Did I ruin my shoes?

[Krawczak]

I scored some halfway decent shoes (Mario Bruni) at a thrift store, and I was very happy with my find ($4!). Being thrift store shoes, they were a bit scuffed up, and required a little TLC.

I hit them with some brown Kiwi, but it darkened them considerably. Perhaps I'm picky, but I find that the new shade turns them from shoes that I was ecstatic to find for $4 into shoes that I would pay exactly $4 for. I liked the old color a LOT.

My question is, is there a way to fix this? I've seen people on this forum talk about stripping shoes with alcohol or acetone, but I don't want to strip all the finish off, just the crap that I put on there. If I switch to neutral shoe polish, will the color fade out or wear off over time?

I hope I get good news, because right now I am, as they say, bummed.

 

[TheHoff]

Before stripping I would liberally apply leather conditioner (lexol or similar -- it should not contain mink oil, which will darken). This will be good for the shoes and will take off a good bit of the surface polish. It won't go as far as stripping them but it may remove the excess that is bothering you. You can use neutral (it will flake after drying at first, in the creases, just brush it off) or a shade lighter than the actual shoe to prevent darkening.

 

[Krawczak]

That is good news, thank you! I know they aren't bespoke Bestettis or anything, but I liked them a lot. I'm glad to know there's still hope.

Regards,
Alexander