative comment than this: it is an amazing contribution. Thanks a lot!
+1

and what is the source of all the black & white pictures?
Etutee
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Wed Aug 20, 2008 5:36 pm

le.gentleman wrote:
and what is the source of all the black & white pictures?
I thought that was clear to all by now. AA stands for APPAREL ARTS and Esky stands for Esquire magazine. I will change it to Apparel Arts instead of AA.

Each section or topic indicates the issue from which it was taekn. For example the main shoe fit and construction artcile was from Fall of 34'

regards
le.gentleman
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Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:55 pm

Etutee wrote:
le.gentleman wrote:
and what is the source of all the black & white pictures?
I thought that was clear to all by now. AA stands for APPAREL ARTS and Esky stands for Esquire magazine. I will change it to Apparel Arts instead of AA.

Each section or topic indicates the issue from which it was taekn. For example the main shoe fit and construction artcile was from Fall of 34'

regards
Oh, of course I knew what AA and Esky stand for - it just seemed to me that the pics of the process of how a shoe is made and the different welting methods came from a book you used in addition to AA + Esky. Apparently, I was mistaken. Sorry.
miumoi
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Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:12 pm

Excellent article, one after another.

Thank you very much.
luk-cha

Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:24 am

this is an awesome post and one i will read and read over and over again

thank you both!
Trey
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Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:17 pm

Etutee:

After giving your excellent post a cursory review, I confess that I eagerly await sitting down with a glass of single malt and savoring both the whisky and your post as they both should be enjoyed - slowly and appreciatively. Although words fail me, I must say, "Bravo. Job well done."

Trey
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