In 1956, a fellow named Elvis Presley released his version of Blue Suede Shoes, originally recorded by Carl Perkins. Soon after, Pat Boone, a handsome young crooner began wearing white buck shoes on stage and screen and every young man wanted a pair.
In 1957, I begged for and got a pair of spiffy white buck shoes, despite the warning from my parents that they would be difficult to maintain in their whiteness. Sometimes, but not often, parents are right. My new pair of white buck shoes was a bitch to keep clean.
My goal at first was to only wear the shoes to church and local dances. After my first Friday night sock hop, my white buck shoes had evolved into gray and brown shoes.
Let the cleanings begin!
The first attempt to restore the now-scuffed shoes to their original white appearance was with a pencil eraser. If the scuffs weren’t too embedded, you could just erase the scuffs, followed by a wet towel to wipe them down. On particularly nasty stains, an application of white vinegar helped restore the original color and finish.
As a last resort, there was a product called Lincoln White Buck and Suede Dressing that came with a small cotton top applicator. This application more or less painted the shoes back to whiteness.
I don’t know anybody in the 1950’s who ever bought a second pair of white buck shoes. They were too high maintenance for most kids. Not long after the excitement over white buck shoes, they came out with dirty buck shoes – darker tan, suede shoes. They looked better, longer than white bucks, but were still difficult to keep clean.
After the white and dirty buck shoes rage died down, kids returned to leather loafers, then Bass Weejun’s hit the scene and the rest is history.
RIP, white buck shoes.