• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Reiver

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2018
Messages
2,029
Reaction score
2,162
I agree.
With oxfords I think it is ideal to have a bit of a gap but not too large. This should then get smaller as the leather stretches as the shoe breaks in. I don’t believe there should be no gap once broken in though in an ideal world.

For a derby I think you ideally need a gap, as has been mentioned no gap means no room for adjustment.
 

JFWR

Distinguished Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
6,065
Reaction score
10,017
I'm not too worried about what gentlemen like. I am pretty certain that the facings of shoes should not be touching. Apart from anything else, it leaves no further room for adjustment of the laces if the leather stretches a bit. I seem to remember comments about this, on here, about 5 years ago but can't find them.

Well, I suppose the real question is:

Do the shoes feel as if they are too wide? If they do, then perhaps you need to size down a width on that last. If not, then I'd not be concerned.

In respect to my oxfords, I always buy EEE sizing; however, some have a relatively wide gap, others close together. All of them fit well.

I think in this case the indication you are looking at (the connecting faces) should only be considered a problem if they are causing a problem for you.
 

Munky

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
2,724
Reaction score
2,248
This morning I took delivery of my made to order Crown Shoes, Chromexcel #8 hi Derbys. They are beautifully made and if you want an incredible pair of handmade sneakers or desert boots, for under £300, this is the place to go. Very pleased.


With best wishes, Munky
 

Luigi_M

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Messages
2,200
Reaction score
3,194
@Munky , you never cease to surprise me.
Are these your shoes?
Overstone_Horween_No8_1.jpg
I like them a lot!

At first I had some trouble to reconcile the image of you as an austere scholar and scientist, I had in my mind, with the lad who wears Dr Martens and red Boots. How narrow minded I was. Slowly I came to understand that the two Munkies perfectly go along with each enother.

"On one occasion Munky took up the study of shoes [...]. This taste enthralled him for years, and, indeed, may be said never to have left him. He would often spend a whole day polishing and wearing the various shoes that he had collected, such as the blue patina Carlos Santos, the red Trickers boots that turn redder by lamplight, the Crown Hi Derbys with their #8 hue [...]" (with my humble apologies to Oscar Wilde).

RE: closing quarters
All my shoes have closing facings, but I have large but thin (meagre?) feet, with a low instep.
I seem to recall @DWFII said that facings should not touch when shoes are new, to allow the leather to stretch a bit, but if I aimed to this characteristic the vamps were squeezing my pinkies. Anyway some of my shoes are quite old and luckily none of them has become too sloppy to be worn.

With every good wish. Luigi.
 
Last edited:

Munky

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
2,724
Reaction score
2,248
@Munky , you never cease to surprise me.
Are these your shoes?
View attachment 1437429
I like them a lot!

At first I had some trouble to reconcile the image of you as an austere scholar and scientist, I had in my mind, with the lad who wears Dr Martens and red Boots. How narrow minded I was. Slowly I came to understand that the two Munkies perfectly go along with each enother.

"On one occasion Munky took up the study of shoes [...]. This taste enthralled him for years, and, indeed, may be said never to have left him. He would often spend a whole day polishing and wearing the various shoes that he had collected, such as the blue patina Carlos Santos, the red Trickers boots that turn redder by lamplight, the Crown Hi Derbys with their #8 hue [...]" (with my humble apologies to Oscar Wilde).

RE: closing quarters
All my shoes have closing facings, but I have large but thin (meagre?) feet, with a low instep.
I seem to recall @DWFII said that facings should not touch when shoes are new, to allow the leather to stretch a bit, but if I aimed to this characteristic the vamps were squeezing my pinkies. Anyway some of my shoes are quite old and luckily none of them has become too sloppy to be worn.

With every good wish. Luigi.

Those are, indeed, my shoes, Luigi! They are beautiful, too. Trying to avoid looking as though I am 'getting down with the kids', these are something of a mixture of desert boots and light walking boots. They nothing like Converse All Stars or Van's. Austere, moi? I have been called a lot of things but never austere.

It is good to see that Oscar Wilde lives on in Italy! As he said: 'I can resist everything but shoes.'
Hope you are well and very best wishes, Munky
 

CWV

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2019
Messages
832
Reaction score
272
Hey for quality sneaker you should check out what Archibald London is doing in collaboration with the forum.
 

Munky

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
2,724
Reaction score
2,248
Hey for quality sneaker you should check out what Archibald London is doing in collaboration with the forum.

Having just bought a quality pair from Crown, I ain't going to be checking out another company! :D
 

CWV

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2019
Messages
832
Reaction score
272
I wonder how they compare?
Mine are still on their way, but in the discussion of the SF01many SFers are posting pics, and in YouTube are some reviews. The xo pans mentioned that send a pair to The Kava,iré who has a compared ranking of leather sneakers
 

Munky

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
2,724
Reaction score
2,248
Move along please...nothing to see here.
 

Munky

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Messages
2,724
Reaction score
2,248
Another photo of my new Crown shoes; this time in a pastoral, country setting!

Crown - Edited.jpg
 

JFWR

Distinguished Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
6,065
Reaction score
10,017
Another photo of my new Crown shoes; this time in a pastoral, country setting!

View attachment 1437613

As much as I dislike wedge soles--like, truly despise them with a passion--I have to say that the uppers on these high-top sneakers are quite pleasant.

300 pounds for a pair of sneakers, though...I don't know. Casual shoes like that are something I try to be stupendously thrifty on. I got a pair of Sperry boat shoes exclusively for use on the beach and boardwalk for 30 dollars.
 
  • Like
Reactions: flx

Phoenician

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2020
Messages
930
Reaction score
2,795
For smooth leathers that are noted as 'waxy leather' (not waxy suede), are there any special considerations? Would using Saphir colored shoe creme polish add too much wax to them? I owned a couple pair of boots in this leather, and though I condition them with Bick 4, haven't polished either and figured I'd ask first.
Thanks for any advice!
 

BoydsShoes

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2018
Messages
169
Reaction score
442
Three laws of shoe care:

1). If you can't decide if you should do something: don't do it.

2). If you really think you better do something, but you are not sure what to do: use Bick 4.

3). If you are taking care of suede: skip point 2.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.7%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 39.3%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 15 10.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.3%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.3%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,124
Messages
10,578,693
Members
223,880
Latest member
EdvardHelene
Top