# The 'Boston Cracked-Shoe' Look!



## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

Another phrase from the past...
Shoes so old the leather is flaking off.
Anyone remember?
Anyone still do it?
A very _old money_ look I think.
Also another phrase from Tom Wolfe... I think.

David


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## Intrepid (Feb 20, 2005)

In about 1962, I went to NYC to call on Shelby Cullum Davis, that my company was doing a deal with. 

Shelby was Princeton, @ 1920, Later served as ambassador to Switzerland, and has a building named after him on the Princeton campus.

I mention the above, only to illustrate the point that he wasn't hovering above homelessness.

When we met in his office, the first thing that caught my eye was his shoes. Looked like Alden, black, bal,cap toes. However, they were worn beyond belief. Looked like they had been through several winters of chores on Dr Allens property with nary a touch of polish or a trip to the cobbler.

I later realized that it was a sign of very old trad money, to come across with this image.

Probably what you are referring to.

Carpe Diem


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## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

Absolutely!
A fantastic example - Thanks.

D.


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## Foghorn (Feb 2, 2005)

The term "well-heeled" comes to mind here. Shoes may be worn hard & well, but the soles & heels should be maintained. I suppose they could look as if they need servicing- but not beyond that. Sounds like the gentleman was too lazy to use saddle soap &/or keep his shoes polished. I keep my shoes polished & my clothes wrinkle-free (lots & lots of starch). I think it is wateful, coarse, & in poor taste to fail to properly maintain your clothing. I keep a good shine on my shoes. My collars may be frayed, but you wont find me with without a heavily pressed shirt.
Regards,
F


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## Intrepid (Feb 20, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Foghorn_
> 
> The term "well-heeled" comes to mind here. Shoes may be worn hard & well, but the soles & heels should be maintained. I suppose they could look as if they need servicing- but not beyond that. Sounds like the gentleman was too lazy to use saddle soap &/or keep his shoes polished. I keep my shoes polished & my clothes wrinkle-free (lots & lots of starch). I think it is wateful, coarse, & in poor taste to fail to properly maintain your clothing. I keep a good shine on my shoes. My collars may be frayed, but you wont find me with without a heavily pressed shirt.
> Regards,
> F


Excellent point, Foghorn, and I agree with you completely, as it concerns the way we choose to care for things.

However, I don't think that this is the point of David's post. What he refers to is a strata of east coast, very old, vary large amounts of money. It's not a matter of being too lazy to properly care for shoes. It is a matter of the old trads, mostly gone by now, that took great pride in the fact that they were of a segment of society that could completely ignore things like appearance of shoes.

I'm not advocating it, but I know for a fact that it definitely existed among those referred to in the origional post.

To further attempt to make the point that Tom Wolfe knew exactly what he was talking about when he coined the phrase "Boston Cracked Shoe Look", Partick had a pic recently of some EG brown cap toe bals that he picked up at a rummage sale. He got a lot of good advice about what a bargain he got and that he could send them to EG for refurbishing.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen these exact shoes, when doing business for years, in Boston,and being worn with blue suits, BTW. The only thing, was that these would have been looked at by many at the Harvard Club as being rather nuveau.

Wolfe nailed it, exactly.

Carpe Diem


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## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

*Intrepid* understands me very well.
I remembering an old 'look'...
Very UK Fogey (Ones shoes should never look vulgar & new!)...
Very US Fogey, I suspect...

I think Tom Wolfe wrote about this 'look' in the 70s.
Maybe even by then it was an old look.
Intrepid's 1962 date sounds to me like the heyday of this kind of statement.
I think 'Trad' looks thrive at times of great social change - 
We all look slightly backwards to the days of certainty and stability to reassure ourselves.
Of course in doing so we kid ourselves in the process!
I love the 20s, 30s, 50s & Early 60s - From the people I've spoken to who were of age then, or who remember their fathers in those days, they were all times of uncertainty and worry.
There are no 'Good old Days', just a general universal lack of satisfaction with today!

D.


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## Intrepid (Feb 20, 2005)

At the risk of completely beating this point into the ground, the term referred to in the origional post also leads to the genesis of the term of a "white shoe law firm" such as Sullivan and Cromwell.

The wearing of white buck shoes started in the Ivy League schools, and over time spread to the rest of the collegiate world. In the early days, the top law firms hired only from the Ivy League, ergo, white shoe law firms.

The point however, is that white bucks worn by undergraduates, were never under any conditions to be cleaned. Freshmen always stood out, because their shoes were white. After buying my first pair (1950), I carefully rubbed them with dirt before wearing them.
Also, they had nothing to do with summer attire. They were worn the year around.

When my generation graduated in the '50s, the same mind set followed them into the business world. Ergo,the next stage was "Boston Cracked-Shoe ".....go figure.






Carpe Diem


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## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by Intrepid_
> 
> At the risk of completely beating this point into the ground, the term referred to in the origional post also leads to the genesis of the term of a "white shoe law firm" such as Sullivan and Cromwell.
> 
> ...


 I'm laughing over here because my next thread was to have been the 'White Shoe' look!
Very happy you beat me to the punch.
'White Shoe' *never*, of course, meant '*White* Shoe'. All of which you have said already. 

All the very best to you, Sir.

David


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## Markus (Sep 14, 2004)

just saw this thread. Back to the original question, _yes, absolutely._ Out of the six pairs of leather-soled shoes I wear regulary (not counting canvas or leather athletic shoes, obvious) two are over 20 years old and one over 16. The oldest pair is 26 years old and very much along the lines of the cracked shoe look. The heavy patina endears them to me and I think they are quite handsome, in their own, idiosyncratic way. The next oldest pair are BB cord half-wings, resoled more times than I can count, most recently just last year. Very deep and heavy creases on those, not quite to the point of cracking, but... My 984s are really pretty well shot, to the point where I've decided not to send them back to alden to have 'em done.

Oh, one of my favorite memories is of a young trad, near harvard sq whose penny loafers had never seen a spot of polish. much of the original color was worn off, and it was the first time I had seen a pair in that condition. It was a nice look. And the young gent was probably headed towards a future where he could expect to flaunt the "cracked shoe" as a reflection of his social standing, as described above. Btw, though I can't recall the details of his ensemble--khakis, blazer, ocbd, etc. but the overall combination stood out for both it's intrinsic integrity and the casual, confident, lord-of-the-manor demeanor with which he wore it.

Markus


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## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

Wonderful post, *Marcus*.
It's a funny thing, in both the UK & US - Knowing the rules and breaking them is always a sign of PURE CLASS...
Everybody else is busy being neat & clean & tidy, but the 'Trad' element has always been relaxed enough to look-ever-so-slightly 'scruffy'. Just to show that, however clothes obsessed they might actually be, they can afford to be themselves. 
When I used to be trusted enough to recruit my own assistants )) - I'd never go for the eager-to-please_ shiny _ lad in a new suit - I'd always go for the boy who _knew the form_... *Quality* worn into the ground clothes and shoes can tell you quite a lot about a boy's values & background.
All my strangely chosen helpers went on to do very well, I'm happy to tell you, where as my collegues who recruited on superficial gloss only were always let down.

For what it's worth -

D.


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## Vettriano Man (Jun 30, 2005)

David - by nature I am not a 'superficial gloss' type (as you so call it) - I do indeed wear my shirts into the ground and don't mind if the collar or cuffs are ever so slightly frayed as long as they are clean, especially as most of my stuff is very good quality. I also don't care for the obsessively well-pressed look since I always iron my shirts when they are bone dry. The same goes for grooming since I cannot be bothered with overly immaculately manicured finger nails or plucked eyebrows, just as long as they are kept in order and clean. Not that I go out of my way to be like this, it just happens naturally without my thinking about it and I tend to think that those who are obsessive must spend much of their time tending to these things without much else better to do! 

True fogey or trad philosophy?


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## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

Both!


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## Vettriano Man (Jun 30, 2005)

A newly ironed button-down - this is a hard-wearing oxford cotton and I have three in light sky blue, four in bright deep indigo blue, one in forest green and one in lemon yellow...


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## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

You really are coming along my lad - 
Do you ever wear a knitted tie?


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## Vettriano Man (Jun 30, 2005)

...no, but I used to in the early eighties. Never liked them much. But I've several big comfortable-fit chinos - two Land's End cream, one khaki, two black and one olive/grey.


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## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by Vettriano man_
> 
> ...no, but I used to in the early eighties. Never liked them much. But I've several big comfortable-fit chinos - two Land's End cream, one khaki, two black and one olive/grey.


Could I ask a favour?
As you work not too far from J.Simons London shop could you pop in & give an unbiased impression of the place for the forum?
It's the only 'Ivy' shop in England and people either love it or hate it.
I'm biased - I love it...
But I'm curious as to what someone who isn't an Ivy obsessive might think.

David


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## Vettriano Man (Jun 30, 2005)

...you must be thinking of someone else - I don't work in London, but I can drop by next time I'm in the area as I do have clients in Bloomsbury and am intrigued about this ivy thing - what's the address? Have you ever been to the 'Ivy' restaurant? - I last visited about twenty years ago before the celebs ruined the place, but does it have an ivy history?

Apologies - I just realised that I've completely digressed from the subject of the thread, but yes, my shoes are regularly re-heeled and I do like them to look well used and cherished - like a nice piece of antique oak furniture!


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## Russell Street (Nov 28, 2004)

> quote:_Originally posted by Vettriano man_
> 
> ...you must be thinking of someone else - I don't work in London, but I can drop by next time I'm in the area as I do have clients in Bloomsbury and am intrigued about this ivy thing - what's the address? Have you ever been to the 'Ivy' restaurant? - I last visited about twenty years ago before the celebs ruined the place, but does it have an ivy history?
> 
> Apologies - I just realised that I've completely digressed from the subject of the thread, but yes, my shoes are regularly re-heeled and I do like them to look well used and cherished - like a nice piece of antique oak furniture!


Sorry to have confused you with somebody else.
Your shoes sound wonderful.
*Chris H.* has provided a link in the thread at the top of the forum for *J. Simons*.
No Ivy history at the Ivy restaurant, I'm afraid - I only go there when somebody else is paying. Lots of BBC hangers-on in there on a good day!
*Sheekey's* for fish is owned by the Ivy team & much more affordable... You might even sit next to Madonna or George Melly in there... It happened to me a couple of times & would you believe that they were evesdropping on *us*, not the other way 'round.
I'm sure that they just couldn't believe the rubbish I talk! 

D.


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## Tom Buchanan (Nov 7, 2005)

> quote:_Originally posted by Intrepid_
> 
> At the risk of completely beating this point into the ground, the term referred to in the origional post also leads to the genesis of the term of a "white shoe law firm" such as Sullivan and Cromwell.
> 
> ...


Very good thread in many areas.

As to the white bucks, I have pictures of my father at prep/high school in the late 40's, early 50's. Almost everyone is wearing white bucks or black and white saddle shoes. He said they definately wore white bucks year round. Actually, his joke was that you started with a new white pair in the Summer, and that by Fall, they were off-white. I guess then it was like kids wearing white sneakers today.

I think DD posted a picture way back showing an Ivy student wearing bucks in a picture captioned as February, 1953.


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