If you are not a vintage dress shoe collector, you probably never heard it. Hanover was once among the four kings of the United States dress shoes, the quality is absolutely not lost to their British counterparts, such as Edward Green and Church’s. Why not mention John Lobb and Gaziano & Girling? Because at the peak of the quality of American leather shoes industry, these two brands did not exist (I mean John Lobb Paris).
For Vintage shoes, my idea may be different from others. I have never thought about collecting, but I have two demands. One is to absorb nutrients and look at the shoes in history. What aesthetic details can be used today? The other is to wear them, so that these shoes that have been idle for decades can die standing on the battlefield like a man, instead of rotting away.
Let’s stop gossiping and let’s see what’s special about this pair.
Last
The last of this pair can also be said to be the representative of American style.
So what is the style of American shoes? I think it’s a relatively wide and round toe, and it’s elongated to a certain extent. It’s just that America has lost its sense of sharpness and exquisiteness of its English ancestor.
The classic American style is still very recognizable.
Patten
A pair of burgundy longwing.
A simple longwing tells everything.
Like tassel loafer, Longwing is also an American-invented style, which is relatively widely recognized. Although some European brands also make longwing, and the Japanese continue to lick the United States, they are not as good as the US.
What does Longwing look like?
Wing is from Wingtip. But the Americans pulled the dovetail directly to the heel and kept all the places with brogue.
At the same time, the shoelace area is also the favorite Blucher of Americans.
You can say Longwing is the symbol of American shoes.
This kind of shoes that can only be worn for farming in Britain is matched with a suit in the United States.
皮革
I am disappointed with the leather because it is bookbinder.
I don’t know when this leather became popular. Now, it is considered as cheap leather. Will it be considered as a more advanced new technology like sewing machines, so hand sewing was not as good as sewing machines, and natural fabrics were not as good as synthetic fabrics.
It can be said that this bookbinder is the highest quality I have ever seen, higher than Church’s. Why? Look at the fineness of the leather under the plastic layer.
Can the thick creases on the tongue pretend to be shell cordovan?
For this color, Burgundy is also original by Americans. If you look at bespoke shoes in Europe, black is the most, needless to say, brown, especially a little lighter brown, is normal, but burgundy is not much, and when Americans say Cordovan, they refer to the color of burgundy more often to shell cordovan.
Craftsmanship
The stitching of the vamp is sturdy, giving a solid feeling. Carving and punching are impeccable.
Storm welt construction. You can see that stitch density is very low, but if you want to say the durability, I believe it will be full marks.
Outsole
Double leather sole.
This is what I can’t figure out. Bookbinder with double leather sole? What is the logic of this thinking about durability? The leather sole may much outlast bookbinder.
Open channel soles and all-rubber heels are the consistent figuration of American shoes for so many years. Product improvement? It doesn’t exist.
I am not against this.
Details
There is a small window on the lining of the shoe, so is Edward Green and Mattina, but Hanover printed a trademark, not product information.
Product information is on the other side. It has dissipated a lot due to years of aging.
The first line, All Leather Shoe, so all parts are leather, including the upper, outsole and midsole.
The second line, Combination Last, the last name is Combination, which is quite difficult to understand.
The third line is the size and serial number, the size is 6.5, and the D is the width.
It’s amazing, I’m a standard 6D, but this pair of 6.5D is just right. There is a saying that the previous size is relatively small, but I have not verified this and I don’t know.
On the heel pad, it says “Hanover, MasterFlex, Made in USA”. This one in the middle should be a technology or collection.
See that the midsole is black. I’ve seen it on very old shoes that have been worn for a long time, but they don’t wear much. Do they naturally turn black? Or the black midsole used from the beginning? It is worth exploring.
Feet sense is very similar to Yearn Shoemaker, the forefoot has a soft rebound.
Shoelaces are also very distinctive. What are the characteristics? That is, although it is narrow and not thick, it is very hard! It’s so hard that you can hardly pull through the shoelace hole!
Summary
Although Florsheim Imperial in Horween shell cordovan is the king doubtlessly, but the taste of this pair Hanover is absolutely original.