Church's Oxford shoes with creases - Fixable, normal or throw out?

[qwertyas]

My Church's Oxford shoes have what I think are some pretty terrible creases (please see the picture). I have odd sizes feet (short but wide) and a strange gait where my feet externally rotate and supinate. I've been trying to fix this with the help of a podiatrist. There has been some improvement, but progress is slow.

1) Does the size of these creases seem abnormal to you, and is there a way to fix these? Or is this normal / acceptable?
I've seen some YouTube videos and articles suggest using an air dryer and an iron (with a cloth over the shoe)

I have some important interviews (think investment banking / private equity), and I want to put my best foot forward. I know being "well put together" is important in that industry (been working here for several years), and I wanted to know if these shoes would be acceptable or if should I throw these out and buy a new pair.

I don't really have any other oxfords to wear so I can't just wear another pair of shoes. Or I may just be overthinking the whole thing.

2) I also need some advice on proper shoe polish + cream for the shoe. They don't sell the church's cream and polish in my city. Should I use Saphir?

 

[Pandaros]

1. They look fine to me - creases always look deeper off the feet.

Also, if I was interviewing you, I wouldn't give a damn whether you showed up in brand new bespoke black Oxfords or your grandfather's brown loafers. The idea that how you dress rules you out of an interview is a myth - as long as you're presentably attired...but then, maybe, if someone else from styleforum was interviewing you they might go for a less able but better dressed candidate -- I think that's unlikely in any event 😅

2. You just need a good, black beeswax polish. Saphir is perfectly fine.

 

[othertravel]

Maybe you need low-instep shoes.

 

[Gabriel_H]

Do you use shoe trees? If not, you definitely should.

From the looks of it, the shoes may be made of bookbinder leather? Sadly, Church's is known to use that. Bookbinder leather is corrected grain and plastic coated so it shines more. But it also creases more and shoe cream isn't of any use. The leather wouldn't absorb it because of the plastic coating.

Other than that: don't worry about it. Shoes crease, it's normal, and these don't look completely battered or anything. Just fine for an interview.

 

[letsgofire]

Your shoes look like they might be too long for you, hence the extra strong creasing. I would get sized in the store and start over. Consuls can last ten years or more if we’ll maintained.

 

[othertravel]

Based on the creasing, it looks like the shoes have too much volume for your foot. You need shoes that have less volume.

 

[maxalex]

You are right to care about your shoes in a job interview. I think those will be fine but I come from New England where anything too new and perfect is regarded with suspicion, suggesting the wearer is an arriviste. (“I don’t buy clothes, I own them,” goes the classic WASP line.)

All polishes work fine. I prefer Safir because it doesn’t stink of petroleum like the cheaper stuff. It costs a lot more but requires much less.

 

[qwertyas]

1. They look fine to me - creases always look deeper off the feet.

Also, if I was interviewing you, I wouldn't give a damn whether you showed up in brand new bespoke black Oxfords or your grandfather's brown loafers. The idea that how you dress rules you out of an interview is a myth - as long as you're presentably attired...but then, maybe, if someone else from styleforum was interviewing you they might go for a less able but better dressed candidate -- I think that's unlikely in any event 😅

2. You just need a good, black beeswax polish. Saphir is perfectly fine.

Thanks for the comfort. Will have a look and give it a go

 

[qwertyas]

Do you use shoe trees? If not, you definitely should.

From the looks of it, the shoes may be made of bookbinder leather? Sadly, Church's is known to use that. Bookbinder leather is corrected grain and plastic coated so it shines more. But it also creases more and shoe cream isn't of any use. The leather wouldn't absorb it because of the plastic coating.

Other than that: don't worry about it. Shoes crease, it's normal, and these don't look completely battered or anything. Just fine for an interview.

I use shoe trees but they aren't church's branded and don't fill the shoe up appropriately (rookie mistake)!

Is there a way to check if it is bookbinder leather? I suspect you may be correct about the plastic coating. It has maintained some sort of shine for a very long time

 

[Gabriel_H]

Well, as long as the shoe trees are the right size, it's ok. They don't have to perfectly fill out the shoe IMO, an approximation is sufficient.

I never owned bookbinder leather so take these tips with a grain of salt.
First step would be: google bookbinder leather to get an impression.
You could also try to put a waterdrop on an uncreased area of the shoe and see if it gets absorbed after a few minutes. If not, it may be bookbinder, but it also could be pigmented leather.
Look closely at the leather if you find pores on the surface. I think bookbinder would be very even because of the coating.
You could also ask a cobbler in your area to identify it.

On the upside, bookbinder is pretty much waterproof (obviously). If it really bothers you, you could buy a new pair of shoes for the interview and wear these as beaters in rain/winter.

 

[florent]

I use shoe trees but they aren't church's branded and don't fill the shoe up appropriately (rookie mistake)!

Is there a way to check if it is bookbinder leather? I suspect you may be correct about the plastic coating. It has maintained some sort of shine for a very long time

This is bookbinder for sure