WWII Army Officers Dress Shoes

[scotrace]

Baggers, I am liking you more every day! I could wear the cheaper option, and save my for-real ones.

Thanks for the tip!

[Weston]

Man, fantastic price! Between these and my bargain A-2, I'm going to have to get a uniform going!

[PADDY]

Don't they look the Biz?! wow. They are giving them away at that price and for leather uppers and soles, well, you just cannot go wrong. As well as customising them with the flat laces (easily done), I'd suggest you look also at getting some rubber soles stuck onto the bottom of the leather ones. And if you wish to take it a step further, you can still get the US Army rubber soles out there to pop onto them.

I'm very, very tempted to get those babies, as the likes of Buzz Rickson low quarters, as nice as they are and all the great feedback on them, are just out of my pocket range right now.

Well Baggers, that's 'one tip' that's 'in the bag'...thanks so much for the heads up.

[Zemke Fan]

...but, how do they feel after you've worn them for a whole day? That's the real question for me. (I know, I'm having one of those weeks so ignore the cold-water, fellas.)

[Baggers]

...but, how do they feel after you've worn them for a whole day? That's the real question for me. (I know, I'm having one of those weeks so ignore the cold-water, fellas.)

Zemke, I'll be honest and say I don't know as just got them yesterday. But they're brand new manufacture by Bates, and the interiors are definitely not "period" in that they look like they have a lot of insole cushioning and arch support. According to the posters on the WW2 forum, these are the same shoes that sell through AAFES to naval aviation personnel for $60.

And Paddy, you're welcome. They do beat the heck out of the BRs, don't they? And they go up into real men's sizes too! But if you're referring to the partial rubber sole that comes on the service shoe, I'm not so sure that these are supposed to have them. Officers were allowed to wear any army russet high or low commercial pattern dress shoe they desired as long as it had a plain toe, if I recall. Rubber soles on a dress shoe would make them look like a work boot. Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I got that info out of a 1942 edition of The Officer's Guide.

Cheers!

[scotrace]

And Originals:

[Clyde R.]

Those look really great, and the price is incredible
Great tip!

[Prairie Shade]

Have a pair on the way. We'll see how they compare to the two other pairs I have had. I paid much more for them however!!!!

[PADDY]

Look forward to the reviews guys on what looks like a steal of a deal! Don't forget, once you get them, to go get some 'flat' laces to give that 30s/40s look to them!!
Plus, some photos of the shoes with maybe a pair of officer's pinks would be a nice addition so that we can see what they look like on parade!!

[Baggers]

I gave my pair a workout Friday and wore them for about 12 hours. Activities included 2 hours on my feet in a recording booth, and then standing and squatting repeatedly during the evening hours while doing some prep work for a short film project that shot over the weekend. The rest of the time was spent driving, walking, etc. A typical day for me (at least it isn't 8 plus hours in a cubicle anymore, thank goodeness!).

The shoes held up well and were as comfortable as could be expected for a dress shoe. The only negative thing was that while doing all that squatting and standing, I worked an extra wrinkle into the toe of the right one. I think it was due to the width being a bit on the generous side for my foot. Whoops, well, that's my fault. I immediately put some shoe trees in them when I got home and that may have minimized the damage a bit. Next time I'll wear a slightly thicker sock, too.

Verdict? For 30 bucks these shoes are still a great value, and if they get damaged in some way I won't feel nearly as bad as I would have had it happened to a more expensive pair!

Cheers!

Cheers!