Vintage shoes (advice)

Adamina

Adamina

Registered Guest
I've come across these cool platforms, I believe they are from the 70s, please correct me if i'm wrong.The heels are a little over 3.5" high, I have recently cleaned them inside out and I think the material is leather, I just wanted to pop on here to see if there are any shoe-smart people that would like to give me some sort of advice on how to repair or IF I should repaint the yellow area, and what sort of technique or paint is recommended... as you could see by the pictures attached below, the yellow parts are discolored and judging from the bottom they probably haven't been worn much!
I would love to see these cool shoes restored to how the use to look.
Thank you for your time and feel free to give me some extra information about these type of shoes if anyone has got any! For example, how early on in the decade they could be from or later.

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Wow! They are incredible and yes they are absolutely originals from the 1970's. I used to collect vintage 1940's shoes, so can offer some tips as best as I can.

I would first give the shoes a careful 'drink'to renourish that leather. For this you could use some thing like unperfumed lanolin, or a specialist shoe care cream. I would be using it sparingly , over several applications to avoid any risk of staining. Do each colour section of the platforms separately. Test it on a small section at the back or side before proceeding. Use a cotton bud to remove any excess around that piping area of the upper.

Gently Stuff the inside of the shoes with tissue or paper towel between each application to absorb any excess cream/product.After each application dry in shade for a few days, then repeat until you can see an improvement in the leather which should start to appear and feel more supple.

I would also be careful before wearing these, that that heel is still structurally strong. A lot can happen to shoes over so many decades- glue can lose its strength over time, nails can start to loosen. So give the heel a gentle shake to check for movement. Many folks twisted their ankles wearing platforms in the 70's so literally tread carefully!

As for painting them- you need specialist leather shoe paint, which is best applied sparingly with a brush. You need to use tape/masking tape between the colours to protect the red section from any paint bleed. I am based in Australia so cannot offer any brand advice, but my VFG colleagues may be able too!.

As for dating specifically- I am hoping some of our Museum experts may come along and better assist you there.

Cheers
Gayle
 
sewingmachinegirl said:
Wow! They are incredible and yes they are absolutely originals from the 1970's. I used to collect vintage 1940's shoes, so can offer some tips as best as I can.

I would first give the shoes a careful 'drink'to renourish that leather. For this you could use some thing like unperfumed lanolin, or a specialist shoe care cream. I would be using it sparingly , over several applications to avoid any risk of staining. Do each colour section of the platforms separately. Test it on a small section at the back or side before proceeding. Use a cotton bud to remove any excess around that piping area of the upper.

Gently Stuff the inside of the shoes with tissue or paper towel between each application to absorb any excess cream/product.After each application dry in shade for a few days, then repeat until you can see an improvement in the leather which should start to appear and feel more supple.

I would also be careful before wearing these, that that heel is still structurally strong. A lot can happen to shoes over so many decades- glue can lose its strength over time, nails can start to loosen. So give the heel a gentle shake to check for movement. Many folks twisted their ankles wearing platforms in the 70's so literally tread carefully!

As for painting them- you need specialist leather shoe paint, which is best applied sparingly with a brush. You need to use tape/masking tape between the colours to protect the red section from any paint bleed. I am based in Australia so cannot offer any brand advice, but my VFG colleagues may be able too!.

As for dating specifically- I am hoping some of our Museum experts may come along and better assist you there.

Cheers
Gayle
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Thank you so much! Your tips are greatly appreciated.
 
I would try a Mr Clean erasure on a spot that isnt too obvious. That may remove a lot of the dirt etc
And if they are leather, they should be marked inside.

If vinyl proceed with caution since it deteriorates over time. I know, I have had to throw many of my original 70s out due to this
 
pastperfect2 said:
You might try a yellow shoe cream after you have got them clean and supple. It will cover a little bit, and won't look like opaque paint sitting on the surface. Let a little age show. I wouldn't do leather spray on top that looks brand new.
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Thank you! I was thinking that too, I think that a cream may work better than paint. I still would like age to show but wasn't sure if paint would do that especially since I mainly want to focus on the discolored/faded yellow part, it would've probably been a weird "age contrast" to the red.
 
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Adamina said:
Thank you! I was thinking that too, I think that a cream may work better than paint. I still would like age to show but wasn't sure if paint would do that especially since I mainly want to focus on the discolored/faded yellow part, it would've probably been a weird "age contrast" to the red.
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Shoe Cream is an excellent alternative as Hollis has suggested,!. Please post before and after pics when you get the project done!
 
Welcome to the forums!

Since "mules" are a style of shoe, some mules are vintage and many are modern. The generally accepted definition for Vintage is at least 20 years old. It can be confusing because as vintage has become popular, some modern brands have tried to cash in by adding the word vintage to their new stuff.
 
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