Shoe Damage Report & Shoe P0rn Central - Part II

[bengal-stripe]



Inclined to agree. The suede has been burnished at the toe and heel. It is apparently on trend and a pleasing aesthetic, but not to my tastes

I agree!

It's a fashionable 'distressed' look that started maybe eight or ten years ago in Italy. The suede gets rubbed with fat (something like 'Dubbin') and burnished. The technique is not dissimilar to the 'wax calf' in classic riding boots. Here the leather flesh-side (rough side) out gets covered with fat and then smoothed with a deer bone and elbow grease to get a high shine.

http://horacebatten.com/boots/wax_calf_riding_boot


It has nothing to do with the construction. Resin-based stiffeners have been used for the last fifty or so years and millions of conventional suede shoes have been produced since.

Call it what you will: a 'fashion', a 'craze', 'design'. You either like it or you don't. But once you've got a pair of shoes that have been treated like that, you're stuck. That look cannot be removed, once the fat has soaked the suede it stays in there for good.

 

[bengal-stripe]



I recently acquired a pair of loafers made from Russian reindeer calf. Beautiful stuff, and the story obviously makes them even cooler. My only question is regarding their care.

I haven't got anything in this leather, but apparently it has a tendency to become dry. As far as I know, Cleverley has a conditioner that is specifically formulated to keep that leather moist. You should have been given a jar with your bespoke shoes (unless your shoes did not come directly from Cleverley).

Nevertheless, get in touch with Cleverley.

 

[fritzl]



I assume that a coat of Reno will suffice every 10-15 wears (as is standard practice with the rest of my loafers), .

why do you want to overfeed them, honestly. pls take care of them seriously.

 

[hendrix]



Yes, and that someone might deliberately do that and another person consider it attractive is equally scary.
If the shoes in question were deliberately "burnished" stressed, whatever, it blows my theory about the glue in between layers.
But I still suspect that it was an attempt to remove the burnishing which resulted in the look of the shoe in the last photo.

It's definitely deliberate.

It can look attractive, in a streetwear sense, but those are a very poor example. Not to mention that they've opted for the wrong style to burnish - you'd want to do it on military or motocycle inspired boots, not chukkas.

 

[TheWraith]

Re-posted from the Rock your shoes and socks thread on the suggestion of fritzl.

My MTM oxfords from Shanghai Tianzi Shoes:

 

[isshinryu101]



does fullbrogue and monk go together? what do you guys think?
[/quote]

cross post:
does fullbrogue and monk go together? what do you guys think?

 

[isshinryu101]

Seems a lot of makers want to re-create the "Vintage Effect" in shoes by taking new ones and coming up with new methods to make them look "old".

In the meantime, I'm spending my time trying to come up with better methods to re-furbish 70 year old shoes to make them look new again.

Interesting

 

[meister]



It's definitely deliberate.
It can look attractive, in a streetwear sense, but those are a very poor example. Not to mention that they've opted for the wrong style to burnish - you'd want to do it on military or motocycle inspired boots, not chukkas.

If you just naturally wear suede hard withit fussing over it within a short space of time it will naturally distress in a more authentic fashion IMO.

 

[mcarthur]

black medallion cap toe boot
argyles otc

 

[fxh]

cross post:
does fullbrogue and monk go together? what do you guys think?

I haven't worked it out yet.

I alternate between keeping these at the back of the cupboard for months and then wearing them for a week.

fritzl - as a fellow Australian - I'll take your opinion.

 

[Poshak Man]



fritzl - as a fellow Australian - I'll take your opinion.

I think Fritz is Austrian. You may still want his opinion though.

 

[fritzl]



I think Fritz is Austrian. You may still want his opinion though.

yes, I am with heart and soul.

fritzl - as a fellow Australian - I'll take your opinion.

 

[fritzl]



I haven't worked it out yet.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I alternate between keeping these at the back of the cupboard for months and then wearing them for a week.

fritzl - as a fellow Australian - I'll take your opinion.

you're welcome.

let's see. i discovered this particular pair around two years ago and finally it's in my hands now. i'm debating with myself to keep it or bring it to a good home. we'll see.

the facts: the leather is delicate and the caramel colour is amazing. it's on one of the two most traditional lasts of the Austro-Hungarian school - the almond shaped "Wiener Leisten". this is a no brainer - pure elegance, so to say. the brass buckle fits in perfectly with the warm tone of the colour. i'll try to make some more pictures from different angles for your pleasure.

ten of ten on my scale.

well, you might know that i'm not a biggest fan of double-monks. at the end of the day, i don't mind them and they definitely do not bother me in any sense. it's a horses for courses scenario. your pair looks decent and for me the full brogue blends in well with the overall characteristics. wear them in good health.

 

[fxh]

Fritzl - don't tell me now you are not Australian?

I thought:: Gmunden, Salzkammergut, Australia

 

[Bullitt]

Thanks for all your replies.

I agree with you, I don’t like the idea of pre-distressed shoes either.
Or pre-distressed jeans. Or pre-distessed anything.

The shoes I bought don’t look like the shoes on my first photo, which I found somewhere online. They look quite normal. Only close inspection reveals that the leather is different on heel and tip, as shown in the detail photos. Let’s see what carefull brushing does to them and then decide whether to keep them or not.

@ bengal-stripe These riding boots are beautiful. I wish I was around horses enough to justify a purchase. Maybe the Jodhpur boots...
http://horacebatten.com/boots/strap_jodhpur