Shoe Questions: Burgundy antiquing & leather vs. rubber sole

[deadly7]

I recently purchased a pair of these: http://www.endless.com/dp/B002U82PCG...SIN=B002U82PCG in burgundy. Some questions:



1. Shoe care! I've never owned burgundy shoes so I'm not sure which color/tint to get -- I tried searching but didn't really get many useful results and figured it's probably better on a case-by-case basis. Ideally I'd want two different colors:
A natural burgundy to regularly maintain the shoe
Possibly a lighter brown to antique it a little (I'd be interested in lightening up the sides/back a tad).

Polish or cream? Both?

2. Are there any good all-in-one kits? Do you guys use one brush per color, or can you use them interchangeably? I don't need any fancy boxes or carrying cases -- they could come in a plastic bag for all I care.

3. This has been debated a billion times, and I'm fairly certain I have an answer to this but an extra opinion wouldn't hurt. I'm on my feet a lot (and walk around in sub-zero frozen city streets) so would rubber soles be the best for me? I bought the same shoe in black but I can still return it (unused) and exchange for a leather-soled shoe. I just think leather's too slippery, cold, and uncomfortable for my situation.

If my searches failed, sorry; please link me.

 

[amplifiedheat]

Polish mostly just has to be in the ballpark. Anything labeled "cordovan," "burgundy," or "merlot" should do. I'm only familiar with antiquing in the sense of darkening--I would think it would be difficult to lighten with polish alone.

Kiwi sells a decent combination kit, but it's not too elaborate. You basically need some kind of applicator (one is fine for multiple polishes), a buffing brush, a polishing cloth, and polish.

I do fine with leather on city streets. If there's snow and ice, you just need overshoes.

 

[deadly7]

Originally Posted by amplifiedheat

Polish mostly just has to be in the ballpark. Anything labeled "cordovan," "burgundy," or "merlot" should do. I'm only familiar with antiquing in the sense of darkening--I would think it would be difficult to lighten with polish alone.

Kiwi sells a decent combination kit, but it's not too elaborate. You basically need some kind of applicator (one is fine for multiple polishes), a buffing brush, a polishing cloth, and polish.

I do fine with leather on city streets. If there's snow and ice, you just need overshoes.

Neat. I've heard buying a cream or some sort of leather supplement is good too, but is this really necessary? From what I've read it seems to be personal preference.

Kiwi or Saphir Medaille D'or? Both seem to be good brands, do you/anyone have opinions as to which is better [and why]?

 

[Harold falcon]

Pretty sure that's corrected grain leather on the Bostonians. It's not going to matter what kind of polish or shoe shine stuff you put on there, and I don't think it will "antique" well. Just clean with a cloth and buff with a brush.