Last edited by The_Shooman (2015-02-28 21:11:45)
Shooey, I'd love to participate, but I'm going to have to clear some time in my schedule. I just received some Renovateur and some Venetian Shoe Cream, so a cleaning and polish will be the ideal opportunity for me to get some good shots of my favorite shoos. I'll obviously be offering up the American/"Ivy"/vintage/budget end of the shoe spectrum, but still some stuff I'm sure you can appreciate.
Nice collection by the way. I see quite a few I'd wear myself, including all of the Florshees in the last shot.
Edward Green chukkas, Johnston & Murphy handmade, and Florsheim Imperials are my favorites and look great!
Being honest, and not just lazy, but exactly Stan's choices, with the addition of the Santoni Handmade (bentivegna) and the brown Edward Greens in the 4th pic far left.
Really interesting to see what people like. Personally, leaving out quality (a major factor for me) l like the black Lobb captoe the best solely based on design and last (top pic), but l love too many to mention here. I get in different moods for different shoos, but it is mainly about feel for me, and the top quality ones always feel the best! I also think the Vass brown shell shoo (3rd pic) is the nicest casual shoe l have ever seen, it is a masterpiece. The super grand Materna really makes a statement (5th pic...I LOVE grand) as does the burgundy Vass (2nd pic),and l really love the monk (4th pic) when l want to stick my finger up at society and let it all hang out. The Santoni handmade (bentivegna) is a real treasure and super highend that is currently the highest quality of all my shoos.
The Lobb are very impressive goodyear shoos because of the last and design, it's is the most perfect captoe oxford l have ever seen in rtw and it is my most worn shoo...I can't stop looking at it!!! The Edward Greens have a high quality unique antiquing that is second to none imo because it makes the shoos look like vintage shoos very quickly in the most tasteful way, but the designs and lasts are very understated and border on very boring, but that is what Edward Green do. The G&G are very slick, but the quality is not there for me so l rarely wear them. The Vass are the ultimate experience in rtw for me, they are mainly about the feel for me. When l really want to dress down and bum around l will wear the Kenmoors. I wear those shell Vass shoos a lot during the dark winter months and cold days, and l notice l wear the tan Vass (3rd pic) quite regularly.
Wearing the Edward Green do bore me to tears, but l love them in their own special way. The John Lobb really grab my attention,. The Anthony Cleverley (not in pic) simply wow me at their stunning uniqueness, and the G&G are such cool shoos that always steal the show and grab the attention. BUT, when you are really doing the business you wear the Santoni handmade (bentivegna) because it looks like an ordinary boring black shoo to the untrained eye but it is the king of kings....it's a real shoo connoisseurs. Sometimes l really love understated shoos that are very high quality that very few except a few would ever recognise as a Rolly Royce.
My next shoo purchase will be the result of 2 years of work. It is going to be the loud noisey shoo that says `look at me'. It's going to be my best pair ever in every way. I don't play the noisey game too much, but this one will sing from the rooftops and let the world know l am a shooman.
In sum, all my shoos play different roles because l have a very eclectic personality.
--------
Alright, enough about my shoos, lets see some of yours fellas. Lets have a good thread and take the time to post pics and explanations of why you wear them and like them.
Last edited by Patrick (2015-03-01 10:40:47)
Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna post soon enough.
Patrick does display a nice collection of steadfast workhorses. Good stuff.
I have some elegant shoes too. Not being particularly elegant myself, they don't get as much play as they should.
I think Shooey is going to like MBPs the most, which are my least favorite. The Kenilworth's and the Church's are my pics out of that lot.
Indeed, some real burly stuff here. I've started my clean and polish regimen, so with little interruption from Mrs. WM (impossible) I should have some shoe porn up somewhat soon.
Pats churchs (second from right 1st photo) have to be my dream shoe if i was to have such a thing..which i now do and it's those
Very nice.
Last edited by Patrick (2015-03-05 20:03:09)
Last edited by The_Shooman (2015-03-06 03:00:53)
Thanks Shooman.
Because I don't have a ton of money, most of these shoes are secondhand. There's a decent cobbler nearby who will replace the insides of a shoe for $25. For full rehab I use a service called NuShoe, although the last time I sent something to them it took forever, so next time I might try the internet favorite, B. Nelson in New York.
Allen Edmonds shoes dominate because a) I like them and b) they are ubiquitous in the U.S.
When I buy new it's almost always on sale or a second. Those Trickers BFBs came from Sierra Trading Post, for instance. And AE has the Shoe Bank, where you can look up availability of factory seconds. The flaws on these are cosmetic and so minor as to be undetectable unless you really know what you're looking for.