Shoe Damage Report & Shoe P0rn Central - Part II

[SuitedDx]



Good looking comparison photo.  I was waiting for the seemingly obligatory AE jab as soon as I saw the PA's in the line up.  I still think people feel the need to poke at AE's simply because they are some of the most common and cost effective quality shoes around.  Looking at this photo, I also see some of the most common jabs that people make at AE's being debunked.  The Loake is substantially "plumper" than the Park Avenue, and yet, the Park Avenue is often presented as the poster child for being the "blobby" captoe.  Also, the Park Avenue is so frequently accused of having too short of a cap toe, and yet, the cap toe looks to be about the same length as all of these with the exception of the Loake.  I realize that often it is the combination of the rounded toe along with the cap that makes the Park Avenue look stubbier, while a pointier shoe can perhaps get away with a shorter cap.  But, looking at the photos above, I see nothing to complain about.    

I've owned AE and a number of other brands and do agree it is a great brand to start with when it comes to GYW shoes; however, I agree with JS' comment about the proportions. Having owned the PA and other captoes (AS, EG, Alden, G&G, C&J, Cheaney), the PA do have the shortest (however, I've always thought that this is a matter of preference in style) regardless of the shape of the toe. The reason I have had difficulty with the PA is the last really, I found the heel to ball relatively larger than the ball to toe. For me, if I wore the heel to ball size that fit, then my toes were cramped; if I went for a larger size, it shifted the widest part of the shoe too far from the ball of my foot.

If they fit well, they should provide the owner with joy. It is unfair to compare AE to shoes 2 to 3 times the price. What I can say is top notch is AE's customer service. There are very few companies that will go as far as them when it comes to making sure the customer 'feels' that they are always right.

Nice collection of black shoes W!

 

[meister]



Bingo on the Magnanni Seleccion! I was surprised myself - I've never been much impressed with regular Magnanni - but these were a steal at $300

Nothing wrong with Magnanni just that they don't get a lot of love round here. Were they from Gilt sale?

I love the way the Italians/Spanish are started to use that mild spade welt from the late 40s/early 50s.

Gives the shoes some added style.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

To be fair, the Loake is wide G fitting, while the others are UK F and AE E. Personally, I am totally with your point of quality and design for PA, and have no reservations with wearing them any day. However, I think people dislike PA due to its overall proportions, not only it has a more symmetrical round toe with a short cap as you mentioned, the entire body is most tubular from the top view, no curves around ball of the feet; and least slimming of the waist from the side view, which attribute to its tube look. So some people find them not as elegant.

I've owned AE and a number of other brands and do agree it is a great brand to start with when it comes to GYW shoes; however, I agree with JS' comment about the proportions. Having owned the PA and other captoes (AS, EG, Alden, G&G, C&J, Cheaney), the PA do have the shortest (however, I've always thought that this is a matter of preference in style) regardless of the shape of the toe. The reason I have had difficulty with the PA is the last really, I found the heel to ball relatively larger than the ball to toe. For me, if I wore the heel to ball size that fit, then my toes were cramped; if I went for a larger size, it shifted the widest part of the shoe too far from the ball of my foot.

If they fit well, they should provide the owner with joy. It is unfair to compare AE to shoes 2 to 3 times the price. What I can say is top notch is AE's customer service. There are very few companies that will go as far as them when it comes to making sure the customer 'feels' that they are always right.

Nice collection of black shoes W!

All good points, none of which I have any disagreement with. The 5-last requires some extra thought on my part as well, when seeking proper fit.

 

[wurger]

Loake Arundel 2 Black

 

[SuitedDx]



Bingo on the Magnanni Seleccion! I was surprised myself - I've never been much impressed with regular Magnanni - but these were a steal at $300

Is Seleccion commonly sold? i have not heard of this line.

All good points, none of which I have any disagreement with.  The 5-last requires some extra thought on my part as well, when seeking proper fit.  

Interesting that the 5 is the most commonly used last so I assume the majority of buyers like it. I still have fond memories of the 0 which had a nice chisel toe.

Loake Arundel 2 Black

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Nice pinstripes.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Is Seleccion commonly sold? i have not heard of this line.
Interesting that the 5 is the most commonly used last so I assume the majority of buyers like it. I still have fond memories of the 0 which had a nice chisel toe.
Nice pinstripes.

Interesting indeed. Also interesting is the fact that they describe the 7-last as "best fit for the average foot", yet they make so few shoes on it.

 

[FidelCashflow]



Is Seleccion commonly sold? i have not heard of this line.

In general Magnanni isn't commonly sold - the Seleccion line a little less so from what I've seen.

I picked these up at a local menswear store in Edmonton called The Helm

 

[mcarthur]

dark brown wt
argyles otc

 

[mimo]

Uncle Mac, I like these very much. ^^

 

[mcarthur]



Uncle Mac, I like these very much. ^^  

nephew,
thank you

 

[Xiaogou]

It's nice to see black shoes getting some love.

An excerpt from StCrispinsBlessing blog:

Mythbustin’

One of the most persistent memes in the #menswear community and even in the mainstream is that Italians supposedly only wear black to funerals and weddings. Another brilliant piece of Italian marketing? A meme originally started by Italian shoe salesmen to boost demand for made-in-Italy, brown footwear? Who knows. Now it is true that in Italy mores with regards to footwear may be a bit looser, due to Agnelli’s excentric habit of pairing ‘inapproriate’ footwear like driving shoes and hiking boots with business suits. And where l’Avvocato leads, others follow. But when things get serious - and navy and charcoal worsted solids and pinstripes are called for, Italian men of style, like their British and Continental equals opt for black shoes (preferably English). Pictured above, Stephan Winkelmann, 2 unidentified gentlemen, John Elkann, Alain Elkann, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Giovanni Agnelli, Andrea Agnelli, Matteo Marzotto, Aldo Brachetti Peretti and Lapo Elkann (pre-overdose).


Click here to see all of the above mentioned gentlemen in their black shoes!

http://saintcrispinsblessing.tumblr.com/page/10

I love my black cap toe oxfords.

From Left to right, Loake Ayr, Allen Edmonds Park Avenue, Tricker's Regent, Alfred Sargent Moore and Alfred Sargent Armfield.

 

[Ducc]

(I have no idea how this forum works. I posted this earlier, but I think I should have put it here.)

I recently purchased a pair of Crockett & Jones Hallam's in light brown. The second or third day of wearing them, I spilled a drop of water on the top. I wiped the drop off, but this is the result (the light stain):

I came home and applied a bit of water/vinegar to even out the stain, and then applied some Saphir Renovateur. So it's not quite as bad as it was, but it doesn't seem to want to go away. It's not even so bad, but I really don't want it happening again.

This exact same thing happened to a cheap pair of shoes. I wore them in a very slight rain, and I ended up with little light-colored drops all over the toes. This can't be normal. I can't imagine I have to be so protective of my shoes.

As soon as they were purchased, I treated them with some Saphir Renovateur, and applied a bit of Saphir Medium Brown creme (I'm trying to darken them over time). That's the only two products on these shoes, and I ended up trying to blend the brown creme into the shoe with Renovateur. So maybe there's not so much actual polish on the shoe.

Anyway, I have two questions: first, how can I remove this light stain, and second, how can I prevent it from happening again? How can I water-resist this leather?

I have a pair of Wolverine 1000 Mile that I treat with Montana Pitch-Blend Leather Dressing, and they have never been discolored by water. But I I'm not sure I should be putting the pitch-blend on these shoes. I expected the Renovateur to provide a barrier, but apparently not.

Thanks for any advice you have.

 

[wurger]



dark brown wt
argyles otc

I like this pair as well!

 

[wurger]



(I have no idea how this forum works. I posted this earlier, but I think I should have put it here.)

I recently purchased a pair of Crockett & Jones Hallam's in light brown. The second or third day of wearing them, I spilled a drop of water on the top. I wiped the drop off, but this is the result (the light stain):

I came home and applied a bit of water/vinegar to even out the stain, and then applied some Saphir Renovateur. So it's not quite as bad as it was, but it doesn't seem to want to go away. It's not even so bad, but I really don't want it happening again.

This exact same thing happened to a cheap pair of shoes. I wore them in a very slight rain, and I ended up with little light-colored drops all over the toes. This can't be normal. I can't imagine I have to be so protective of my shoes.

As soon as they were purchased, I treated them with some Saphir Renovateur, and applied a bit of Saphir Medium Brown creme (I'm trying to darken them over time). That's the only two products on these shoes, and I ended up trying to blend the brown creme into the shoe with Renovateur. So maybe there's not so much actual polish on the shoe.

Anyway, I have two questions: first, how can I remove this light stain, and second, how can I prevent it from happening again? How can I water-resist this leather?

I have a pair of Wolverine 1000 Mile that I treat with Montana Pitch-Blend Leather Dressing, and they have never been discolored by water. But I I'm not sure I should be putting the pitch-blend on these shoes. I expected the Renovateur to provide a barrier, but apparently not.

Thanks for any advice you have.

Hi Ducc, you should post this on the official shoe care guide thread to get more answers.

What type of water did you drop on the shoes?

Light colored shoes will always get water stain marks once rained upon, however, the leather should go back to normal color once it's dry, and this happens to all of my shoes.

So should let is dry out and apply polish.

You wouldn't want to water resistant your calf shoes, as the sprays contain silicone, bad for leather and stops it from breathing. Cream gets absorbed into the leather, so wax polish provides a layer of protection, but not water resistant.

 

[wurger]



It's nice to see black shoes getting some love.

An excerpt from StCrispinsBlessing blog:

Mythbustin’

One of the most persistent memes in the #menswear community and even in the mainstream is that Italians supposedly only wear black to funerals and weddings. Another brilliant piece of Italian marketing? A meme originally started by Italian shoe salesmen to boost demand for made-in-Italy, brown footwear? Who knows. Now it is true that in Italy mores with regards to footwear may be a bit looser, due to Agnelli’s excentric habit of pairing ‘inapproriate’ footwear like driving shoes and hiking boots with business suits. And where l’Avvocato leads, others follow. But when things get serious - and navy and charcoal worsted solids and pinstripes are called for, Italian men of style, like their British and Continental equals opt for black shoes (preferably English). Pictured above, Stephan Winkelmann, 2 unidentified gentlemen, John Elkann, Alain Elkann, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Giovanni Agnelli, Andrea Agnelli, Matteo Marzotto, Aldo Brachetti Peretti and Lapo Elkann (pre-overdose).


Click here to see all of the above mentioned gentlemen in their black shoes!

http://saintcrispinsblessing.tumblr.com/page/10

While brown is more interesting and gets a lot of love here on SF, most of us would still wear black for formal occasions. It's just for me, it can be 5 days a week!