It's Gunboat Weather!

Vintage Bates (aka "Phi Bates") wingtips. The Bates Shoe Company doesn't make 'em like this any more.

While the frigid January weather in my corner of the world has moderated somewhat, it remains seasonably cold. Perfect weather to drag out the heavy shoes, give them a quick once over with the horsehair brush, and take 'em for a spin. I submit for your approaval a pair of vintage Bates wingtip brogues.

Spotted these in my best local thrift shop three or maybe four years ago and paid just US$9.99 for them. Very little wear on the leather soles, hardly any on the heels, and despite a few small nicks on the leather uppers, nothing that some moisturizer and two or three coats of highly buffed polish couldn't fix. I really worked to get the toes and heel caps glassy on these, and it still shows. By the way, old nylon pantyhose really help bring up that high shine on toes and heels, a tip I picked up online somewhere from ex-soldiers, who shined their dress boots this way back when soldiers still had dress boots and were expected to keep them spitshined.

Now, as far as I can tell, the Bates Show Company hasn't made civilian footwear since the early 1960s, restricting its focus to just law enforcement and military footwear. By my reckoning, that makes these shows at least 50 years old, but they still look (and feel) damn good for heavy winter weight shoes that go perfectly well with heavy corduroy pants on a cold winter's day. Thought about selling them twice, but I'm glad I haven't. This time, I'll keep them, so it's time to pick up yet another pair of cedar shoes trees since I never seem to have enough to go around the dozen or so pairs of shoes in my rotation.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Comments

The Pleasaures of a Well-trained Dog. . .

A few final photographs from my visit to my sister in Washington, D.C. last week. These include one of 'Mr. Beau,' my sister's meticulously trained and truly wonderful Doberman, another of my sister, second cousin, step-father, and yours truly on the steps of the church outside Lexington, North Carolina just after our late mother's interment service, two of me solo at the National Cathedral, and a final one of my sister and me hamming it up during a long evening walk the day before I returned to Michigan. My sister routinely walks to the cathedral, about three blocks from her place, to enjoy the grounds and gardens. The Bishop's Garden, in particular, is a place she likes to sit for quiet contemplation and internal dialogues with our late maternal grandparents and mother, very much in keeping with the Episcopal side of things. Our grandfather, who was raised Methodist, became an Episcopalian when he married our grandmother. Before you ask, I am not sure tha

It's All about That Bass: Goodnight Tonight - Paul McCartney & Wings - 1979

Almost Mid-June Sunday Style. . .

A fter two months, Blogger has decided to allow me in the door once again, so I can add a long overdue post documenting my take on classic male style. Since we are almost in the throes of summer, let's go with a warm weather theme this morning. Now, the items above will not be to everyone's taste: Deck shoes without socks, shorts, pleats, skinny pale legs, etc. All invite tisk-tisking and debate in certain online fora, but that's ok. I wouldn't wear attire this to campus Monday through Friday, or to church. But for relaxed, comfortable warm weather-wear around the house during the weekends, with maybe a quick trip down the road for a gallon of milk at the super market, this will do nicely, thank you very much. It's certainly preferable to the wrinkled, torn, stained sloppy alternative we see everywhere in 2022. Neither is it at all far removed from how the various men and boys across three generations of my extended family presented themselves during even

Classic Style

Search This Blog