Shoe-Case

[grawk]

I have a couple pairs of dress brogue boots I need redone, if I ever find a cobbler

[VPI]

  Jeff, you should probably go buy about 25% of what Leffot sells next time you are in NYC.

I was looking, I could find very little there in my size.  Lot's of tiny shoes, very little 12-12.5s.  

[jvlgato]

I have a couple pairs of dress brogue boots I need redone, if I ever find a cobbler

I wonder if my place would accept a shipment.

http://m.yelp.com/biz/tonys-shoe-clinic-oak-park

Or ship it to me and I'll bring it in. Though the cost of all the shipping may remove all the benefits of having a local cobbler...

[CarlSeibert]

CJ - I have really wide feet too, about one size shorter than yours. I have liked the Rockport dress models for stand-around-all-day-on-a-hard floor use. I have a couple pair that are over twenty years old and have had a few new soles.

 

And I just scored an almost-new perfect pair in perfect condition in the pet rescue thrift store in Wilton Manors for eleven bucks! I thought the odds against ever finding shoes in a thrift store were a meeelion-to-one. Who knew?  (I guess gay guys give better stuff to thrift stores.)

[Dusty Chalk]

For casual every day use at home and most days at the office, I wear slip on waterproof Merrells.

I have had bad luck wearing waterproof anything for more than a couple hours due to them NOT BREATHING.  Much prefer rubbers galoshes.

[jvlgato]

Bad luck... As in stinky feet?

[cetoole]

I have had bad luck wearing waterproof anything for more than a couple hours due to them NOT BREATHING.  Much prefer rubbers galoshes.

I mostly wear suede in the rain.  Really.

[Dusty Chalk]

Aren't boat shoes made of suede often enough?

Bad luck... As in stinky feet?

I never let it go that long, but if I'm forced to....yes.  But I get uncomfortable with sweaty feet before they get toxic.  My feet like to breathe.

[Voltron]

The Gravati shoes I have don't look like the ones I pasted above and the tux shoes are Ferragamos not Brioni.

[Dusty Chalk]

Here you go:

 

[VPI]

Picked up a pair of Allen Edmond and a pair of Rancourt & Co. loafers today.  Wore the Peal & Co. shoes today and found them to be amazingly uncomfortable.

[Dusty Chalk]

That's pretty much why I like Dockers -- soft uppers, which seems to be the tricky spot.

[VPI]

I am going to have to change my review of the Peal & Co. Shoes. Wore them today on a tour of a 1m sq ft Pharma facility and had zero comfort issues. I already ordered a pair of slip ons and a different brown oxford from Peal & Co.

[jvlgato]

I've found a lot of good dress shoes require a bit of break in.

200 hours, ideally. Makes them warmer, richer, softens the harshness.

[mypasswordis]

Thoughts on AE Higgins vs Wolverine 1000 Mile? Are they both too hipster douchey?

Edited July 15, 2017 by mypasswordis

[Hopstretch]

Only you can decide how much you want to kick society in the nuts! For this purpose, I would choose the Wolverines.

[mypasswordis]

You know the answer to that  Maybe I also need to start wearing a cup (for safety/retaliation reasons)? 

Will look into the Wolverines, thanks. Does the leather typically eventually stretch out about a half size? 

[mypasswordis]

Got some Evans in hopefully what will become the right size. 

[cetoole]

I wouldn't buy (most) shoes hoping they will stretch.

[mypasswordis]

Hm, after doing some googling people seem to agree that leather does stretch but there's no consensus on the amount that they do. All my semi-athletic/casual shoes stretched out and became loose over time, but they're not boots. I guess I have 90 days to figure out if it will work.

[Dusty Chalk]

Fluevog!  Thank you for resurrecting this thread, I was trying to remember that name.  Dusty needs one pair of wild-ass shoes.

[cetoole]

I guess it depends mostly which direction you are talking about them being tight.  You will get some width out of most leather shoes of any quality. How much and how painful it will be depends on the hide used, tanning process, and shoe construction.  Standard stuff I have not had stretch out on me more than desired.  If your toes are pinched, that will not get better.  Try different socks.  I can dial in a near perfect fit for all of my leather shoes by matching the socks, and it helps with sliding too depending on the insole.

Edited July 16, 2017 by cetoole

[EdipisReks1]

You can try filling the shoes with ziplock bags 3/4s filled with water and then sticking them in the freezer.  A boot is going to be difficult for a cobbler to stretch, as the stretchers likely won't fit through the ankle.  I've had shoes stretched half a size in width, with no cosmetic issues, but that has been calf dress shoes.  I haven't had much stretch, from wear, in quality shoes, especially with shell.  The leather will soften, however. 

[mypasswordis]

Wearing thin socks works for now and I should be able to wear slightly thicker socks as it breaks in. Thanks, guys. Advice on conditioners and polish for Chromexcel?

[EdipisReks1]

37 minutes ago, mypasswordis said:

Wearing thin socks works for now and I should be able to wear slightly thicker socks as it breaks in. Thanks, guys. Advice on conditioners and polish for Chromexcel?

A neutral leather conditioner cream would work just fine, for basic maintenance.  Regular shoe polish is likely to build up on the surface, so I would avoid it.  A lot of people swear by Saphir, but I have had great results with cheap-as-chips Meltonian on shell (I have several pairs of shell shoes though, admittedly, they are all no. 8), so I would expect it to work great on Chromexcel, too. You can also use colored cream: Chromexcel isn't as scratch resistant as shell, of course, so maybe a colored cream is a good idea, if you want them looking "new-ish."  Then again, the pull-up is one of the charms of Chromexcel, so, again, I say start with a neutral cream, and see how that does it for you.  

On 3/27/2013 at 9:15 PM, grawk said:

I have a couple pairs of dress brogue boots I need redone, if I ever find a cobbler

It's been four years, so I don't know if you still need it, but I sent a pair of late 60s J&M full-brogue black wingtips to NuShoe (a cheap eBay find, rare in 12EEE), and they came back in wonderful kit.  If I didn't have a pair of Church's in black, I'd wear them often (and if I didn't have a pair of Bally Goodyear welted wingtips, in black, I'd wear the Church's).  Nothing wrong with the vintage J&Ms, the Church's just fit me better (perfectly compared to very well, and the Bally pair is even better, and are better shoes than either).  It wasn't cheap (I did the executive package), but they did an excellent job. Included shoe bags and trees cut for the specific pair of shoes. 

Edited July 18, 2017 by EdipisReks1