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Vintage Shoes Addict

Hello and welcome to my website. I am the Vintage Shoes Addict, and I... am Addicted To Men's Vintage Shoes!

Well, more accurately, I am addicted to High-End Men's Style. I love custom made suits, 7-fold ties and Egyptian cotton shirts. I Love looking good and really appreciate the best of the best in ANY arena. BUT, I ESPECIALLY love great SHOES! There is just something about the work that goes into making an excellent pair of shoes, and the fact that they are all that lies between you (your feet) and the cold, hard pavement. Not only do they have to LOOK good, but they also have to FEEL good. Besides, they always said, "The first thing a woman notices about a man is his SHOES". We live in the "sneaker age" (where a man can actually go on a First Date in... sneakers!?!?), so I believe having fine footwear is more important today than ever before.

This website is dedicated mainly to Fine Men's Shoes from the 1920's thru the 1950's. Let me make one point very clear... these shoes are, without a doubt, among the finest footwear EVER made... EVER!

Are VINTAGE Men's Shoes REALLY that Wonderful???

Let me start by saying that I do NOT own only Vintage Shoes. In fact, Vintage comprises only around half of my extensive shoe collection. The rest is a wide array of modern footwear from many of the best known (and some lesser known) and Highest End Shoemakers. I favor the Italian makers and especially like a Norvegese Handwelt (which I firmly believe is a modern interpretation of 1940's and 1950's Gunboat Shoe Styles), but I have a firm appreciation for anything that is extremely well-done and beautiful.

The reason I love Vintage Shoes so much is because they truly "hold their own" against ANY of the top makers of today. In fact, the general standards of Shoemaking and the leathers being used were, in many cases, much superior to what we have in the footwear marketplace today. In the 1920's thru 1940's, a True Hand-Made shoe was much more common than today (where even at the $1000+ USD price range you are still dealing with mostly Machine Welted shoes). Shoemakers sold "Quality" rather than a "Brand", and the results were simply amazing.

Sometimes technology or "progress" really DOES result in upgrades in quality. The automobiles we drive today are a great example of this. The cars people drove in the 1920's, 30's and 40's (except for the classic styling- depending on your tastes) can't compare to today's models. Today, cars are faster, drive smoother, use less fuel and are much safer to drive. Thank goodness for technology, right?

Well, while technology has made us better automobiles, it actually really KILLED the Fine Shoes Marketplace! Each time new technology has been introduced, it has resulted in LOWER quality footwear. This is because technological advances have been focused on making MORE shoes (mass production) rather than BETTER shoes.

Vintage Mens Shoes as Works of Art

The 1920's and the few decades that followed were the "Renaissance Period" when it came to Shoemaking. It was a time of great creativity and quality. The best shoemakers were in fierce competition NOT to see who could sell the MOST shoes, but to see who could design the most beautiful ones and who could make the best ones in terms of quality leathers and workmanship. Shoemaking was still considered an Art, and the Artists' skills were put on full display in the finished products.

The Vintage Shoes discussed and showcased here are as fine as any made today. In my strong opinion, any SERIOUS Men's Shoe lover should have a selection of True Vintage beauties as well as any modern pairs he owns.

Recycling the Vintage Styles of Years Past

We now live in a world of Recycled Ideas. It often seems that, especially when it comes to fashion, True Originality is either taboo or impossible to attain. A designer is considered a genius when he or she decides the time has come to "Bring Back" a style that has already been done before! Well, what about the originals? This site is about the ORIGINALS! It may be surprising to see that almost all of the "unique and original" styles of today can be traced back to examples from 60, 70, and 80+ years ago. AND... as you will see, the originals were (and still are, if you own some) much superior to the vast majority of their modern interpretations in terms of leather quality and construction.

SO, Let's Have Some FUN!

REMEMBER... the purpose of the site is to HAVE FUN! That means a TON of pictures!!!!! Many of the pictures are taken by me, and feature either shoes from my personal collection or shoes I have handled then sent off to new happy homes (of fellow ADDICTS). Over just the last 3 years, I have handled over 1000 pairs of Fine Men's Shoes, so get ready. Others have been accumulated over years of research and endlessly scouring the internet for wonderful new items. Enough talk, and...

Let's Get Started

*For Questions, Comments, or to put me to WORK finding YOU the prefect pair of Vintage Shoes for YOUR feet, CONTACT ME!

*I also am interested in purchasing YOUR Vintage Shoes, so if you have anything wonderful, Please let me know!

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