**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

[patrickBOOTH]

When I was heavier I was much younger and still in school. The shoes I wore where not great quality then, Johnston & Murphy mostly. When I lost weight I just replaced them with better shoes and gave the old ones to my father who couldn't care less about his shoes.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

On arch support: I hear you Munky, I have a very high arch with a high instep. So far in my journey the best shoes to really accommodate this are St. Crispins and Gaziano & Girling. Must have something to do with the tight waist they have. It is almost as if the upper of the shoes wrap under my arch slightly supporting it. It is how the upper is lasted and welted, it has nothing to do with the insole at all. Maybe DW can speak on this because it is rather interesting. Most people think it is an insole correction, but it seems that as the shoe just gets narrower the upper hugs the arch.

 

[Munky]

Calzo, I can't run to bespoke shoes. Wish that I could. Meanwhile, I am quite happy with my range of insoles, arch supports and so on!

Customization, I suppose we could call it, on a good day.

 

[CalzolaiFeF]

On arch support: I hear you Munky, I have a very high arch with a high instep. So far in my journey the best shoes to really accommodate this are St. Crispins and Gaziano & Girling. Must have something to do with the tight waist they have. It is almost as if the upper of the shoes wrap under my arch slightly supporting it. It is how the upper is lasted and welted, it has nothing to do with the insole at all. Maybe DW can speak on this because it is rather interesting. Most people think it is an insole correction, but it seems that as the shoe just gets narrower the upper hugs the arch.

It's a combination of a tight inner waist, a slightly higher insole and a longer than normal leather counter. Most shoes are "empty" in the inner part, thanks to industrial short counters so they don't give support in that area.

 

[Munky]

Just to lower the tone, it is interesting that my Nike Airmax, are so comfortable - straight out of the box. Why? It seems to me that it's because - like it or not- they match the sole of the foot. They have a built-in arch support - an important feature for me. So why do most shoes omit this feature and the general 'wearability' of the NIke's.?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

To quote loosely Manton, "Ready to wear is made to fit everybody, but ends up fitting nobody."

 

[Munky]

Fair enough, but I guess most of us get by with ready to wear.

 

[apack]



I think you only need a shoe with a built-in arch support. Unfortunately I think the only one who make that kind of work are bespoke makers.

I have this problem as well, along with narrow feet. Half- or three-quarter insoles work well. For dress shoes, I have found the ones from Pedag and Tacco to be the best. For example:
http://www.pedagusa.com/product pages/holiday.htm
http://www.feetrelief.com/feetrelief/tacco_elastic.htm

It is difficult to determine in advance what insole will work best with each pair of shoes, so if you have this problem them it is best to purchase several to make a "kit" that you can use to adjust your shoes as needed. The insoles are much cheaper than the shoes, so it's a worthwhile investment

 

[jungleroller]

Any suggestions to mitigate creases in the caps, aside from just trees?

This is a weird angle but you can see them:

 

[patrickBOOTH]

There is no way

 

[Munky]

Hello Apack. Yep, I have a collection of arch supports and insoles - including the ones that you show. It still seems odd, to me, that, having paid quite a lot of money, we still have to put these things in our shoes. A specific problem arises out out of all these inserts: they (obviously) have an effect on the use of shoe trees. An insert can mean that a shoe tree doesn't fit.

 

[apack]

Any suggestions to mitigate creases in the caps, aside from just trees?

Related question: Any suggestions to minimize the formation of creases in whole-cuts? I know this cannot be avoided, but are there any good strategies to keep them from becoming severe?

 

[Munky]

I have 12 pairs of shoes and I try to rotate them (although some get more use that others). I have just ordered SAPHIR MEDAILLE D'OR CREME DE SOINS APPLICATOR TUBE and thought I would use this to buff up shoes before I wear them. This seems like a quick fix to me, before using a more detailed shoe cleaning routine.

 

[apack]

Yep, I have a collection of arch supports and insoles - including the ones that you show. It still seems odd, to me, that, having paid quite a lot of money, we still have to put these things in our shoes.

It is a consequence of the modern shoe manufacturing business. In the US, most shoes come only in regular width (US D), and sometimes in wide. I cannot find *any* shoes that fit in most shoe stores or department stores. Styleforum has been extremely helpful in identifying makers and lasts that do fit. Now, I always search the archives for specific guidance on fit before considering any new shoe purchase. This has helped tremendously.

Quote:

A specific problem arises out out of all these inserts: they (obviously) have an effect on the use of shoe trees. An insert can mean that a shoe tree doesn't fit.

I agree. To resolve this issue, I simply don't mount the inserts permanently in the shoes, and store the shoes with trees in and inserts out. While insert manufacturers seem to recommend permanent mounting, I find that the inserts generally don't slip in dress shoes, where the shoe is often contoured to the foot. If necessary, I will also add a tongue pad insert to take up extra space and further insure that my foot will not slip forward in the shoe.

 

[Munky]

Thanks for that, Alpack. I have found that Doc Martens make a useful range of insoles. They wouldn't be everyones' first choice but I have them in most of my shoes. The are full length and they can usually accommodate shoe trees. They don't slip forward when you are wearing them, either.