Shoes that look better with age...

[datasupa]

^ cool, they look good, just looks like a lot of creasing in the toe for such a short amount of time which is why I was wondering.

well let's see.....8 months at 50% effort = 4 months x 30 days = 120 days x 8 hours = ~960 hours of wear

the amount of creasing seems about right to me for that much use....what i don't get is why there isn't more creasing in everyone else's boots. maybe cordovan is more resistant to creasing than regular leather?:confused:

[braid]

the amount of creasing seems about right to me for that much use....what i don't get is why there isn't more creasing in everyone else's boots. maybe cordovan is more resistant to creasing than regular leather?:confused:

From what I've read, cordovan seems to be more resistant to creasing than cowhide.

[braid]

I have a question with regards to polish for you guys....

Am I right to assume using a neutral polish on my new Tricker's will dull the reddish color over time? What results can I expect using a neutral polish vs. a polish of the same color?

[RustyRyan]

The white stitching that goes around the top of the toe box on my indies is coming undone, any suggestions for a fix?

[poly800rock]

i know people have this huge problem with brown shoes with black pants, but whatever

[la-vvoc]

gorgeous ^^ lol...what polish did you apply to them?

[amlai]

From what I've read, cordovan seems to be more resistant to creasing than cowhide.

Cordovan is relatively resistant to creasing and doesn't get the fine creases. It gets some creases, but mainly ripples. These pics have been posted before, but I'll post them again to show what I mean:

Characteristic ripples:

As you can see here, the 405s have the fine creases in them. The #8 shell version doesn't... more just ripples. The #8 shell boot has about 5x more wear than any of the 405s. That pair has about 6 months of pretty consistent wear on them.

[poly800rock]

whoa, what is the color on the 3rd from the right? looks black but i don't think it is.

[amlai]

whoa, what is the color on the 3rd from the right? looks black but i don't think it is.

I assume you mean 3rd from left. That is #8 shell. The lighting and my laziness in white balancing there makes it look black. The one on the right is cigar. I'll post some updated pics on the cigar pair soon, now that I've gotten some wear on them.

[Denim Phenom]

I caved in today and ordered a pair of black white's semi dress with a brown sole and copper eyelets from Bill today. After seeing a beautifully worn in pair at mister freedom, I had to have my own.

[amlai]

Am I right to assume using a neutral polish on my new Tricker's will dull the reddish color over time? What results can I expect using a neutral polish vs. a polish of the same color?

Continuous use of neutral will mean that the boots will eventually bleach out, losing color. Use of a polish with color in it will mean that the boots will take on that color. If you just use neutral, the boot should eventually get a weathered look to it.

[GregNYC]

Continuous use of neutral will mean that the boots will eventually bleach out, losing color. Use of a polish with color in it will mean that the boots will take on that color. If you just use neutral, the boot should eventually get a weathered look to it.

Another thing about neutral is that it accentuates the tiny cracks in the bends, so most shoe shine guys say not to use *just* neutral. I saw this start to happen a bit with my Crockett and Jones Cliffords. You can use neutral to heighten the shine, every 4th time or so, but for the rest of the shines, it's better to use a color. The big issue for me is to keep the stitching visible, to keep it from taking on the color of polish. So on my new Indies I'm using Kiwi Tan.

The best neutral to get is Meltonian #170 "Delicate Cream." It increases the shine, if you like that. I do. But again, use it only sparingly, and on top of a layer of a colored polish.

You don't have to use the same color every time you shine. You

[GregNYC]

i know people have this huge problem with brown shoes with black pants, but whatever

Yours rock!

The old rule that was against brown shoes with black pants was for dressy men's wear, like "No brown after sundown." Even worse was brown with blue. Those snobs would have freaked if someone wore brown shoes with blue dress trousers!

But for work wear like yours here, there could be no such restriction, since workwear and the men who wore it didn't "count" for fashion. Anyway, back in the day, brown boots and denim were what you saw most of. I'm not sure (because of mostly B+W photograph), but I have a feeling that with all the jeans that folks wore in the 30s, 40s and 50s, most of the boots were brown. The black boots were mostly engineer boots and went along with the mc jackets a la Brando. But the rest, even including Western boots, were brown. With blue jeans!

[SLAB]

this thread delivers; can't wait to finally show off a pair of Alden's or white's myself on here

[jubei]

woo hoo!

Picked up a pair of C&J "Helstons" at the Barney's Warehouse Sale. The insole has a cobranded stamp (i.e. C&J for Barney's).

I haven't really seen them sold anywhere else online so I feel extra double special Pics when I get the chance...

This being my first pair of nice leather boots, I was wondering what type of shoe trees you guys use in your boots? Are there special ones for them? The Helstons are about 6 inches high or so (pretty much the same height as most of the boots on here). Can I just use regular shoe trees on them? Also, where can I get a good pair of waxed cotton laces for boots in the NYC area? I work near the Alden store on Madison... do they sell them there (didn't have a chance to look in this morning)

[hawkeye]

The old rule that was against brown shoes with black pants was for dressy men's wear, like "No brown after sundown." Even worse was brown with blue. Those snobs would have freaked if someone wore brown shoes with blue dress trousers!

I've heard "No brown into town" too...

[theetruscan]

I've heard "No brown into town" too...

Yeah. Also, remember, no beachwear in town (remember the suit is beachwear), proper morning wear and a cane or umbrella to leave your house in the morning, be sure to change in the afternoon and again in the evening so that your clothing is appropriate to the hour, if you're thinking far enough back, be sure that your boots are very sleek . . . there are a near infinite number of rules that have been arbitrarily abandoned/dated.

[amlai]

I've heard "No brown into town" too...

Right, however that rule has always been somewhat relaxed here in the US as the US as a whole used to be considered "the country" when compared to the old world.

[rnrswitch]

Where were the Cigar cordo Indy's purchased. I am in the market for a new pair of boots and those look like they fit the bill.

[GregNYC]

This being my first pair of nice leather boots, I was wondering what type of shoe trees you guys use in your boots? Are there special ones for them? The Helstons are about 6 inches high or so (pretty much the same height as most of the boots on here). Can I just use regular shoe trees on them? Also, where can I get a good pair of waxed cotton laces for boots in the NYC area? I work near the Alden store on Madison... do they sell them there (didn't have a chance to look in this morning)

The best trees for C & J shoes are C & J trees. Lime wood I believe, lighter, more porous and less abrasive than cedar. You can get them here at C & J in NYC, call Cindy at Turnbull and Asser at 212-752-5700. They make two forms I believe. One for the 337 last and one generic last. But they cost $100. I have seen cedar trees branded C& J on the internet.

But any trees are better than none! I have a few cedar trees for like $25 from my shoe shine guys. Alden's are like $30, etc., and the Internet has tons.

[Chicken]

i know people have this huge problem with brown shoes with black pants, but whatever

aha. i've been waiting for your appearance here. man, are those only like 1 or 2 months old? can't wait to see what happens to your boots after a year.

[GregNYC]

Right, however that rule has always been somewhat relaxed here in the US as the US as a whole used to be considered "the country" when compared to the old world.

This is also why here in the, er, colonies, you'll see a person wearing non-welted rubber-soled "leatherette" shoes with expensive suits ....

[riff]

I know I'm biased, but whenever I get sales execs making visits at my office, I always check out their shoes first... A well cut, expensive suit - matched with poorly cared for and/or cheap shoes just doesn't cut it. Should be part of basic business training...

[barwag]

I know I'm biased, but whenever I get sales execs making visits at my office, I always check out their shoes first... A well cut, expensive suit - matched with poorly cared for and/or cheap shoes just doesn't cut it. Should be part of basic business training...

yes, i feel the same thing, but in general. many people, though a small percentage of all people, have good looking clothes. an even smaller percentage of those with good looking clothes has also got nice shoes... that is a shame, since it just ruins everything for me.

if i had to choose between nice clothes or nice shoes, i would go with the shoes.

[jubei]

The best trees for C & J shoes are C & J trees. Lime wood I believe, lighter, more porous and less abrasive than cedar. You can get them here at C & J in NYC, call Cindy at Turnbull and Asser at 212-752-5700. They make two forms I believe. One for the 337 last and one generic last. But they cost $100. I have seen cedar trees branded C& J on the internet.

But any trees are better than none! I have a few cedar trees for like $25 from my shoe shine guys. Alden's are like $30, etc., and the Internet has tons.

Thanks for the advice! I will probably cheap out and get a pair of cedar trees. Good to know that I can just use regular shoe trees on them. I will have to stop by T&A (heh) to see what other goodies they have to offer).

I'm waiting for the perfect set of weather conditions to wear them out for the first time...

[GregNYC]

if i had to choose between nice clothes or nice shoes, i would go with the shoes.

Me too. Among the wristwatch collectors I know, there are many very wealthy people. One guy has 400 watches, the cheapest of which is $4K, the most expensive like $250K. Sometimes they try to dress down and look regular, say with regular Levis and an untucked shirt. But look at their shoes, and they're always expensive. Not always stylish in the way of SF or AA or STLBWA, but expensive or designer nevertheless. Expensive watch, expensive shoes, and the rest intended as kind of a disguise.

[moykky]

Damn nice shoes last few pages again.

[barwag]

Me too. Among the wristwatch collectors I know, there are many very wealthy people. One guy has 400 watches, the cheapest of which is $4K, the most expensive like $250K. Sometimes they try to dress down and look regular, say with regular Levis and an untucked shirt. But look at their shoes, and they're always expensive. Not always stylish in the way of SF or AA or STLBWA, but expensive or designer nevertheless. Expensive watch, expensive shoes, and the rest intended as kind of a disguise.

thats exactly what i mean. if you let me pick what shoes to wear, the rest doesnt matter so much to me.

[Chicken]

to me the price i'd like to pay is proportional to how much i wear them and how long they last. it's worth spending more money on shoes than pants for example, simply because i could wear some shoes a lot more often and a lot longer. in the same way, i feel good about spending a good chunk of money on a good leather jacket. something i know i'd wear for ages.

[Charlie Delta]

How would you guys feel about a specific subforum based around this thread, maybe put the other leather topics (wallet, evolution, pyc, black boots etc) in there aswell, and take it from there.

This thread has evolved into an unsearchable beast and is getting close to 300 pages, with every possible brand, new or thrift, etc. thrown in together.

I recently tried to find a specific shoe in here and I spend 15 minutes searching with no result.

After all, the denim sub forum started out like this aswell, as interest in jeans started getting bigger and bigger, it was given it's own place on the board.

I feel like that for how big and diverse this thread is it would deserve it.

There could be brand specific threads, info on care, thrift finds etc, basicly just the denim board but about leather and boots.

These are just my 2 cnts.

Would love to hear reactions, and if there's enough interest I could start a specific thread in Superofficial and send some pm's.