• English

• Vintage Florsheim
  “Ventilated” Mesh Spectator 46D
  Circa 1945-50
  EUR 420,00
  “More Two-Tone Oxfords were sold this season than ever before“, announces the advertisement for a dapper pair of Spectators in the Sears Roebuck & Co. catalogue from the year 1928/29.

  To the best of my knowledge the Ventilated Mesh Spectators in this listing as in all my other listings, indeed all Ventilated Mesh Spectators made in America and sold under different manufacturers names appear to have been made by two firms, Jarman or Roblee under contract by other manufacturers such as, in this case, Florsheim. They were brought to market under the labels of myriad shoe stores small and large, coast to coast. Production of this type of Spectator began in the 1930s and came to an end in the 1960s. The two basic types are the 6-Eyelet Oxford and the Elastic Sided Slip-On, the latter reminiscent of the model designed by the legendary shoemaker Nikolaus Tuczek (but without mesh inserts) and still to be seen in Lobb’s on-line catalogue of custom made shoes.

  These shoes are Goodyear welted shoes of high quality. In short, a handsome, traditional, and practical warm-weather shoe for the collector and a prize addition to the wardrobe. The leather Cap-Toe and trim is a rich mahogany brown. A handsome Spring, Summer and Fall shoe that will provide a lovely contrast to your fair-weather wardrobe.

  Postage: US $10…Euro 6,90 innerhalb Deutschlands als versichertes Paket. Elsewhere in Europe, Euro 14,20

  The history of the two-tone shoe, the Spectator or Co-respondent shoe, derives from the late 1800s, when gentleman wore protective spats or gaiters over their shoes. The theory is that the look of light coloured spats against dark coloured shoes became incorporated into the shoe itself. The Duke of Windsor, perhaps the greatest trendsetter of men’s styles of the Twentieth Century, wore spectators while golfing and the privileged classes on both sides of the Atlantic quickly took up this innovation. A tip for the boulevardier; the spikes on golf shoes are easily removed for street use! Fred Astaire, another great and famous fashion plate added glamour to the Spectator in a series of films, and no sub-culture was more a clientele of the Spectator than the dandified gangster culture of the ’30s. In any case, the Spectator enjoyed wide popularity in the 1920’s and 1930’s, which only dwindled in the 1950’s. Today, the Spectator enjoys renewed popularity in the wardrobe of the affluent, well-dressed man and every important modern shoemaker, Lobb, Green, Church’s, Crockett, Alden, Allen Edmonds, not to mention the great lamented by-gone firms, presents at least one Spectator shoe in its repertoire. The Spectator is a perfect three-season shoe, ideal with your khaki, tan, white or beige trousers, blue or tweed blazers and so many other combinations. An indispensable shoe for picnics, the boardwalk (Strandsteg), Summer parties, outdoor cafés, window shopping in town, or when taking High Tea with Herr Mann and T.S.Eliot in the Hofgarten

  Size Details

  US 12D, (UK 11E) (European 46D) for the mid-width foot.

  Condition

  Superb! Showing little wear to original sole and original heel.

  The heels of this generation, when rubber, were most often provided by the O'Sullivan Rubber Company. Humphrey O'Sullivan, a printer, came upon the idea of attaching rubber to the heels of his shoes for better traction in his print shop. In the late 19th century he patented the idea and started his firm. O'Sullivan's supplied rubber heels to many shoe manufacturers and often provided heels imprinted with the Logos of their largest customers, like Nunn-Bush and Florsheim.

Out of stock