Cheap Shoes too Shiny

[mkarim]

Originally Posted by Jack2000

I got a pair of chukkas from Banana Republic--- before you trash me for buying crappy shoes let me say they were $34 on sale and I like the fit and the shape of the last very much. They look like the Loake Kempton. They are however made of cheap, pebble grain leather that has a shine on it that looks like a coat of polyurethane. Is there anything anyone can suggest short of stripping the leather like all he antiquing project that might improve the look and feel of this leather.

Just write it off as a relatively inexpensive lesson learned! I have seen shoes at BR on sale for $150 - made in India!

 

[Jack2000]

Originally Posted by riwa1

i guess nothing u can do bout it except to enjoy the $34 shoes. worst case, you can sell it back here when you had enough of the shoes

I have a feeling they might not sell so well. It's okay. I actually like them for $34 and my life is pretty casual so they will get some use as beaters.

It could be worse--my wife tried to get me to buy the Banana Republic suede Chelseas for $150. Thanks to styleforum I knew enough to say "No baby those are made in China--I can get a sweet pair of RM Williams for like $25 more--made out of real Kangaroo"

 

[tonylumpkin]

The reason they're shiny is because they're corrected grain, sanded down and coated. They corrected the grain because the leather was bad to begin with. So, when you strip off the shine, you're left with bad leather. What's the point?

 

[zjpj83]

Originally Posted by samurai

I had a pair of Cole Hahns like that which I bought on sale last year. They had a clear coat on them that resisted every effort to remove it. Finally I got it off with stripper, spent a few days restoring the finish.

After much effort I finally took an objective look at them and realized that they were just a cheap crp. pair of shoes and pitched them...

I read this as, "I got it off with a stripper"

 

[Mark Anthony]

Thats the thing with corrected grain, has to have all that plasticky coating to look even halfway okay. Not much you can do about it. Lesson learned.

Are you in the snow belt? If so sounds like you have a pair of bad weather beaters you can use.

 

[whiskeylaureate]

So, we're saying that BR shoes are crap? I just picked up a pair of loafers for $25, but I kept the box and receipt for confirmation from this site. Here they are: http://www.808citycard.com/main/inde...ack&Itemid=112

 

[mkarim]

Originally Posted by whiskeylaureate

So, we're saying that BR shoes are crap? I just picked up a pair of loafers for $25, but I kept the box and receipt for confirmation from this site.

Here they are:
http://www.808citycard.com/main/inde...ack&Itemid=112

I wouldn't pay any more than $25 for these...

 

[whiskeylaureate]

The leather felt cheap. Hearing about the process confirms what I suspected. Back they go. Thanks everyone.

 

[mkarim]

Originally Posted by whiskeylaureate

The leather felt cheap. Hearing about the process confirms what I suspected. Back they go. Thanks everyone.

Good for you!!!