Edward
Bartender
- Messages
- 24,789
- Location
- London, UK
Even if I haven't polished them, I will always wipe any mud off the heel of a pair of boots before I wear them out. I tend to think of wear in terms of nice creasing, the depth of colour and lustre you get when you've polished them over time. It also extends the life of the leather, which can only be a good thing when you're blowing $£$£$£$ on shoes.
This pair of boots were half-dead when I got them, but a few coats of Red Wing shoe cream and Kiwi Parade Gloss and a bit of elbow grease brought them right up and given them a second life. They're great in really bad weather - lot of traction and the thick sole insulates my feet from the cold.
Are those the William Lennon shephard shoes? It's an intriguing design with the tongue. How are you getting on with those? (I think they'd look great with a kilt for casual daywear, actually - especially if your preferred tartan happens to be in the earthtone spectrum...). I'm wearing my B9s today. three-layer leather soled with a stick-on rubber layer on the bottom, really keeps out the cold from underfoot (went out for dinner at a colleague's house on Hogmany wearing isngle-leather soled penny loafers and sure noticed the difference with that!).
Natural leather roughouts? Put me in mind of some Inuit or First Nation styles. Nice-loloking, but you wouldn't want to ride an old Brit bike in them - think of the oilstains!
