Show us your new shoes (Vol 2)

[Louis Balfour]

BunkMoreland said:

Bobupndown said:

Where would one sport such a loud shoe, and what clothes would be appropriate to go along with them?

Glad I wasn't the only person thinking that!

I might go as far as Patent leather for a Black Tie (which I rarely attend) But I cant think of a single time I'd look at those Neapolitan items and think "Yep"

Neapolitan? Spectator shoes aren’t Neapolitan. First made by John Lobb.

Later they enjoyed notoriety as shoes worn by defendants in adultery trials hence “co-respondent’”

Nowadays only worn by upstanding pillars of the community, for example Goaty Bill. His are quite unusual though I think because they have brown and black leather. Normally one or tother.

[Bobupndown]

vixen1700 said:

Haven't had a pair of DMs since my old punk days going to see bands like Crass, Discharge and the Vice Squad back when I was 14/15 back in '81/'82.

But saw these the other day and the colour together with the fur-lining/tops quite appealed to me. Super comfy too.

Not sure about the fluffy lining but I'm certainly enjoying my new pair. Had a pair of these about 30 years ago without the yellow stitching. I have wide feet and it took a few decent wears for the leather to soften so that they are comfortable. Absolutely loving them now though. The crazy horse leather is definitely softer and easier to break in that the standard black smooth leather of my new mono 1461 shoes.

[Goaty Bill 2]

Louis Balfour said:

Nowadays only worn by upstanding pillars of the community, for example Goaty Bill.

Louis Balfour said:

His are quite unusual though I think because they have brown and black leather. Normally one or tother.

Even more unusual than that. The toe cap is actually a dark blue. Now that I've told you, you'll see it immediately if you look again.

My preference is for my chestnut brown and white New & Lingwood / Crockett & Jones correspondents, but the ones above make a change.

[Filibuster]

The Skolyx I ordered where not available, I went for some Doucal's tassel loafer in darn brown grain leather. Ordered on Yoox for £150 incl. 1 day express shipping from Italy!
I was after some inexpensive loafers with a rubber sole as a boat shoe alternative. They are cemented soles of course, but quite comfortable and the perfect shoes for an upcoming Rome trip the coming weekend

[soad]

Should be comfy enough as a driving shoes too.

[Louis Balfour]

Filibuster said:

The Skolyx I ordered where not available, I went for some Doucal's tassel loafer in darn brown grain leather. Ordered on Yoox for £150 incl. 1 day express shipping from Italy!
I was after some inexpensive loafers with a rubber sole as a boat shoe alternative. They are cemented soles of course, but quite comfortable and the perfect shoes for an upcoming Rome trip the coming weekend

Yes I like those. Partial to a bit of tassel.

[Goaty Bill 2]

Louis Balfour said:

Filibuster said:

The Skolyx I ordered where not available, I went for some Doucal's tassel loafer in darn brown grain leather. Ordered on Yoox for £150 incl. 1 day express shipping from Italy!
I was after some inexpensive loafers with a rubber sole as a boat shoe alternative. They are cemented soles of course, but quite comfortable and the perfect shoes for an upcoming Rome trip the coming weekend

Yes I like those. Partial to a bit of tassel.

The big question is; 'socks or no socks?' It is Italy after all.
Whichever, it's a style upgrade from boaters, though canvas boaters can work well depending on outfit.

Also a fan of the tasseled variety.
The biggest thing, in my experience, with loafers is there is more of an issue with differing foot size from left to right as there are no laces to secure them.
Insoles provided the answer in my case.

[Louis Balfour]

Goaty Bill 2 said:

Louis Balfour said:

Filibuster said:

The Skolyx I ordered where not available, I went for some Doucal's tassel loafer in darn brown grain leather. Ordered on Yoox for £150 incl. 1 day express shipping from Italy!
I was after some inexpensive loafers with a rubber sole as a boat shoe alternative. They are cemented soles of course, but quite comfortable and the perfect shoes for an upcoming Rome trip the coming weekend

Yes I like those. Partial to a bit of tassel.

The big question is; 'socks or no socks?'

Weather and outfit dependent I would say.

[Goaty Bill 2]

Louis Balfour said:

Weather and outfit dependent I would say.

How very British

[RSTurboPaul]

Not wearing socks should be a crime

[Filibuster]

Louis Balfour said:

Goaty Bill 2 said:

Louis Balfour said:

Filibuster said:

The Skolyx I ordered where not available, I went for some Doucal's tassel loafer in darn brown grain leather. Ordered on Yoox for £150 incl. 1 day express shipping from Italy!
I was after some inexpensive loafers with a rubber sole as a boat shoe alternative. They are cemented soles of course, but quite comfortable and the perfect shoes for an upcoming Rome trip the coming weekend

Yes I like those. Partial to a bit of tassel.

The big question is; 'socks or no socks?'

Weather and outfit dependent I would say.

Just back from Rome and the shoe performed flawlessly (if that can be said of a shoe). The weather was terrible most of the time but the rubber sole was pretty good on street gutters as well as on the terrible roman cobblestones.
I wore them with socks at all time. Also I wear most of my shoes most of the time with thin insoles. They are unscented 1mm thin paper (?) soles you throw away from time to time. Especially if you wear no socks, these are superb! As they absorb moisture, on a trip where you might only have one pair of shoes with you (I hate this, as I usually don't wear the same pair of shoes on two consecutive days) you can throw away these insoles everyday to have a fresher shoe in the morning.

PS:
Boat shoes = no socks
Loafers = depends on the loafer, the rest of your wardrobe, the weather

[Goaty Bill 2]

London Super Trunk Show

[RSTurboPaul]

Goaty Bill 2 said:

London Super Trunk Show

Ooh, nice, thanks for the heads-up.

I thought about going the other year but never made it. My worries remain - what does one wear to not be hopelessly underdressed to an event of such taste? lol

[Goaty Bill 2]

RSTurboPaul said:

Goaty Bill 2 said:

London Super Trunk Show

Ooh, nice, thanks for the heads-up.

I thought about going the other year but never made it. My worries remain - what does one wear to not be hopelessly underdressed to an event of such taste? lol

Last one I attended there was just about every 'style' imaginable as I recall.
I will be in jacket and tie or suit. I don't think Kirby goes anywhere in London, at least not when shooting for youtube, in other than a suit.
Others will certainly be more casual. It is a Saturday after all.

[VR99]

No new shoes but hopefully can post this here for advice:
I have a number of formal shoes (Barker, Loake etc all with leather soles) stored in shoe boxes in the garage for a couple of years (3) and mould has appeared on the bottom/sides of the soles. Any tips for cleaning the mould away without damaging the shoes and assume my mode of storage needs to change to prevent this in the future?

[Zio Di Roma]

VR99 said:

No new shoes but hopefully can post this here for advice:
I have a number of formal shoes (Barker, Loake etc all with leather soles) stored in shoe boxes in the garage for a couple of years (3) and mould has appeared on the bottom/sides of the soles. Any tips for cleaning the mould away without damaging the shoes and assume my mode of storage needs to change to prevent this in the future?

How bad is it?

Intuitively I would try either just polishing the sides of the soles and wearing them to wear it off the contact points, or otherwise some bleach on a cloth and wiping, being careful to avoid the uppers. Then wipe down with wet cloth, dry and polish.

Maybe post up some photos?

[VR99]

Zio Di Roma said:

VR99 said:

No new shoes but hopefully can post this here for advice:
I have a number of formal shoes (Barker, Loake etc all with leather soles) stored in shoe boxes in the garage for a couple of years (3) and mould has appeared on the bottom/sides of the soles. Any tips for cleaning the mould away without damaging the shoes and assume my mode of storage needs to change to prevent this in the future?

How bad is it?

Intuitively I would try either just polishing the sides of the soles and wearing them to wear it off the contact points, or otherwise some bleach on a cloth and wiping, being careful to avoid the uppers. Then wipe down with wet cloth, dry and polish.

Maybe post up some photos?

Thanks, I would say some worse than others but should be able to clean/remove the mould as its a thin layer on the soles. The bleach on cloth sounds like an idea, using a small amount.
I've accumulated far too many shoes and even more trainers hence using the garage to store them but will probably need to rethink the shoe storage (trainers not affected). I wear some cheap Clarks shoes on my office days now...pre-covid 5 office days per week rotated the leather sole shoes but tbh don't find any comfortable (the downside of being a wide-footer).

[Goaty Bill 2]

VR99 said:

Thanks, I would say some worse than others but should be able to clean/remove the mould as its a thin layer on the soles. The bleach on cloth sounds like an idea, using a small amount.
I've accumulated far too many shoes and even more trainers hence using the garage to store them but will probably need to rethink the shoe storage (trainers not affected). I wear some cheap Clarks shoes on my office days now...pre-covid 5 office days per week rotated the leather sole shoes but tbh don't find any comfortable (the downside of being a wide-footer).

Bring your shoes in from the cold and damp.
Moderately priced shoe cabinet (£235.00).

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2025928?clickSR=sl...

I can assure you it really will hold 28 pairs of men's size 10 shoes.

ETA
You might want to try white vinegar instead of bleach initially. It won't damage the uppers if some spreads.

Edited by Goaty Bill 2 on Saturday 16th March 18:27

[VR99]

Goaty Bill 2 said:

Bring your shoes in from the cold and damp.
Moderately priced shoe cabinet (£235.00).

I can assure you it really will hold 28 pairs of men's size 10 shoes.

ETA
You might want to try white vinegar instead of bleach initially. It won't damage the uppers if some spreads.

Thanks for the tips on both fronts, will take a look...and good point about the capacity of the cabinet....many shoe racks are woefully undersized/too narrow.

[Goaty Bill 2]

VR99 said:

Thanks for the tips on both fronts, will take a look...and good point about the capacity of the cabinet....many shoe racks are woefully undersized/too narrow.

You are absolutely right, most shoe racks / cabinets are far to shallow for men's shoes.
32mm is about the minimum depth for men's shoes (size 10ish). I am 'normally' a 9.5.
There is a bit of room to spare in that cabinet, even for JW's long pointy things.
Though to be fair I find with Jeffery West shoes I go down a half / full size or more.
On the other hand, I have a pair of C&J that are 10.5 and again, room to spare.

As always YMMV so, measure your own shoes before purchase. Their measurements are accurate.
As for the cabinet itself; it seems sturdy and of reasonable quality. Ikea equivalent or better.
Beautiful? No. But functional and not an eyesore.