Vintage Spade Sole Shoes

cookie · May 3, 2011

Tomasso said:
Those are Clapps not Alden.

You've blown it again!

flyfishark said:
Here is the black Edwin Clapp New Englander that I just got, together with the brown one ...I love the profile of these shoes.

These should go in the spade sole thread BTW as well IMO.

Isshinryu101 · May 10, 2011

Thom McAn Spade Soles

cookie · May 11, 2011

Isshinryu101 said:
Thom McAn Spade Soles

Off to the spade sole thread please isshi!

flyfishark · May 11, 2011

cookie said:
All that advice is sound. Especially with the nylon meshing that has not got the support of the missing leather quarters to allow for any robust stretching. The stretcher simply won't have enough leather to grip on where the nylon cuts into the instep. The heels have deteriorated as rubber does over time and lack of use. It loses its elasticity and just hardens and chips. Pity as Clapps usually hard their own name imprinted on the heels.

Cookie...these do have the Clapp name on them. I've had a recommendation (from a cobbler's supplier) for a great cobbler...I'm going to see if he can do a repair job on the original heels. Isshinryu101, if these pinch more than I can stand--and I can stand a lot for great shoes--I might be looking to make a trade with you!

Isshinryu101 · May 11, 2011

I hope they can make them work out for you... although I certainly wouldn't mind working out a trade if things don't work out.

Keep an eye out, though. Last night, just as I was crying over a glass of Wild Turkey 101 (over my vintage Aldens that turned out NOT to be Alden's and over those Clapps, in fact), I found an INSANE rarity that I snatched up. I'm gonna get pics up ASAP. I can GUARANTEE that no one will see another pair like these again any time soon.

Be Well!

Guttersnipe · May 11, 2011

Where in the world do people find all these wonderful spade soled shoes?!?!? It seems like folk post pictures of new acquisitions weekly. . . I'm super plugged-in, vintage wise, and I never run into them *Super jealous here*

Mario · May 11, 2011

Guttersnipe said:
Where in the world do people find all these wonderful spade soled shoes?!?!?

Do you know, I've asked myself that very same question for oh so many times before and have finally come to the conclusion that spade soled shoes - along with pre-40's suits in my illicit size - are among the most timid animals that populate this planet. And now wonder: I bet you'd grow pretty wary and shy yorself once you've realized that you're pretty damn close to utter extinction. Everytime I get even just remotely close -so to speak - to one of those critters they always back away into the thick of the jungle and out of reach. I honestly think they're closely related to the dodo.

Um, yes...

cookie · Jun 15, 2011

Arriving soon to join their little brother Down Under...

Feraud said:
These belong to Benny Holiday

J.J. Gittes · Jun 15, 2011

cookie said:
Arriving soon to join their little brother Down Under...

Beautiful shoes Mike!

sproily · Jun 15, 2011

cookie said:
Arriving soon to join their little brother Down Under...

Uhh..... Christ

Mario · Jun 15, 2011

J.J. Gittes said:
Beautiful shoes Mike!

:arated: Sweet!! :eusa_clap

Isshinryu101 · Jun 15, 2011

cookie said:
Arriving soon to join their little brother Down Under...

WOW! You could dig a hole with those spades! Simply stunning, and an "attitude shoe" to boot. SURE to get noticed and commented on, Sr. Cookie.

cookie · Jun 15, 2011

Isshinryu101 said:
WOW! You could dig a hole with those spades! Simply stunning, and an "attitude shoe" to boot. SURE to get noticed and commented on, Sr. Cookie.

Pity that a nice big Topy will be applied to the sole and goodbye to the suicide hobnailed heels...hullo Mr Rubber.

flyfishark · Jun 15, 2011

cookie said:
Pity that a nice big Topy will be applied to the sole and goodbye to the suicide hobnailed heels...hullo Mr Rubber.

Beautiful shoe. I love it! Here are a couple photos of an Edwin Clapp my wife got for me while I was gone. It's an "Imperial Wing."

SteveAS · Jun 15, 2011

Love all the new spades, gents!

Isshinryu101 · Jun 17, 2011

Maybe the nicest pair of shoes I've ever handled.

A REAL size, too. 11D. WAAAAAY too big for me... Going to the "King of Spades" down under!

cookie · Jun 19, 2011

Crosby Square Spades 1930s/40s.

Isshinryu101 said:
Maybe the nicest pair of shoes I've ever handled.

A REAL size, too. 11D. WAAAAAY too big for me... Going to the "King of Spades" down under!

flyfishark · Jun 19, 2011

cookie said:
Crosby Square Spades 1930s/40s.

What great shoes. I'm having my wife put my feet on the rack tomorrow. 9D to 11D shouldn't take much more than a couple of hours of pain. Small price to pay.

boushi_mania · Jun 19, 2011

So, what do you do when you wear out the sole? Send it to the cobbler with instructions to use a time machine and go back to the '40s to get it redone? Or do you have so many by now that you'll never possibly wear them down enough?

cookie · Jun 20, 2011

boushi_mania said:
So, what do you do when you wear out the sole? Send it to the cobbler with instructions to use a time machine and go back to the '40s to get it redone? Or do you have so many by now that you'll never possibly wear them down enough?

Have them topyied and remove the suicide top part of the heel and topy that. You have to use a full Topy sheet though to do it properly.

Alternative is yoiu have a big lot of shoes so you only wear them occasionally. Even without Topy they would last 5 years of constant wear. Such is the quality of the sole leather used.

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