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WWII Army Officers Dress Shoes
- Thread starter PADDY
- Start date
android said:
When I was in (about 3 years ago now), the general rule (regardless of uniform) was that you wore black socks with the black shoes and khaki socks with the brown shoes. I would occasionally see someone wearing khaki socks with the black shoes, but I don't think that was authorized.
Khaki socks with brown shoes, black with black. As for the shoes, Bates are the official product, only for sale to military I believe. I actually wear a brown leather oxford made by Florsheim, nearly identical to the official Bates, but much more comfortable, several of my colleagues wear these. Plus it has a leather vice a rubber sole, so probably more vintage looking as well. The boots that we use are actually made by Red-Wing; a brown, lace-up, steel-toed work boot. You have to go to a red-wing store and ask for the Brown Navy Flight boot, they might have to order it. The shoes will run you about $70-$90 and the boots I think were $125.
Zemke Fan
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Prairie Shade said:
Hey PS: Finally decided to order some from Allen Edmonds. Got their Park Avenue in Brown Antibes. If you call the outlet store in Wisconsin they'll sell you seconds (real SMALL blemish) for about $75.00 off, making the final price about $220. Alternatively, Paddy found a great source for CUSTOM shoes. It's the same folks that make the RAF repro boots. They'll make you a pair of low-quarters for about $200.
AAF Low Quarter Shoes -- Handmade
I went with Allen Edmonds because I could tell my wife that they were for *work*.
JD Boswell
New in Town
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US Navy Officers and Chief Petty Officers fall into 2 types of catigories:
Aviators-who wear brown shoes with their Kahki Uniforms
Sailors- (ie. The Real Navy) wear black shoes with their Kahki Uniforms
No hard and fast rules and the lines get somewhat confused at times but Surface Warfare Officers (SWO's) will always wear black shoes as a sign of pride! They are often refered to as black shoes or being in the black shoe Navy.
The sign of a real Sailor the SWO warefare pin:
Aviators-who wear brown shoes with their Kahki Uniforms
Sailors- (ie. The Real Navy) wear black shoes with their Kahki Uniforms
No hard and fast rules and the lines get somewhat confused at times but Surface Warfare Officers (SWO's) will always wear black shoes as a sign of pride! They are often refered to as black shoes or being in the black shoe Navy.
The sign of a real Sailor the SWO warefare pin:
boomerchop
One of the Regulars
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And the bubbleheads fit where?
It's interesting that for most of the history of the Navy, simply wearing the uniform meant that you were a sailor, or blackshoe Navy. The aviators and the submariners were distinguishable by the breast insignia as they were relatively rare in terms of the total Navy. Ye gads, these days we have a pin for everything it seems.
As a submarine Supply Corps officer I for awhile was assigned to the Navy contract office at Sikorsky helicopter, an aviation unit. Therefore I was entitled to wear brown shoes. I definitely got some stares and double takes when I wore them to Sub Base New London.
It's interesting that for most of the history of the Navy, simply wearing the uniform meant that you were a sailor, or blackshoe Navy. The aviators and the submariners were distinguishable by the breast insignia as they were relatively rare in terms of the total Navy. Ye gads, these days we have a pin for everything it seems.
As a submarine Supply Corps officer I for awhile was assigned to the Navy contract office at Sikorsky helicopter, an aviation unit. Therefore I was entitled to wear brown shoes. I definitely got some stares and double takes when I wore them to Sub Base New London.
JD Boswell
New in Town
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Hey Boomer Chop,
Nice to see another Navy type here hanging in the lounge. Yeah you bubble-heads are black shoes too. I agree with you with all this pin crap..... Next thing you know they will have a warfare pin for "sound powered phone battery repairman" . Never would think of putting a set of brown shoes on my feet while wearing my kahkis.......No flyboys flipflops for me.
Black Shoes uber alles!!:beer: :beer: :beer:
Nice to see another Navy type here hanging in the lounge. Yeah you bubble-heads are black shoes too. I agree with you with all this pin crap..... Next thing you know they will have a warfare pin for "sound powered phone battery repairman" . Never would think of putting a set of brown shoes on my feet while wearing my kahkis.......No flyboys flipflops for me.
Black Shoes uber alles!!:beer: :beer: :beer:
boomerchop
One of the Regulars
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Nice choice of phrase, LOL...
sound powered phone battery repairman, and my favorite, flyboy flipflops. Too funny, thanks for the chuckle.
sound powered phone battery repairman, and my favorite, flyboy flipflops. Too funny, thanks for the chuckle.
Baggers
Practically Family
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A tip of the hat to the good folks at the WW2 Reenactors Forum for this find.
Bates brown leather oxfords from Copshoes.com. The description indicates a vibram outsole, but mine came today with a plain leather sole. The color is a great shade of russet, but the best part is the price -- $19.95 plus shipping. USPS Priority Mail brought my total to 29 bucks and change. And they come in D, E, and EEE widths. All you have to do is swap out the round laces with flat brown cotton ones, and you've got a great pair of AAF officer's dress shoes. Check 'em out!
Cheers!
Bates brown leather oxfords from Copshoes.com. The description indicates a vibram outsole, but mine came today with a plain leather sole. The color is a great shade of russet, but the best part is the price -- $19.95 plus shipping. USPS Priority Mail brought my total to 29 bucks and change. And they come in D, E, and EEE widths. All you have to do is swap out the round laces with flat brown cotton ones, and you've got a great pair of AAF officer's dress shoes. Check 'em out!
Cheers!
Maj.Nick Danger
I'll Lock Up
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Very nice,.......
..and affordable! Thanks for the tip. :cheers1:
..and affordable! Thanks for the tip. :cheers1:
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- Small Town Ohio, USA
Oh YES
Baggers, I am liking you more every day! I could wear the cheaper option, and save my for-real ones.
Thanks for the tip!
Baggers, I am liking you more every day! I could wear the cheaper option, and save my for-real ones.
Thanks for the tip!
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(officer's low quarters) What a cracking find Baggers!!
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.
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
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Great find...
...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.)
...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
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Zemke Fan said:
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!
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Side by Side (Well, Up by down)
And Originals:
And Originals:
Prairie Shade
A-List Customer
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THANKS!!!!
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!!!!
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!!!!
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Look forward to some reviews coming!
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!!
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
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Update on how they wear
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!
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!
