• 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.
  • No Man Walks Alone one of our oldest sponsors owned and operated by one of the most discerning buyers I know, is right now offering up to 50% off on their winter sale. Browse their extensive selection of mesnwear, shoes and accessories, and get something truly special, like this special collaboration Western style shirt by G. Inglese in a rich, thick, and luxe brown cotton moleskin, with subtly contasting yellow snaps

  • 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.

What makes leather on soles look different?

RavishingLoafer

New Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2025
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
On the left are some Herring loafers and on the right Hawes and Curtis loafers. Both are leather soles with some rubber. I was wondering which leather is better? The Herring shoe has a more rougher leather texture, the colour is darker and it looks somewhat smudged in some spots, particularly in the middle. The Hawes and Curtis sole is smooth and slippery, the colour is lighter and the leather looks buffed out by a power tool. Which leather sole is better and what causes these differences?

ew5ofpq8lqbe1.jpeg
 

Ypuh

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2024
Messages
266
Reaction score
474
A leather sole is just a sole. The only variety is in the thickness and tanning process. Sole brands like JR are oak bark tanned for 6 months, whereas cheaper leather soles are tanned for a few weeks and wear down quicker. You have single and double leather soles, and a few more brands some of which are thicker and studier or thinner and flex more.

Generally, rubber wears out slightly slower and is more slip-resistant in wet surfaces. Also, if it's really wet, leather can soak the water upwards, whereas rubber should be waterproof.

These hybrid soles are a combination of those factors. Personally I'm not too bothered which sole is on. Leather is nice, but there are fewer occasions (like now in winter time with lots of salt on the roads) I wear them, so ideally I just pick a rubber sole. Dainite is pretty standard, but not my favorite (not very comfortable, and I wear out the toe-area much quicker than the rest of the shoe).

Long story short; I wouldn't select a shoe by its sole. It's the least interesting property of a shoe and can easily be changed after wearing them a year or 2. Fit is much more important, as well as style/leather/appearance.
 
Last edited:

onemoretime

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2024
Messages
47
Reaction score
20
Agree with Ypuh. Hard to say either one is better, just different. You would need to define what 'better' means to you to answer that question.
 

Featured Sponsor

How do you prefer trousers to be finished?

  • Plain hem

  • Cuffed (1.5 inches or less)

  • Cuffed (more than 1.5 inches)

  • No preference, as long as the proportions work


Results are only viewable after voting.

Forum statistics

Threads
523,295
Messages
10,748,109
Members
229,763
Latest member
real illuminatia
Top