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Shoe care experts, get in here!

post #1 of 11
9/16/11 at 11:46pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

I recently bought a kind-of unique pair of leather shoes, and I'm seeking assistance in how to treat and care for them.

Below are a couple of pics:

261

261

As you can see, each central 'scale' is patent leather, while its 'border' is a soft material which seems like a cloth, but may be suede.

I understand that good leather shoe care generally consists of cleaning, conditioning, polishing and weatherproofing; however, I'm not sure what these processes would do to a shoe like this.

Any advice would be mucho appreciated.

Cheers.
Edited by calogero - 9/17/11 at 1:38am
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post #2 of 11
9/16/11 at 11:47pm
Those shoes look like they are worth more than my life.
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post #3 of 11
9/17/11 at 12:50am
Polish with champagne, burnish liberally with moonlight.
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post #4 of 11
9/17/11 at 1:20am
I hope those don't shed their skin anytime soon.
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post #5 of 11
9/17/11 at 1:25am
Q tips.

Lots and lots of black Q tips and plenty of free time.

That's all I can come up with. Try calling the manufacturer or send them an email.
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post #6 of 11
9/17/11 at 1:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by laphroaig View Post

Try calling the manufacturer or send them an email.

Yeah, I e-mailed the manufacturer a few days ago - no response as yet. I figured someone on SF must have experience treating nonstandard shoes such as these.
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post #7 of 11
9/17/11 at 1:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texastyle View Post

Those shoes look like they are worth more than my life.

Fantastic. smile.gif
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post #8 of 11
9/17/11 at 6:50am
Doubtful that it's patent. Patent today is basically a plastic coating bonded to the grain surface of the leather.

Snakes leather has had all the scales removed. What is left is a flap of skin that originally held the scale. These can be polished and I've even seen poly urethane finishes (not recently, however) which can be quite shiny.

Good snake is generally pretty tight...the flaps of skin overlap each other, like the scales did, so that the underlying leather is not exposed. If the underlying leather--the "sueded" borders you see--is exposed it makes the shoe/boot very vulnerable to water and dirt. Since snake is so thin, any extra exposure to dirt and/or water compromises the lifespan of the leather critically.
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post #9 of 11
9/17/11 at 6:59am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your input, DWFII. I really doubt it is real snake leather; the shoes only cost the standard price of a good leather dress shoe (and is at the same price point as explicitly labelled calf-leather shoes made by the same manufacturer). The upper also seems far too uniform to be genuine snake leather.

My impression is that the shoe has just been crafted to simulate the look of snakeskin.

In any case, how would you go about treating the shoe?
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post #10 of 11
9/17/11 at 7:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by calogero View Post

Thanks for your input, DWFII. I really doubt it is real snake leather; the shoes only cost the standard price of a good leather dress shoe (and is at the same price point as explicitly labelled calf-leather shoes made by the same manufacturer). The upper also seems far too uniform to be genuine snake leather.

My impression is that the shoe has just been crafted to simulate the look of snakeskin.

In any case, how would you go about treating the shoe?

Well, you could be right. Although how you would go about simulating snake is another question. That's a pretty complex die to cut the "petals" free of the surround such that there are few exact repeats...at least that I can see. Snake isn't always more expensive than calf...per square foot. Depends on the source and the quality.

But it's either faux snake or a really ratty skin.

In any case, you have the worst of both worlds. If you apply cream or polish, you'll mat the "sueded" edges. Same goes for any kind of conditioner.

If you don't apply creams or conditioners...if you don't keep them clean...the leather will dry out and go to pieces quickly.
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post #11 of 11
9/18/11 at 1:42am
Thread Starter 
I see, I see. Thanks for that.

Any other thoughts/advice?
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