We have entered the Anthropocene era. New environment, new values. When a resource is summoned into existence by the human in question, the amount of use we get out of it goes into determining the sustainability quotient of the resource. I have too many shoes. 16 pairs to be exact. Hence, every pair gets underused. It took me years to put enough wear on this one. It has finally become mine. The shoe have moulded to my feet. My investment is finally starting to pay off.
Maker : Officine Creative.
Composition : 100% leather upper. Nylon thread stitching. Goodyear welted. Leather sole. Rubber heel cap. Leather upper has a burnished finish.
Upkeep : Used Saphir leather conditioner once per season. I do not own burgundy shoe polish. I use a clear coat to protect the leather. Stored in a shoe box away from sunlight.
Worn : Atleast once per week on an average during transition months.
Status : The upper has some scratches from life, which is fine by me. The sole is wearing in as is normal for this type of shoe. The leather has darkened to a brown toned burnt red – which is much more easy to pair than outright red shoes. They have 4 more years left in them if worn at this rate.
Lesson learnt : I know that I buy expensive shoes, but I can get a good return for my investment if I can wear them into the ground. Buy if and only if I can make this commitment.
Good to see you back to blogging! I always appreciate your perspective on the topics you write about.
I’ve recently become interested in menswear-inspired shoes that have richer color and leather with a burnished look. (Seems to be something that’s common-ish with men’s dress shoes, but not so much with women’s shoes.) Trying to get something with that look probably requires shopping at a higher price point for shoes than I’ve previously been accustomed to. I lack the knowledge of how to maintain them at present, and would not buy a pair like that until I’m somewhat confident that I’ve learned, after testing whatever steps I’ve learned on the shoes I already have.
Thank you Xin !
I find these two tutorials helpful :
For burnished leather : https://youtu.be/FB-USSEVgxo
For leather : https://youtu.be/6mdTKG1aFSE
He is a cobbler and seems to work with quite a few high end shoes.
I hardly see burnished leather in the women’s market unless its a European/Japanese designer/leather goods specialist. I got my pair on Farfetch from an Italian boutique back in the day when I couldn’t find something similar in America. I see a tight knit community of men’swear youtube channels talking about quality leather goods. (The Kavalier is my fav.) The brands they recommend seem to make “a few” womens pairs too.
These are beautiful! I have a pair purchased over this winter and am looking forward to achieving that patina, eventually.