Best way to clean vinyl/plastic on 50s shoes

[EndlessAlley]

I seldom find cool older shoes, so it was a treat to find these!
~Was wondering if there are any tricks to getting the cloudiness/yellowy look out of the the plastic/vinyl?
~On listing descriptions sellers seem to use plastic and vinyl interchangeably. Is it actually one or the other?
Finally...
~Everything I've read and looked at leads me to believe shoes are from the 50s. True?
Thank you! :sunshine:

 

[Pinkcoke]

Yes they are 1950's and the diamante buckles are a nice touch, I haven't found anything yet for lightening yellowed plastic - to my knowledge it's a chemical change and can't be reversed, all you can do is give them a wipe over with a damp cloth to remove surface dirt. I would caution against using any cleaners with chemicals as I have know this to turn clear plastics white or opaque. I know the yellowed plastic doesn't look great in photographs, but they tend to blend in well with the skintone when worn.

 

[EndlessAlley]

yellowed plastic doesn't look great in photographs, but they tend to blend in well with the skintone when worn.

Good point Melanie! And thank you for confirming they're 50s.

 

[Pinkcoke]

You're welcome, yours don't look very yellowed actually, more grey - you could just call it smoked vinyl.

 

[EndlessAlley]

Melanie, I noticed you used plastic in your first post and vinyl in the second, so does this mean the two terms are interchangeable?

 

[Pinkcoke]

Vinyl is a type of flexible plastic so yes, they can be interchanged, vinyl is just more specific.

 

[Jonathan]

Plastic is a 'genus' or 'family' name. All vinyls are plastic, but not all plastics are vinyl. The shoes are made of leather and plastic, but they use vinyl for the uppers and lucite for the heels. The yellowing was caused by exposure to sun and there is nothing you can do about it. However, I use windex and a Q-tip on my transparent vinyl shoes (windex is an ammonia based solvent and is used by conservators to clean vinyl)

 

[EndlessAlley]

Thank you both for clarifying terms for me... and thank you for the cleaning tip, Jonathan.

 

[Tabbyannabel]

Alice,
Just wanted to say I love those shoes!

 

[EndlessAlley]

Thank you! They'll be a fun addition to my shop.

 

[Tabbyannabel]

They'd be a fun addition to my feet!

 

[EndlessAlley]

Shoes are 5 1/2 m, but I'm a 6m and I think they're really closer to a size 5 ...
so Cinderella, can you wear a size 5?

 

[Tabbyannabel]

Are you talking a 5 UK or a 5 USA? ';)

 

[EndlessAlley]

sorry, forgot how international this group is.... tiny USA 5 (still hoping)

 

[Tabbyannabel]

Jiminy cricket, my foot hasn't been that tiny since grade school! :( Oh well.

 

[EndlessAlley]

Oh, too funny! Thanks for starting out my day with a good laugh....

 

[MyVintageCocktail]

Killer shoes, Alice! And I love DeLiso shoes.... I "used" to wear a size 5 1/2 shoe for many decades, but I've been afflicted with advanced-age "spreading" throughout and now am a 6 to 6 1/2....