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Your thoughts: Close enough for $40?


dakotanorth
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dakotanorth

Sportsmansguide sold out of these a while ago, but I managed to score a pair at the Flea Market for $40.

What do you guys think, are they close enough to a WWII Russet brown shoe?

 

 

post-104625-0-43817600-1368645215.jpg

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Johan Willaert

They are actually Belgian Army shoes which date back to the 70s and 80s...

I wore out several pairs on duty and still have a pair for (possible) re-enacting...

 

Here's a WW2 pair for comparison...

 

 

post-92-0-74739900-1368646245.jpg

post-92-0-70287400-1368646261.jpg

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willysmb44

Formed rubber soles with ribbing along the top edge?

This screams modern to me. There are several modern shoes I have seen over the years that do look fine for class As, but this would be a fail in my opinion...

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dakotanorth

Or, it screams "paint over the rubber edge with a leather-brown colored paint! :P

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At the end of the day the question you need to ask yourself is "Do I want my impression to be as accurate as possible or do I want to just be "close enough"?"

 

If you want your impression to be as accurate as possible then these would not get you there...

 

If you only want to look kinda like its right then get these if you want....

 

Its your impression, present it how you want it to be perceived by those that see it.

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They are actually Belgian Army shoes which date back to the 70s and 80s...

I wore out several pairs on duty and still have a pair for (possible) re-enacting...

 

Here's a WW2 pair for comparison...

 

 

Hi Johan,

 

those one's look pretty good with the leather sole ...

 

Think they are still available in size 11 for a decent price?

 

Thomas

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willysmb44

Go to any decent men's shoe store (some place that sells primarily dress shoes), you probably won't have to look too long to find a decent stand-in for a pair of oxfords that really would be good enough.

I have two pair, each look a lot like the Belgian example above. Neither pair cost me more than, say, fifty bucks or so. My wife and I were shopping at the local mall last weekend and I saw a pair just like that at a shoe store...

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Johan Willaert

Hi Johan,

 

those one's look pretty good with the leather sole ...

 

Think they are still available in size 11 for a decent price?

 

Thomas

 

Thomas,

 

Those are original 1944 dated ones... That's why they look so good....

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  • 4 weeks later...

As an alternative, officers, particularly in the USAAF, favoured these buckled low quarters. These are original 40s shoes which came from a military tailor-shop. I still have the box. Officers would have purchased them privately. Similar styles can still be found today.

post-8022-0-24236800-1371144487.jpg

post-8022-0-45815300-1371144496.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

the shoes you bought for $40 just dont look authentic, they have the modern glued on rubber soles like modern casuals

 

real low quarters have sewn on hard leather soles

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the shoes you bought for $40 just dont look authentic, they have the modern glued on rubber soles like modern casuals

 

real low quarters have sewn on hard leather soles

Only for the older versions. I have looked into the current military contract versions and they all have the same modern rubber sole.

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