• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Just got new shoes! Do I polish them? Pics

longskate88

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2006
Messages
1,218
Reaction score
6
So I got my first pair of 'nice' shoes, Cole Haans from the Rack last night. They are these (though they look much slimmer and better proportioned in real life) and I really like them. They resemble the Ferragamos I always wanted, but for 1/5 of the price. Question is, should I polish them? I've never had nice shoes, so I don't know what to do. They aren't quite as shiny as the one's in the pic here: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2857227/...bo=6013121&P=1 So I'm not sure if they need polishing. Also, when you polish your shoes, what do you do with your belt? The black belt I have is fairly matte, will it look good with polished shoes? Thanks!
worship.gif
 

sloane3

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
264
Reaction score
0
Wait, I thought you said you got nice shoes.
 

Keon

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Messages
54
Reaction score
1
Are those the kind of shoe leather that are already shiny out of the box? I don't know what to do with that type of shoe either. I usually buy dull softer calfskin shoes that obviously need polishing.
 

pdsf

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2008
Messages
877
Reaction score
19
Yes, I'd polish them. Polishing also conditions the leather. Use real shoe polish, not one of those quick-shine-in-one-minute products.

I leave my belts alone.
 

Pylon

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
198
Reaction score
0
Agreed that you must polish them, and also +1 on never using the quick shine lacquers, paints, etc. They will only ultimately serve to dry out the leather, and will crack and flake in short time only making your shoes look crappy. Polishing protects your leather from the elements and from drying out; it's essential you renew this "protective layer" regularly and not just for appearances sake. I'll also add about polishing: If you can, find an experienced shoe shine in your area who will shine them by hand. Some shoe repair shops also offer shoe shining, but they buff on a rotary wheel which (in my opinion) does damage to the leather (closes the pores so future dye and polish cannot penetrate). If you're doing it yourself, always wash the shoes with a soft cloth, toothbrush and light soap and water before shining. Otherwise you're trapping dirt, dust and mud in the polish layers and only serving to dull a potential shine job. Use standard Kiwi polish. The Kiwi "parade gloss" stuff contains parrafin which reduces the shine in the long run. But seriously -- try to find a guy if you can. $10 beats me farting around for an hour with polish and toothbrushes and all the mess that comes with it. Good luck.
wink.gif
 

Crooow

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
657
Reaction score
4
Lol, this is like hearing someone say, "Hey, I just tried heroin for the first time last night."

In other words, welcome to the long, downward spiral; no doubt you'll be bidding on John Lobbs within 4 months, saying "this is it, just one more pair and I'm done".
bounce2.gif


Congratulations
smile.gif
 

jasonmarshalljazz

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2007
Messages
428
Reaction score
334
if you can take them back , do it. im an avid supporter of the cole haan collection line bench made shoes but not their lesser line of which the air madero are a part. get the liverpool welt cap toe. its a similar shoe but the quality is exponentially superior to the air madero. also try he lucarno, the windsor or the trafton. they can all be had on sale right now.

fyi ive had the madero captoe and split-toe and the leather does not respond well to repeated shining.
 

longskate88

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2006
Messages
1,218
Reaction score
6
Originally Posted by jasonmarshalljazz
if you can take them back , do it. im an avid supporter of the cole haan collection line bench made shoes but not their lesser line of which the air madero are a part. get the liverpool welt cap toe. its a similar shoe but the quality is exponentially superior to the air madero. also try he lucarno, the windsor or the trafton. they can all be had on sale right now.

fyi ive had the madero captoe and split-toe and the leather does not respond well to repeated shining.


Thanks, but i think I'll keep them. They fit well and for the money, they feel nice to me. They're my first pair, like the above poster said, I'll probably be bidding on Lobbs in a few months. They're just basic shoes for interviews and my first job, not to win any awards
laugh.gif
 

longskate88

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2006
Messages
1,218
Reaction score
6
Originally Posted by sloane3
Wait, I thought you said you got nice shoes.


It's all relative man, post up your Lobb collection for us to critique
laugh.gif
 

why

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
9,505
Reaction score
368
Relative to what? How far away they are from Crocs?
 

stickonatree

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
3,067
Reaction score
4
question is, did he pay retail for these travesties?

could have done much, much better at that pricepoint.
 

longskate88

Distinguished Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2006
Messages
1,218
Reaction score
6
Originally Posted by stickonatree
question is, did he pay retail for these travesties?

could have done much, much better at that pricepoint.



Relative to what people in the real world wear, not the microchosm that is SF, and they were 50% off.

Please name some better shoes I could have bought locally for $100 so I can do better next time. Thanks!
worship.gif
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,159
Messages
10,578,938
Members
223,882
Latest member
anykadaimeni
Top