Show us your new shoes

[g3org3y]

nigelpugh7 said:

Yes indeed, to be worn sockless with some nice tailored shorts like my, boss golf tan tailored shorts, or my polo cream 3/4 length baggy shorts.

I might also wear them with my 7 for all mankind brushed denim cream chinos too, I'm hoping it looks like a good simple cool summer look!

That sounds good to me.

Such a pair of shoes I'd consider a 'statement piece'. As such, the rest of the outfit should be quite conservative otherwise it'll be too much. With my red ones, I've worn them with dark jeans and a white linen shirt. Worked well. I've yet to get the chance to wear them with shorts (though to be fair, I only rarely wear shorts in the UK).



My casual summer shoes (Converse apart) are Toms. A link to them (TK Maxx obvs) was posted about a year ago on this thread. Cheap at £16.99, thought I'd give them a go. Typically worn with no show socks and always complimented.

As mentioned above, I don't often wear shorts, but last weekend was rather hot. Sky's out, thighs out!

Edited by g3org3y on Sunday 25th June 12:53

[CharlesdeGaulle]

g3org3y said:

My casual summer shoes (Converse apart) are Tons. A link to them was posted about a year ago on this thread. Cheap at £16.99.

Any chance you can re-do please?

[g3org3y]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

g3org3y said:

My casual summer shoes (Converse apart) are Tons. A link to them was posted about a year ago on this thread. Cheap at £16.99.

Any chance you can re-do please?

Hi CdG. I've gone back to edit my post (as post from my phone when having to upload photos) for typos and accuracy (autocorrect and crap fingers).

They were a TKMaxx special so long gone unfortunately. Link to shoes thread page, originally posted by sidekickdmr, scroll down.

Over the last month or two TK have had quite a few decent summer shoes online. The good stuff gets sold up (in common sizes) quite quickly though so it's worth a look on a regular basis.

Edited by g3org3y on Sunday 25th June 13:03

[CharlesdeGaulle]

g3org3y said:

Hi CdG. I've gone back to edit my post (as post from my phone when having to upload photos) for typos and accuracy (autocorrect and crap fingers).

Thanks, I remember them now.

[g3org3y]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

g3org3y said:

Hi CdG. I've gone back to edit my post (as post from my phone when having to upload photos) for typos and accuracy (autocorrect and crap fingers).

Thanks, I remember them now.

Are you looking for something similar, perhaps espadrilles?



http://www.tkmaxx.com/mens-shoes/multi-striped-fla...



http://www.tkmaxx.com/view-all-mens-shoes/multicol...

[CharlesdeGaulle]

g3org3y said:

Are you looking for something similar, perhaps espadrilles?

My with-shorts footwear is normally deck shoes or suede shoes like those orange ones, but I'm always on the look-out for new styles. Espadrilles aren't really me though!

[FreeLitres]

FreeLitres said:

I wore these out for the first time.

After a casual 15 minute walk into town, they managed to rub the inside of my heels to badly that it was too painful to walk back and I had to hail a cab home. WTF, I thought unlined suede is supposed to be the most comfortable shoes and boots available!

[Blown2CV]

bought two pairs of loake genuine cedar shoe trees after the recent purchase of two pairs of loakes. One pair has a large chip out of the cedar on one foot and the other foot the little brass ring keeps coming off and won't stay tight. st for £38 a pair!! They are being replaced.

[So]

Blown2CV said:

bought two pairs of loake genuine cedar shoe trees after the recent purchase of two pairs of loakes. One pair has a large chip out of the cedar on one foot and the other foot the little brass ring keeps coming off and won't stay tight. st for £38 a pair!! They are being replaced.

£38 a pair? Really? I think I paid £15 a pair for the last batch.

[g3org3y]

FreeLitres said:

I wore these out for the first time.

After a casual 15 minute walk into town, they managed to rub the inside of my heels to badly that it was too painful to walk back and I had to hail a cab home. WTF, I thought unlined suede is supposed to be the most comfortable shoes and boots available!

That's a bit annoying. Perhaps they'll just take a bit of time to break in?

Bought online or did you get the chance to try them on beforehand?

[Blown2CV]

So said:

Blown2CV said:

bought two pairs of loake genuine cedar shoe trees after the recent purchase of two pairs of loakes. One pair has a large chip out of the cedar on one foot and the other foot the little brass ring keeps coming off and won't stay tight. st for £38 a pair!! They are being replaced.

£38 a pair? Really? I think I paid £15 a pair for the last batch.

link? I trawled the internet first, they all seemed around that price if not slightly more.

[g3org3y]

Blown2CV said:

bought two pairs of loake genuine cedar shoe trees after the recent purchase of two pairs of loakes. One pair has a large chip out of the cedar on one foot and the other foot the little brass ring keeps coming off and won't stay tight. st for £38 a pair!! They are being replaced.

It's all about the Charles Tyrwhitt shoe trees imo. If you're tight like me, wait for the occasional money off offers (£10-20) and in the case of the £20 offer you can get them for free (in store) or for a fiver if delivered. I don't think I've ever bought a CT shoe tree for full price (and at last count I have seven). I must admit, the money off vouchers are far more infrequent than they were last year though.

[FreeLitres]

g3org3y said:

That's a bit annoying. Perhaps they'll just take a bit of time to break in?

Bought online or did you get the chance to try them on beforehand?

I bought online in the sales. When they arrived and I tried them on, they felt great. No undue pressure points or anything. It seems that the heel cup is very hard and inflexible. Once my blisters heal I will try wearing them again and see if I need to sell them.

[whoami]

FreeLitres said:

g3org3y said:

That's a bit annoying. Perhaps they'll just take a bit of time to break in?

Bought online or did you get the chance to try them on beforehand?

I bought online in the sales. When they arrived and I tried them on, they felt great. No undue pressure points or anything. It seems that the heel cup is very hard and inflexible. Once my blisters heal I will try wearing them again and see if I need to sell them.

I have a pair too.

They don't get much more comfortable I'm afraid.

[Goaty Bill 2]

whoami said:

FreeLitres said:

g3org3y said:

That's a bit annoying. Perhaps they'll just take a bit of time to break in?

Bought online or did you get the chance to try them on beforehand?

I bought online in the sales. When they arrived and I tried them on, they felt great. No undue pressure points or anything. It seems that the heel cup is very hard and inflexible. Once my blisters heal I will try wearing them again and see if I need to sell them.

I have a pair too.

They don't get much more comfortable I'm afraid.

If you've ever played indoor racket sports, basketball, or made a habit of hiking for long distances, you already know the solution, you've just forgotten...
Double socks.
Even a very thin second pair will, for most uses, take the 90%+ of the friction between the two pairs of socks.

I always pull a pair of cheap old Tesco nylon socks over my pure wool socks for wading (fishing). Neither pair of socks wear out, and my feet never suffer. (saved me a fortune in wool socks over the years too)
I have one pair of shoes that kill my right foot every time to the point of drawing blood. Same cheap socks underneath a pair of more fashionable socks, and my foot is fine for a long walk or long evening of standing.

Sadly, it's become harder to find cheap, thin nylon socks. Indian and Chinese cotton is just too cheap for most companies to bother to make nylon socks now it seems.


ETA
Thinking about this, such socks must be available from sports shops, especially those catering specifically for runners.
Probably far more expensive than my 'last forever and a day' 3 pairs for a fiver from Tesco 15+ years ago

Edited by Goaty Bill 2 on Monday 3rd July 00:05

[kelv_w]

Time to break out the valet box on the weekend



Had the soles cleaned and applied with sole guard



Toe edge sanded down and edge dressing was applied. Should have taken an after pic.



Leather prepped for polish.
Before



After

[g3org3y]

Looks very nice

Would you be kind enough to outline the process and products used?

Do you wipe the shoe down with a damp cloth before applying anything? On another forum, it was recommended before using Saphir Renovateur.

I have a few Saphir products bit nothing like your collection. Being a bit poor, I also use quite a bit of Kiwi polish (though I think the finish is pretty decent).

Can you tell us a bit more about the sole guard? Presumably for sealing/protecting leather soles? How often do you use it?

What product do you use for the edge dressing?

Edit:

Need something a bit more understated than the stripey TOMS to wear with shorts. Hopefully the front doesn't curve quite that much IRL.

Edited by g3org3y on Monday 3rd July 09:09

[anonymous-user]

nigelpugh7 said:

So said:

They're good. Not orange on my monitor though - tan.

Probably the poor quality from the iPad camera, they are very very orange!

Plus they are an extremely high quality shoe, I'm very pleased with them, and we're something of a bargain too!

Unfortunately the rubber bits on the sole wear out very quickly and you can't resole them.

I've had these tods before and they don't last very long at all.

I might get another pair or similar again but only in a sale. Unfortunately they only ever have bright g3org3y red going cheap with these types of shoe.

Plenty of other people make similar driving loafers etc but it's a fine line between great loafers and something your dad might wear and I'm desperately trying to pretend I'm still young.

[g3org3y]

El stovey said:

Unfortunately the rubber bits on the sole wear out very quickly and you can't resole them.

I've had these tods before and they don't last very long at all.

I might get another pair or similar again but only in a sale. Unfortunately they only ever have bright g3org3y red going cheap with these types of shoe.

Plenty of other people make similar driving loafers etc but it's a fine line between great loafers and something your dad might wear and I'm desperately trying to pretend I'm still young.

Hater. The red ones are brilliant. (Seriously, paired with navy shorts or dark jeans they look great)

Driving moccasins aren't very good for any actual walking. As you quite rightly mention, the rubber bits wear down quickly and can't be replaced/resoled.

TBH, the outfit you pair the shoe with is just as important as the shoe itself (especially if trying to avoid the dad look). For a driving moccasin I think a brighter colour really works well. I also think blue looks really good. For a brown or tan I'd probably buy proper loafers instead as these are more versatile and can be incorporated into both casual and smart outfits (and not worry about the shoes wearing out). Loafers can be dressed down, whereas driving moccasins can't be dressed up to the same extent.

[anonymous-user]

g3org3y said:

Hater. The red ones are brilliant. (Seriously, paired with navy shorts or dark jeans they look great)

I've got some red trainers .i wear them with similar stuff to your red shoes outfits with a white t shirt and dark blue shorts or faded denim but I usually have sneaky suspicion I look like a French flag or I'm in the British Olympic team.