Restoring sun-faded shoes

[dah328]

I just bought a pair of shoes that must have been the store's display pair as one shoe is significantly lighter in color than the other. Aside from sitting the darker shoe on a sunny window sill for a couple months, is there a good way I can equalize the colors of the shoes?

 

[Eustace Tilley]

Originally Posted by dah328

I just bought a pair of shoes that must have been the store's display pair as one shoe is significantly lighter in color than the other. Aside from sitting the darker shoe on a sunny window sill for a couple months, is there a good way I can equalize the colors of the shoes?

WS Foster uses some chemicals to get that sun-bleached look.

If I were you, I would send your shoes to Ron Rider and have him redo the color.

 

[dah328]

I thought about that, but shelling out another $100 or so on them would pretty much negate whatever savings I got on them because they were a display model.

 

[bry2000]

I have the same problem with a pair I bought. I was thinking of giving them to Shoe Service Plus to see if they can even out the colour.

 

[StockwellDay]

Bought some shoes with the same issue that I've tried sticking in a window for a couple months... doesn't seem to be doing the trick -- yet at least. I'm also eastern exposure (NYC), so my light isn't great. Interested to hear others' reactions.

 

[JLibourel]

Last summer I got a pair of Allen-Edmonds Fairfaxes in merlot that had that problem. I would have sent them back, but they were about the last pair in inventory in my size. I used a lot of black polish on the lighter shoe so that the disparity is now visible only under the closest scrutiny.

 

[dah328]

Hmm, sounds like it comes down to whether I want them badly enough to slather black shoe cream all over them. I've done that to try to antique another pair with fair results, but I wasn't going for a uniform darkening that time.

 

[finch]

I own a pair of camel colored lace ups that had a similar issue. Now this could vary based on the type of leather but this is what I did. First I used a cleaner/foam on the shoe in question. Second Instead of using waxy stock off the shelf kiwi polish I purchased the universal cream polish "creamy" color which has more of an oil content on the problematic shoe 2-3 times. The shoe that was fine I gave a quick buffing and unless you look close enough you wouldn't know there was any difference.