Working Shoe for Young Exec - Part 3

redefine_style

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Aldo and pedro are fashion brands, using cementing for the shoes and overpricing their products. If you really want, Aldo usually sells their older models at huge discounts at departmental stores like Taka/Tangs. Never tried personally, but my friends say they fall apart pretty quick with heavy abuse (3-6 months) and aren't comfortable.

Haven't heard of black hammer shoes before so unable to comment

If you're looking for cemented shoes, I would say the better looking ones are either E&C or Ardenteal. But I personally would save up a little bit more to a budget of $200-$300 and get some stitched shoes


Thank you. What would you recommend for those genuine leather shoes?
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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Thank you. What would you recommend for those genuine leather shoes?

I think there's a misconception here, genuine leather is a very wrongly coined term and, as genuine means "real" and gives the perception that genuine leather is of better grade.

You would want to look for full grain leather when it comes to shoes --> which is of better quality and can take polish much better.

Some brands that I know of within the 200-300 range will be CNES Shoemaker, Ed Et Al, Fugashin. But for Fugashin, you'll have to buy them online I believe, no SG retailer, so only purchase if you're sure of your shoe size. I think the staff at CNES Shoemaker are related to Straits Establishment as I've seen the same face at the old Suntec store and their new Beach road store and they are really nice and will walk you through should you have any doubts. As for Ed Et Al, service can be much better since the last time I've been there, its been quite a long time, so can't really comment much also.

Other brands if you don't mind breaking the 300 range (mainly goodyear welted) will be CNES Shoemaker, Ed Et Al (they appear in both because they offer both blake stitched shoes and goodyear), Jalan Sriwijaya, Carlos Santos, Jonathan Abel, Berwick, Magnanni

And if you feel a little richer (especially if you're eligible for the extra $300 GST Voucher at the end of the year, bringing the budget to around $500 to $600), you can look at many other brands (probably gonna cost you more, but its worth a shot): Carmina, Antonio Meccariello, Septieme Largeur

There's ton to explore out there, I suggest going down to the shops to try them before making a purchase. But do note that although most people would preach about stitched shoes (blake or goodyear), cemented shoes have their plus points too, with the shoes being more flexible and comfortable (due to the construction), whereas blake or goodyear shoes tend to feel abit stiffer, and comfort only comes in after the breaking in.

Hope this helps and have fun exploring!

*Little tip: If you're confident in your restoration skills, you can try carousell for 2nd hand shoes, most of them are just shoes that are sold cheaply due to lack of space or a bad fit. One man's trash is another man's treasure I guess. No luck with this, but my friend managed to get a pair of Alden for like $400 (retail price for Alden is around $900 and above). Or, just send it to a shoe shop like Straits Establishment/Mason & Smith for shoe restoration.
 
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jonleelk

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urbanturban

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jonleelk

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They don't ship Loakes to Singapore anymore, so you have to use a proxy.
Just tested water. Still can.

BhIYMM7.jpg
 

lordjinfu

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Felt that theres no much comments about CustomMade mentioned in the first post.

Tried it and regretted max.
Should had picked up the obvious signs...
 

theblueark

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Felt that theres no much comments about CustomMade mentioned in the first post.

Tried it and regretted max.
Should had picked up the obvious signs...

What issues did you have? They have a HWZ account and posted quite a bit about a year or two ago (in this very thread I believe). Though they never sounded very convincing to me.
 

yang_nastyman

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Any tips for making loose shoes fit better?
Bought a pair of yanko loafers and it seems to be a bit too loose for me.

Apart from putting insoles and heel liners, any other recommendation?
 

redefine_style

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I think there's a misconception here, genuine leather is a very wrongly coined term and, as genuine means "real" and gives the perception that genuine leather is of better grade.

You would want to look for full grain leather when it comes to shoes --> which is of better quality and can take polish much better.

Some brands that I know of within the 200-300 range will be CNES Shoemaker, Ed Et Al, Fugashin. But for Fugashin, you'll have to buy them online I believe, no SG retailer, so only purchase if you're sure of your shoe size. I think the staff at CNES Shoemaker are related to Straits Establishment as I've seen the same face at the old Suntec store and their new Beach road store and they are really nice and will walk you through should you have any doubts. As for Ed Et Al, service can be much better since the last time I've been there, its been quite a long time, so can't really comment much also.

Other brands if you don't mind breaking the 300 range (mainly goodyear welted) will be CNES Shoemaker, Ed Et Al (they appear in both because they offer both blake stitched shoes and goodyear), Jalan Sriwijaya, Carlos Santos, Jonathan Abel, Berwick, Magnanni

And if you feel a little richer (especially if you're eligible for the extra $300 GST Voucher at the end of the year, bringing the budget to around $500 to $600), you can look at many other brands (probably gonna cost you more, but its worth a shot): Carmina, Antonio Meccariello, Septieme Largeur

There's ton to explore out there, I suggest going down to the shops to try them before making a purchase. But do note that although most people would preach about stitched shoes (blake or goodyear), cemented shoes have their plus points too, with the shoes being more flexible and comfortable (due to the construction), whereas blake or goodyear shoes tend to feel abit stiffer, and comfort only comes in after the breaking in.

Hope this helps and have fun exploring!

*Little tip: If you're confident in your restoration skills, you can try carousell for 2nd hand shoes, most of them are just shoes that are sold cheaply due to lack of space or a bad fit. One man's trash is another man's treasure I guess. No luck with this, but my friend managed to get a pair of Alden for like $400 (retail price for Alden is around $900 and above). Or, just send it to a shoe shop like Straits Establishment/Mason & Smith for shoe restoration.

Thanks for your advise. Is CNES shoemaker associated with Straits Establishment at Suntec?
 

All in a Day

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Any tips for making loose shoes fit better?
Bought a pair of yanko loafers and it seems to be a bit too loose for me.

Apart from putting insoles and heel liners, any other recommendation?

Pretty much it. Last option cut loss let go and get proper size.
 

yang_nastyman

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I've got a pair of bnib gyw yanko tassel loafers in blue, sized uk9.5 with vibram rubber soles.

letting go as theyre too large for me.

pm if interested
 
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lordjinfu

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What issues did you have? They have a HWZ account and posted quite a bit about a year or two ago (in this very thread I believe). Though they never sounded very convincing to me.

Leather and build quality for its price of ~$300 vs other offerings available.
I had it for a year now and wore it around 30-40 times max? And the shoe looks like its been around for years.
 

theRenaissance

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You should not need to put insoles unless your shoes is oversized and you are facing heel slip.

Careful about Renovateur, if your shoes is patina, avoid at all costs. It will remove the patina as well. Saphir cream polish with Saphir wax works best IMHO.

In the case of patina shoes, use Medaille d'or Lotion or Creme Universelle. They function similarly to the Renovateur without the risk of major colour rub-offs.

Really? I thought that was Renomat that would remove patina. Not much on mine but I'll keep an eye out? Renovateur is the conditioner. I'm using cream polish too when it arrives as it's been said by itself it still lacks the moisturising ingredients of a full conditioner.

Unless you are overhauling old, battered shoes; else any Creme Polish by Saphir is more than sufficient to feed the leather, open its pores and restore colour.


What shoe care products should be used to preserve the patina or museum effect of your shoes?

Thanks. For my patina and museum shoes so far, I haven't gotten down to any polishing/cream due to concern it will have on such shoes. Just doing wiping and brushing with no products.

Neutral creams and wax tend to leave a whitish residue from my experience and I have stopped using those..

For Patina or any hand stained finishes (re: AM/Crispins), go with the Creme Universelle or Lotion as a conditioner. For cleaning, you can use Saphir's Cleaning Lotion (again, a very under rated product). It cleans without take away patina finishes and does a splendid job at all.

By the same logic, go for Saphir's Creme Surfine instead of the Pommadier 1925. The 1925s are solvent heavy, that includes Turpentine is which by nature a type of stripper. The Creme Surfine have water and ZERO solvent, that drastically reduce any rub off, if any. This is a key reason why majority of the French Patina houses choose to work with BDC range, specifically the creme polish.

As long as you use creams lightly, you can avoid the whitish residues. Any massive build up left over a prolonged period of time will result in residues, even for colour cremes & waxes.


The Renovateur is an often misunderstood product, over marketed as an essential and as a 1st product to use when embarking on one's shoe care journey. The main purpose of the Renovateur is to restoration, it helps to saturate the fibres and ensure the leather is supple, softer and ready to take on more creams. It is not a product to be used on any new shoes. It is definitely not something you use everytime you want to clean and polish your shoes.

Hope this helps :)
 

theRenaissance

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Any tips for making loose shoes fit better?
Bought a pair of yanko loafers and it seems to be a bit too loose for me.

Apart from putting insoles and heel liners, any other recommendation?

Send it a professional and have them shrink the shoe by heating them.
 

theRenaissance

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It's all in the shoemaker and the last you choose. Yanko, TLB & Enzo Bonafe has no break in period for me despite my high instep. Nothing to do with whether it is cemented, GYW or handwelted construction. On the other hand, despite my high insteps, AMs needs a long break period and also patty shoe tree at heel area.

This could be a slight over statement. Degree of breaking in or the absence of it is due to these few factors:

- Shoe last & foot compatibility
- Leather type & characteristics
- Shoe construction and specs
- Wearer's degree of tolerance


1) The greater the degree of compatibility between feet shape with last, the lesser the breaking in period. This will depends on the fitter and experience of the wearer.

2) Not all full grain leather are the same. Different articles, even tanned the same way often have slightly different characteristics. Some are stiffer by nature, very evidently after lasting and before finishing. Some are much softer, easier to last and mould much faster. Some lack lustre and don't take polishing and wear that well.

3) Shoe construction matters. A traditional handsewn will largely feel softer and easier to wear in relative to a Goodyear welt. Conversely, if we measure a cemented and Bolonga construction versus, say a traditional norwegian make. The latter will feel harder, relatively speaking. Spec as well, a shoe with a light Mckay construction with a 6mm sole is going to feel much lighter and easier to wear than one with a hefty upper, stitched down on a double leather outsole.

4) Quite self explanatory, some can tahan more, some cannot tahan at all.
 

Noirkw

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Anyone tried the TLB Mallorca artista range yet? How does it compare against carmina?

I went down to try their special adelaides in burgundy. Found the leather really lacking. Felt cheap - similar to my beater shoes from Orbans and definitely inferior to my adelaides from carmina.
 

Backto

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I went down to try their special adelaides in burgundy. Found the leather really lacking. Felt cheap - similar to my beater shoes from Orbans and definitely inferior to my adelaides from carmina.

Thanks. Will probably stick to carmina then
 
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