1938 Shoe Catalog IN COLOR

[Marc Chevalier]

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This is a beauty: the Spring/Summer 1938 Florsheim men's shoe catalog, complete with price list. I've taken photos of every page. And here they are:

 

[Marc Chevalier]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

 

[Hemingway Jones]

These pictures are amazing. Thanks for sharing them.

As an aside, I received Brooks Bros. latest catalogue and they had a picture of fabric mesh and leather Spectators with a caption that read, something like, "The New Wingtip." How ironic is that?

If you didn't know what year it was, you would think it came out of your photos above.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And here's the real thing:

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

The prices for those shoes are unreal. The prices are lower than current prices for Florsheims, and the current shoes really are junk. Nothing like the shoes they made in 1938. Shoes comparable to those in the catalog would likely cost over $250.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

These were Florsheim's most expensive pair. They were supposedly "exact copies" of bespoke English shoes, as worn by royalty. (The Duke of Windsor?) I was surprised by the black pair's low vamp and relatively few eyelets.

The price? $8.00, which is about $113.00 in today's dollars.


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[Marc Chevalier]

Talk about variations on a theme! That catalog has every possible type of wingtip and oxford imaginable ... and for every type of foot. There was no way that a Florsheim customer, if well attended, could leave the store unsatisfied.

I've worn dead stock (never used) Florsheims and other fine brand shoes from the '30s, and I can honestly say that no modern shoe comes close in comfort. Vintage Florsheims conform so perfectly to your feet, they're like a second skin. There's no room for chafing. Your foot is given total support from heel to toe (and not just around the arch). And these shoes look so much more streamlined than practically anything on the market today. Our feet are perhaps our least handsome feature, but vintage '30s, '40s and even '50s shoes make them look pretty darn swell.


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[Benny Holiday]

Thanks Marc

What a glorious colour catalogue! Thanks so much for posting those pics.

 

[Speedster]

WOW. Amazing catalog. Thanks for sharing.

Speedster

 

[geo]

These were Florsheim's most expensive pair. They were supposedly "exact copies" of bespoke English shoes, as worn by royalty. (The Duke of Windsor?) I was surprised by the black pair's low vamp and relatively few eyelets.

Tricker's "Cambridge" model looks exactly like the black "Plaza" model shown in the catalogue. Trickers's "Jermyn Street Collection" are the only shoes available today with this old-fashioned last shape. Here's Tricker's "Cambridge" from Pediwear:

 

[MudInYerEye]

I own a pair of "the Saxon" shoes by Florsheim, and in a bizarre coincidence, I wore them this very afternoon. I bought them in practically deadstock condition and they wear like a dream. Thank you eBay.