A sunny fall day in Seattle? Its a perfect time to take some photos of three vintage Florsheim shoes. This trio includes two shell cordovan Imperials Kenmoors (model 93605) and one never worn Royal Imperial (model 97626). I believe all three were made in the 1980s. For you Alden fans, these are basically the same shoes as the Alden 975.
[Edit: sometime after this post, I found out that Florsheim actually used Horween Color #4, not Color #8]
The yellow sun highlights the differences in the shell cordovan colors. One of Imperials has developed a splendid, warm patina while the other Imperial is a consistent burgundy color. The new Royal Imperial has some subtle differences in color.
Nick Horween has a post where he describes the aging process for shell cordovan. Basically care and sun exposure changes the color of the shell cordovan. I love the coca cola color of the 93605 with patina but I am not going to leave the other two in the sun.
Florsheim listed the color of these models as brown. BROWN.
Why do I have threes pairs of basically the same shoe? Originally, I was going to sell two of them but they are hard to part with. Someday. Or maybe not.
Below are more photos. Enjoy. And check out my guide to buying a vintage Florsheim Imperial 93605.
Florsheim Imperial 93605 with patina:
Florsheim Imperial 93605 without patina:
Comparison of the two Imperials:
Florsheim Royal Imperial 97626:
Just ran across this c. 1 1/2 yrs later while searching for men’s vintage shoes (Florsheims, Bostonian, etc.) and WOW what a great pictorial! Keep up the good work.
Hello. I have a pair of NEW, never worn, Royal Imperial Kenmoor 97626 Size 11 B, color Brown. Would eBay be the best plave to get the best price? Thanks
Yes, ebay will have the largest number of potential buyers. New 97626 pairs go for $400 to $600.
I was reading the post and suddenly realized I now own the unworn pair of 97626 in the picture after you kindly sold them to me years later. They are still beautiful and I am taking good care of them.