Working Shoe for Young Exec

[JoePilot]

any shoetree to recommend?

i see many on tabao... dunno which one to order...

Woodlore cedar shoe trees are made in China from American cedar, and those shoe tree designs on taobao look suspiciously like Woodlores...which leads me to believe, those taobao goods are from the same Woodlore factory.
Just like anything else these days

Only way to find out is to order one.

Heck, I'm just gonna go ahead and order one! Wait for my review!

EDIT: Those selling at cheap prices at taobao are "non-export quality", ie. seconds/rejects. They may be mostly white cedar with very little aromatic cedar oils. The "export-quality" ones are expensive, u might as well be buying from Amazon.

 

[todyseat]

The most right black shoes.. wat size u wearing and where did u get it?

I am uk8. The pair is from rad russel, its actually dark grey. Can get from tangs, robinson, isetan...etc. under $200. But quite a while ago, so not too sure if still have. If not urgent, can wait for their sale, usually 20% off. Better value.

 

[ecan07]

saw this at robinsons jus now... selling at $49 i think... worth it?

And asking a noob question here. I know cream is needed, but what's up with the 2 colors here? i reckon black shoe cream is for black shoes obviously, so the other one is neutral which we can use for any colored shoes? And what's the block of thing that looks like soap? Any idea?

 

[d3n]

Woodlore cedar shoe trees are made in China from American cedar, and those shoe tree designs on taobao look suspiciously like Woodlores...which leads me to believe, those taobao goods are from the same Woodlore factory.
Just like anything else these days

Only way to find out is to order one.

Heck, I'm just gonna go ahead and order one! Wait for my review!

EDIT: Those selling at cheap prices at taobao are "non-export quality", ie. seconds/rejects. They may be mostly white cedar with very little aromatic cedar oils. The "export-quality" ones are expensive, u might as well be buying from Amazon.

i ordered this one...

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[d3n]

I am uk8. The pair is from rad russel, its actually dark grey. Can get from tangs, robinson, isetan...etc. under $200. But quite a while ago, so not too sure if still have. If not urgent, can wait for their sale, usually 20% off. Better value.

citibank card holders got tangs sale soon.

 

[ecan07]

Saw some pairs of Democrata shoes that look not too bad... And rather cheap too, at S$99.

The sole doesn't look that well stitched though?

A question to ask. These are considered loafers? Are they too casual for formal settings? Cos when i wear them and stand straight, because of the cutting at the sides which are a little low, some parts of my black socks will show (the part between the sides of the shoes and the hem of my pants).

 

[JoePilot]

i ordered this one...

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wow! do give a review, with pictures

 

[JoePilot]

@ecan07

Yes, those are loafers. Not for formal occasions. Strictly speaking, not business shoes either. The stitching may be purely cosmetic. Walk around in them...does the heel strike make loud clacking sounds?

 

[ecan07]

@ecan07

Yes, those are loafers. Not for formal occasions. Strictly speaking, not business shoes either. The stitching may be purely cosmetic. Walk around in them...does the heel strike make loud clacking sounds?

hmmm... i was walking on carpeted floor leh, cannot hear T.T
So cannot buy for my everyday wear then, was thinking of getting another rather cheap one for office wear to alternate with my hush puppies, then prob later on a better pair for dressier occasions.

Are all loafers for casual wear? I rem my first pair was a pair from beetlebug, liked the cut, but it doesn't come with laces and it's all plain. Would that be loafers as well?

 

[parakeet]

Bros, would any of you be interested in purchasing a pair of Bexley cap-toe oxfords in black? I have purchased the wrong size (40.5, should fit a US8 comfortably), and the shipping to France to exchange is killer.

Can't post pics yet due to the requirement of 50(?) posts, but this is the Berkeley II model and pictures are available from the Bexley website. From the website info the uppers appear to be full grain calf leather, with blake-welted leather soles. These shoes definitely look and feel better constructed than those I've tried from Pedro, Hush Puppies and Aldo etc., all of which do not seem to last.

Shoes are BNIB, and were purchased at EUR109 (~SG$190) without shipping (which cost me another ~EUR40). Would be happy to let go for $190, my loss is your gain - I think it would be hard to find full grain leather uppers and leather soles at this price! As a sweetener, I will also throw in a cedar shoe tree in the same size for $20, again from Bexley.

If you are interested, please contact me at nine144100seven.

Cheers,
J

 

[JoePilot]

DEAL ALERT!!!

Shoehealer.co.uk has both colors (black & mahogany) of the Alfred Sargent Armfield oxford. Strangely, the mahogany is 100 pounds cheaper! Everything else looks the same...fiddleback waist, oak bark tanned sole with hidden channel stitching etc.

Incredible value at 295GBP, free shipping too

 

[All in a Day]

DEAL ALERT!!!

Shoehealer.co.uk has both colors (black & mahogany) of the Alfred Sargent Armfield oxford. Strangely, the mahogany is 100 pounds cheaper! Everything else looks the same...fiddleback waist, oak bark tanned sole with hidden channel stitching etc.

Incredible value at 295GBP, free shipping too

Under sale or regular item? If it's AS exclusive at gbp295 is a good buy

 

[PetiaC]

Tried that. Used lexol leather cleaner to stripe off everything, still dark as shown in pic.

Am wondering anyone know if which cobbler here provide dyeing leather services or any shop selling leather dye that i can DIY

Meermin say they can ship back for me but can't assure can be fixed.

You cant dye a darker leather lighter, only way is to remove the dye with deglazer. Lexol is too mild to remove dye. Try acetone or IPA.

Leather dyes can be found locally. Just that limited colors. I seen the black and dark brown ones most common.

 

[All in a Day]

hmmm... i was walking on carpeted floor leh, cannot hear T.T
So cannot buy for my everyday wear then, was thinking of getting another rather cheap one for office wear to alternate with my hush puppies, then prob later on a better pair for dressier occasions.

Are all loafers for casual wear? I rem my first pair was a pair from beetlebug, liked the cut, but it doesn't come with laces and it's all plain. Would that be loafers as well?

The dress code "standard" for shoes applied on this forum may be atypical of what is practised in Singapore. If you read the style forums etc, business work wear should be matched with laced shoes (oxfords/derbies). Opinions are mixed for formal-looking loafers.

However in Singapore, anything leather looking and in black or dark shade of brown (getting popular recently) with a proper heel are usually acceptable work wear shoes. And indeed, slip-ons/loafers are a popular choice for convenience reasons.

 

[rboyboy]

hmmm... i was walking on carpeted floor leh, cannot hear T.T
So cannot buy for my everyday wear then, was thinking of getting another rather cheap one for office wear to alternate with my hush puppies, then prob later on a better pair for dressier occasions.

Are all loafers for casual wear? I rem my first pair was a pair from beetlebug, liked the cut, but it doesn't come with laces and it's all plain. Would that be loafers as well?

Take a look at archules shoes. Bought one from them and it is very comfortable. Not to mention,good customer service too.

 

[Dahawk]

Can we use kiwi to polish our dress shoes?

 

[All in a Day]

Under sale or regular item? If it's AS exclusive at gbp295 is a good buy

Went to check out. These are AS exclusives retailing 395 on herring website, so it's about 25% off retail plus there will be futher VAT deduction.

Don't have my size already.. do check out fast if interested. I think it's pretty good value for an AS exclusive at slightly more than cheaney prices.

 

[PetiaC]

Can we use kiwi to polish our dress shoes?

Yes of course.

 

[ecan07]

@ecan07

Yes, those are loafers. Not for formal occasions. Strictly speaking, not business shoes either. The stitching may be purely cosmetic. Walk around in them...does the heel strike make loud clacking sounds?

Sorry a real noob question here.
Are all slip ons considered loafers? And are all slip-ons/loafers too casual for formal office wear?

 

[prosindragon]

From what I've read around here, Ed Et Al seems like a rather worth it option. Like how I can try the shoes before buying too. But I have a few questions regarding them:

1. Just how much difference does a goodyear and blake welt have in terms of how long the shoe will last? Recrafting for goodyear is $150 right, wouldn't it be better to just buy another blake instead for $180? Is the welt difference really worth $120?

2. Are sample sales worth waiting for to get a specific shoe you want? Are there usually quite a large range with enough sizes during the sample sales to ensure you get what you want? I'm more interested in brown wingtips brogues and penny loafers.