Working Shoe for Young Exec - Part 3

Abide.

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Looking for dress shoes for wide fit but still with quality. I don’t mind forking out more but will want to try on to Ensure it’s comfortable.

Developing a bunion now. Any recommendations? Thanks
 

theRenaissance

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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.

Interesting. I could be wrong, but TLB Artistra utilises French Vegano calf on most of their shoes. Which aspects are lacking?
 

Andy0601a

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anyone with big feet like me wanna take over some pairs? US12, UK11 and EU45.

hoping to clear some Herring, Ed Et Al, I have other brands that I may want to sell too if it trickles your fancy, Meermin, Carmina etc.

admin please let me know if this post is inappropriate I'd take it down.
 

theRenaissance

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Looking for dress shoes for wide fit but still with quality. I don’t mind forking out more but will want to try on to Ensure it’s comfortable.

Developing a bunion now. Any recommendations? Thanks

Chose an appropriate last, preferably with a wide EEE fitting and higher walls on the forefoot & toes. Allen Edmonds could be a good way to start.
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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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.

I would say that it is hard to conclude just from this alone,

1) Really depends on whether you maintain them regularly (about once every 3-4 weeks)? If there is no maintenance on the shoe, the shoes will look much more battered. You can bring in any high end brand out there and without regular maintenance, they can look battered as well. Shoe maintenance can make cheap shoes look good and lack of can also make expensive shoes look cheap.

2) Never tried their shoes personally, but different types of leather reacts very differently from my experience. For example, stiffer types of calf (like those of Carmina, not sure what exact calf) creases more beautifully and looks great even after a few years. Perhaps the CustomMade pair you have uses a different type of calf (especially so for baby calf as creases are more obvious for baby calf)

3) Shoe trees, I can't emphasise enough on this to my friends, and hopefully readers here would understand the importance of those. Shoe trees help to maintain the shape of the shoes and keep them looking more structured. Yes, crushing newspaper helps to maintain the shape of the front, but the opening of the shoe is often neglected. If budget is really a constrain, can consider daiso's plastic shoe tree. Not as good for shoes, but definitely better than not having anything to maintain the shape of the shoe.
 

wilflare

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any dress shoe recommendations for wide feet?
was looking at Gaius Walk, Earnest & Collective, or maybe Namidori (but the timeline wouldn't really work I guess)
 

lilrex21

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very new to this, have a few questions:

i’m just looking for very basic shoe care, as my shoes will crease and crack after about a year? i don’t spend much on shoes. <200 per pair, hence not really looking into expensive solutions.

is it ok to just use the saphir cream pommadier? or do i require the renovator as well? i’m not particular about having my shoes shine - hence i was thinking i don’t need the wax polish? i’m open to it if it helps to protect the shoes though.

thanks!
 

lordjinfu

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I would say that it is hard to conclude just from this alone,

1) Really depends on whether you maintain them regularly (about once every 3-4 weeks)? If there is no maintenance on the shoe, the shoes will look much more battered. You can bring in any high end brand out there and without regular maintenance, they can look battered as well. Shoe maintenance can make cheap shoes look good and lack of can also make expensive shoes look cheap.

2) Never tried their shoes personally, but different types of leather reacts very differently from my experience. For example, stiffer types of calf (like those of Carmina, not sure what exact calf) creases more beautifully and looks great even after a few years. Perhaps the CustomMade pair you have uses a different type of calf (especially so for baby calf as creases are more obvious for baby calf)

3) Shoe trees, I can't emphasise enough on this to my friends, and hopefully readers here would understand the importance of those. Shoe trees help to maintain the shape of the shoes and keep them looking more structured. Yes, crushing newspaper helps to maintain the shape of the front, but the opening of the shoe is often neglected. If budget is really a constrain, can consider daiso's plastic shoe tree. Not as good for shoes, but definitely better than not having anything to maintain the shape of the shoe.

Agreed.

Done 1/3/rotate my shoes.
Basing on my experience, i cant recommend them to anyone at this price point.

One of the signs I didn't pick up on was that the owner didn't do 1 with his.
 

striker22

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very new to this, have a few questions:

i’m just looking for very basic shoe care, as my shoes will crease and crack after about a year? i don’t spend much on shoes. <200 per pair, hence not really looking into expensive solutions.

is it ok to just use the saphir cream pommadier? or do i require the renovator as well? i’m not particular about having my shoes shine - hence i was thinking i don’t need the wax polish? i’m open to it if it helps to protect the shoes though.

thanks!

What brands are those shoes? If your shoes crease and crack in about a year, very likely they are using man made or highly processed/corrected leather.

Think of these as replaceable. With these kind of "plasticky" synthetic leather, they do not absorb the creams like top grain calfskin.

If your shoes are good quality leather shoes, you can get away with shoe trees and just creams without renovateur for basic needs.

I would urge you to up your budget slightly and you will find that you get better value for money with longer lasting shoes made with better leather and construction.
 

lilrex21

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What brands are those shoes? If your shoes crease and crack in about a year, very likely they are using man made or highly processed/corrected leather.

Think of these as replaceable. With these kind of "plasticky" synthetic leather, they do not absorb the creams like top grain calfskin.

If your shoes are good quality leather shoes, you can get away with shoe trees and just creams without renovateur for basic needs.

I would urge you to up your budget slightly and you will find that you get better value for money with longer lasting shoes made with better leather and construction.

yep i have mainly a range of shoes from department stores.

i do have one pair that was custom made by jesse and sons in bangkok. this is the pair i would like to protect.

at the same time i’m also looking to buy another pair or two so that i can rotate my shoes. i had quite a few but they all cracked recently as i did not wear them for half a year.. what is a good starting point for shoes? < 300 maybe?
 

lilrex21

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yep i have mainly a range of shoes from department stores.

i do have one pair that was custom made by jesse and sons in bangkok. this is the pair i would like to protect.

at the same time i’m also looking to buy another pair or two so that i can rotate my shoes. i had quite a few but they all cracked recently as i did not wear them for half a year.. what is a good starting point for shoes? < 300 maybe?

to add: that pair is calf leather. i made them end 2017. since then i’ve never really worn them as i find it a little stiff and tight at the front. i get blisters on my big and little toe.

hence i’m also hoping once conditioned it will soften and be easier to wear.
 

arcfire

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to add: that pair is calf leather. i made them end 2017. since then i’ve never really worn them as i find it a little stiff and tight at the front. i get blisters on my big and little toe.

hence i’m also hoping once conditioned it will soften and be easier to wear.

Conditioning is not going to be a magical cure here. Likelihood is that your shoes are ill fitting if you find them tight.

You can either try to wear them more often and let it stretch out naturally to conform to your feet and hope that it will fit once it's seasoned or bring it to a cobbler to have it stretched out. Either way, it may not work out as you'd imagined it to be.
Get a pair of shoe trees to keep the shape while you're not wearing them.

If you can't stand the pain, be prepared to dump the shoes and get a better fitting pair instead.
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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to add: that pair is calf leather. i made them end 2017. since then i’ve never really worn them as i find it a little stiff and tight at the front. i get blisters on my big and little toe.

hence i’m also hoping once conditioned it will soften and be easier to wear.

With your budget, you can get a few things (these items work for your departmental shoes as well)

1) A horsehair brush - dusting off surface level dirt, people really underestimate this, a brush from your horsehair can make your shoes look much better

2) Creme universelle from Saphir - I feel like this is one of the best leather care products out there which can be used on many different leather products like your bags and jackets, although a bit more premium in price (I believe around $24 from StraitsEstablishment).

3) Creme surfine - this as pointed out by theRenaissance is much lighter in formulation as compared to the Pommadier counterpart (also known as Creme 1925). As such, creme surfine can be used on correct grain or lower grades of leather as well. Costs $15 from StraitsEstablishment as well if I'm not wrong.

Other places that sell Saphir include TheQuarters and ShoeTreeProject. Not sure where else sells but the price is quite standardised all around (unless you got a promo code or smth)

Other brands you can look at if you don't want to pay such a high price would be Wrens or Bootblack or Famaco (but not as good as Saphir in terms of usage IMO)

As for your stiff shoes, its hard to tell, but possibly its a stiffer leather type and will require a bit of more wears to fully break in. If still hurts, what you can try to do is rub a candle inside and shove a shoe tree/newspaper inside to make the inner lining slightly softer. Slightly old method that I see my grandfather use on his shoes, seems to work for him, so can give it a try. Never tried for myself personally.
 
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ShoeEnthusiast

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Conditioning is not going to be a magical cure here. Likelihood is that your shoes are ill fitting if you find them tight.

You can either try to wear them more often and let it stretch out naturally to conform to your feet and hope that it will fit once it's seasoned or bring it to a cobbler to have it stretched out. Either way, it may not work out as you'd imagined it to be.
Get a pair of shoe trees to keep the shape while you're not wearing them.

If you can't stand the pain, be prepared to dump the shoes and get a better fitting pair instead.

Agreed on this point too, I believe theRenaissance wrote another reply, which mentioned on Shoe lasts and how they fit differently on different feet profiles. This plays a huge role in ensuring comfort on shoes
 

lilrex21

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i’ve worn them about a week now, and i feel the shoe is stretching out. it does not really hurt now, hence i think it will be much better once i condition them as well.

someone recommended dubbin as well. is this ok?

the shoe is in really good condition despite me not wearing it for almost 2 years. and yes, i’ll be getting shoe trees at the same time as the conditioners and creams. i saw most of the shoe shops have them around $35..
 

arcfire

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i’ve worn them about a week now, and i feel the shoe is stretching out. it does not really hurt now, hence i think it will be much better once i condition them as well.

someone recommended dubbin as well. is this ok?

the shoe is in really good condition despite me not wearing it for almost 2 years. and yes, i’ll be getting shoe trees at the same time as the conditioners and creams. i saw most of the shoe shops have them around $35..

Dubbin is usually used for waterproofing waxy leather or walking/hiking boots etc. I wouldn't use it on dress shoes. Also, dubbin tends to darken the shoe by no small varying amount.

Just get what was recommended and you'll be fine.
 

striker22

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I prefer not using dubbin wherever possible on dress shoes because they attract a lot of dirt, and make the shoes difficult to maintain and shine properly.

As mentioned by other posters, they are for work boots, hiking boots or country shoes where shine and looks is secondary.

i’ve worn them about a week now, and i feel the shoe is stretching out. it does not really hurt now, hence i think it will be much better once i condition them as well.

someone recommended dubbin as well. is this ok?

the shoe is in really good condition despite me not wearing it for almost 2 years. and yes, i’ll be getting shoe trees at the same time as the conditioners and creams. i saw most of the shoe shops have them around $35..
 

theRenaissance

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very new to this, have a few questions:

i’m just looking for very basic shoe care, as my shoes will crease and crack after about a year? i don’t spend much on shoes. <200 per pair, hence not really looking into expensive solutions.

is it ok to just use the saphir cream pommadier? or do i require the renovator as well? i’m not particular about having my shoes shine - hence i was thinking i don’t need the wax polish? i’m open to it if it helps to protect the shoes though.

thanks!

The essential question one should always ask in shoe care is - what type of leather is on my shoes? When you answer that, you can easily get the right product suitable for that particular type of leather.

If your shoes partially pigmented or of corrected finishes, there is no need for Pommadier 1925 or Renovateur. A water based formulation will be better suited. Your first product will definitely be a creme polish of some sorts.


yep i have mainly a range of shoes from department stores.

i do have one pair that was custom made by jesse and sons in bangkok. this is the pair i would like to protect.

at the same time i’m also looking to buy another pair or two so that i can rotate my shoes. i had quite a few but they all cracked recently as i did not wear them for half a year.. what is a good starting point for shoes? < 300 maybe?


If you look properly, you can easily get a pair of full grain calf leather shoes with stitched construction for less than S$300.


As for your stiff shoes, its hard to tell, but possibly its a stiffer leather type and will require a bit of more wears to fully break in. If still hurts, what you can try to do is rub a candle inside and shove a shoe tree/newspaper inside to make the inner lining slightly softer. Slightly old method that I see my grandfather use on his shoes, seems to work for him, so can give it a try. Never tried for myself personally.

Alternatively, use a lotion with zero wax content to apply on the lining and stretch it, it will help relief the tension.

i’ve worn them about a week now, and i feel the shoe is stretching out. it does not really hurt now, hence i think it will be much better once i condition them as well.

someone recommended dubbin as well. is this ok?

the shoe is in really good condition despite me not wearing it for almost 2 years. and yes, i’ll be getting shoe trees at the same time as the conditioners and creams. i saw most of the shoe shops have them around $35..

All you need is a light conditioner. There is no need for Dubbin, Grease or 100% pure mink oil on calf uppers.
 
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