Basic leather sole question

[hopeless]

Hello all. I'm mid-thirties and pretty hopeless when it comes to clothing. I've been trying to build up a new set of clothing, casual at first.

I purchased some Gucci brown suede shoes, style number 162605. I plan to wear jeans and cords with these. Suede wasn't my first choice but there was a limited selection available in my size and I think these do look quite nice.

I live in Ireland and am wondering what I should do about the soles being slippery? I plan to where these out to pubs, etc and am worried about slipping when the ground is wet. These are my first shoes with leather soles.

The sales person suggested that I get some rubber strips(?) put on the bottom. The other option he suggested was to scrape them up on rough ground (he does this with his own) but said that having rubber put on the bottom would be better.

I've been reading the posts on this site and realize that this is a bit basic for the calibre of information here. But these shoes were expensive for me and I wouldn't want to 'dork them up' if putting rubber on the bottom is a big no no. Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

 

[Nantucket Red]

This issue has been covered at some length on the forum. Start with this thread:

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=9988

 

[acidboy]

i'd seriously reconsider wearing suedes in pubs where it might be stained with spilled ale/beer. then again, if i was served irish beer, i'd make sure every drop goes down my throat.

 

[sho'nuff]

unless you are planning to do alot of walking on wet surfaces and running around and picking fights, you should not go wearing leathersoled dress shoes.
if you are going to have fun and relax and drink and enjoy other companys, wearing the shoes is excellent, so you dont need to worry about slipping or falling down.
ive worn many a leather soled shoe on semi wet surfaces, in the rain , etc. and have no problem, other than getting them wet.

putting rubber on them may help but kind of defeats the purpose of a more elegantly designed shoe. you put your feet up and there are rubber strips. i'd think why even buy them in the first place, just go with rubber sole. gucci has alot of rubber soled moccasins

ive heard of intentionally scuffing up the soles. but wearing them over a course of days will do that naturallly. you dont want to do it purposefully as you may not control it well and gouge them. and prematurely wear out the soles.
enjoy your gucci shoes. my first luxury pair of shoes were gucci as well. i was so excited to wear them. have fun wearing them.

 

[j]

Firstly, welcome.

Secondly, either way, you do need to scuff up the soles. Go find a secluded parking lot (er... car park) and shuffle around to scrape off all the smooth coating on the leather.

Thirdly, you shouldn't wear suede into bars where it's going to be slippery, as it will quickly get ruined. Either way, you should also get some protectant spray and use it properly. Do a search - there is a type that won't change the color of the suede. I can't remember the brand right now, but it's not the Kiwi type.

Finally, wear the shoes around a while before putting rubber on. You can do it later. But get used to wearing leather soled shoes. Some are not too bad even on wet surfaces; some are really bad no matter what. But leather soles make an authoritative sound walking around that makes an impact. Much like clomping in Grinders or Docs, but a bit up the food chain from there...