Buying shoe polish

[MysticAura]

Hey guys. What is a good place to go to buy good shoe polish in NYC? Do you guys use any shoe polish or do you use specific brands? I am young and have just started to polish my shoes. I am wondering if I should go to the local shoe repair shop or a retail store (K-mart/Duane Reade etc).

My question is where do you guys go to shoe polish and what brands do you suggest for black/brown/tan?

Also, umm how exactly do you polish a shoe. What is the exact procedure (clean w/ solution, brush)/necessary materials.

 

[kitonbrioni]

Most shoe repair places sale a range of wax and polish. However, the conventional wisdom is that Kiwi is commonly used by the high quality shoe makers and you really can't go wrong with it.

 

[j]

I like the consistency, variety of colors and the packaging of Lincoln polish more than Kiwi. My local shoe repair guy has a rack with about 8-10 colors for $4/can and they are large cans.

 

[jimbob]

Great place for high end shoes and polish and/or wax:

http://www.citishoes.com/

 

[DocHolliday]

Along with Kiwi, I like Saphir Medaille D'or, which smells great. Makes polishing a pleasure. Available through Franco's, www.francos.com.

 

[aportnoy]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Along with Kiwi, I like Saphir Medaille D'or, which smells great. Makes polishing a pleasure. Available through Franco's, www.francos.com.

Doc makes an excellent point. I've purchased several tins of Saphir from Franco's via the phone and giotten ti within 2-3 days in NYC. Not only does the stuff smell great, it gives an incredible spit shine. In fact, I just polished up a pair of EG Cradiffs in Edwardian with Saphir medium brown.

 

[DocHolliday]

To answer Mystic Aura's other questions, here are some links:

A great post by Ron Rider:
http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...8&postcount=15

The SF mirror polish guide:
http://styleforum.pbwiki.com/MirrorShine

And Ask Andy's shoe shine guide:
http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/C..._shoeshine.htm

 

[Associate]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Along with Kiwi, I like Saphir Medaille D'or, which smells great. Makes polishing a pleasure. Available through Franco's, www.francos.com.

They do smell like beeswax, which is really delicious. After a good shine, my office smells of it the whole day, which is better than stale coffee I guess.

 

[whoopee]

Re-branded Saphir polish is available at JM Weston in NYC. It is indeed better than Kiwi.

 

[LabelKing]

Oddly, Lattanzi polish is rebranded Kiwi.

 

[Sator Sartoris]

When you get cream and wax polish is it better to get a color close to the shoe or just get neutral?

 

[MysticAura]

awesome guys thanks a ton...lotsa good stuff. I placed my order in Franco's and can't wait

 

[MysticAura]

By the way, which Saphir creams should I get for tan/brown/black respectively? I have only bought the light brown to start but there were so many choices on the franco's website such as Saphir Graiss. What are the best Saphir polishes for tan/brown/light brown/black shoes? Am I able to use another shoe polish on a brown shoe...say a burgundy? If so, what does that do to the color? Thanks a ton guys!

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Sator Sartoris

When you get cream and wax polish is it better to get a color close to the shoe or just get neutral?

Polish with color helps cover up scuffs better than can a neutral. It will also add patina over time.

Originally Posted by MysticAura

By the way, which Saphir creams should I get for tan/brown/black respectively? I have only bought the light brown to start but there were so many choices on the franco's website such as Saphir Graiss. What are the best Saphir polishes for tan/brown/light brown/black shoes? Am I able to use another shoe polish on a brown shoe...say a burgundy? If so, what does that do to the color? Thanks a ton guys!

In terms of matching exactly, the color you'll need depends on the shade of your tan and brown shoes, really. There are all sorts of subtle variations in polish and cream colors available. As long as the color you choose is fairly close to the color of the shoe, you won't notice a dramatic change right away.

Any polish that doesn't match the shoe exactly, though, will alter the color over the time. The more stark the contrast, the more quickly the change will happen. Some guys like using a lighter polish on dark brown shoes, for example, to enhance the patina. I have some dark brown chukkas that I've been using tan polish on, and now they have some really nice caramel highlights.