Few elements in a man's daily dress are as interesting as the sight of a richly patinated pair of highly polished brown shoes, like the 45 year old brogued casuals from W. S. Foster & Son in the photograph.
Shoes should be polished because the gleam of the leather complements the silk of the necktie as the two light-reflecting elements of the day's clothes. That polish also lets us manage the amount of patination over time. A wax or cream that is slightly lighter than the shoe will keep the color relatively constant over the years, and that can be exactly what we want for summer shoes. For the rest of the shoe wardrobe, a darker shade of polish will darken the shoe, adding to the antiqued look.
That variegated finish does not come with black. It is the province of the brown shoe, and should usually be encouraged
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Patination of Brown
Photo: W. S. Foster
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5 comments:
Could not agree more! I have a pair of Allen-Edmonds that my grandfather bought in the 30's. They have been restored by A-E, and one of their craftsmen (or women) put in a note about how they loved the variations in color the shoes had.
Will, how much are those shoes used and resoled, etc?
Such information is important for convincing the wife that spending money on high end shoes is a wise financial decision.
Will: Are those shoes 45 years old? They look like brand new? The soles look new as does the upper. Very nice.
Tony, that pair is a bespoke sample, so it has been polished regularly but rarely if ever worn.
Sean, I can't say that high end shoes are a wise investment. You buy them for love. How long they last depends on how many shoes are in the wardrobe, whether you get them with toe taps, and how hard you are on them.
That said, I have twenty year old EGs that have had just one of their three resoleings (that's the usual number that you get from a pair). And I had perhaps 10-15 pair in my rotation when I bought them so they got reasonable wear.
rotation is the key to the longevity of shoes.i have egs bought in 1987 that have not been resoled yet.will i note that you have not mentioned james taylor of paddington street london w1 or trickers of jermyn st.they are quite good and value for money.we,you and i are eg fans but at £600.00+ for rtw they are not value for money.crockket and jones handgrade is comparable and catching up.we all love quality but we must eschew the "rip off" factor.i'm still a great fan of your site.
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