Now, I tell you the truth that miraculously everyone else has avoided telling... your shoes are ugly and Johnston and Murphy is not a respectable brand so the claim that you bought your first pair of "real" shoes is subjective. I am not trying to be mean, just telling it like it is...
Damn bro, that's pretty harsh. They look OK to me even though J&M might not be the greatest quality.
I recently bought some cedar shoe trees but I have no idea how they are supposed to fit, i.e. if they are too small, too large or too wide for my shoes.
Is there a "universal shoe tree" for size 8.5D that I can use for any shoe in my size? Or do you need to get a special shoetree for a captoe, which is different than a loafer, etc, etc...?
Trees should fill the shoe so it keeps its shape. Beware of trees that are too big and stretch the toe box...or trees that otherwise "deform" the shoe.
Also, regularly use a conditioner like Lexol (or I'm a big fan of Chelsea Leather Food).