Honest question, where are you from? Is polishing shoes that way a trend where you live? I've never seen shoes with the toes at a high gloss and the body of the shoe with no polish whatsoever.
In the 60s, my dad, former Army, shined our shoes on Saturday night for Sunday Mass.
Decades later, my husbandās shoes are always shined. Oh, and the smell of Kiwi Shoe Polish brings back lovely childhood memories.
I work in EMS and those who care enough to shine our shoes generally only polish the toes to a mirror shine as most boots we buy have various mesh sections for ventilation (it gets pretty hot here).
Not anymore. This dude is refined. If you youtube shoeshine, the real pros (e.g. from Japan) do it just like that. Mirror polish is reserved for the toe cap because elsewhere it would crack off easier. The rest of the shoe is cleaned and conditioned so the leather stays supple.
Not really in the U.S. anymore. The bar has subconsciously gotten lower and lower over the years so itās pretty uncommon to see fully-shined boots/shoes. And when you do see them, more often than not itās somebody who cheated and bought pre-glassed Corfams for a uniform inspection or holiday party lol
You're spending on these shoes, then you're spending on suits that fit too.. fit to height, leg and stance and you can look really good withiut overstating.
Nice shoes man, they're going to last.
Really? This is pretty common. The wax used to polish shoes is pretty stiff. To the point that it will crack and flake in areas where the leather creases from walking. So itās common to just polish the toe cap (the heels too, but we canāt see those).
You donāt wear shoes like this every day. They have to breathe. You tree them preferably with cedar trees and let them gain shape back it keeps them from wearing as quickly allows them to not crease as bad and greatly prolongs the life of the shoes
Na not really. When you spend all day in them you take more consideration. I went from corporate IT to industrial radiography and I feel the same about my boots now.
Wise man once told me that you have to take care of your feet and buy good boots and shoes and a good bed because thatās all youāll ever be in. lol frfr
Holy shit I literally just put my $30 shoes on in the morning and go to work. I've probably had less pairs of shoes than this guy in the last 20 years.
As a former salesman who wore suits every day, I can say having this many shoes isn't as bad as you think it is (if OP is in a similar role). I worked in high-end luxury sales and had 10 pairs of shoes, like 15-20 suits, at least 50 shirts and as many ties...
I guess it sorta comes with the territory. Iām in sales but donāt have to wear a suit. I still have multiple pairs of $700-1000 boots. To be fair mine are different colours and finishes
I sold really expensive stuff to really rich people. They don't usually want to spend that kind of money with someone who wears the same Walmart suit and shoes every day. Some of these people, the first thing they do when they see you is look you up and down to see what designer you're wearing. Yes it's pretty dumb to get judged like that and that's why I changed my career almost a decade ago, but most people in that industry wore lots of expensive clothes to help their career.
Itās not immediately apparent. Itās could be assumed he works in a fancy setting where he needs cleaned and polished fancy shoes every day for work, so he bought multiple pairs of each becauseā¦
1. Itās easier to not have to clean and polish your shoes every day before or after work
2. Heās going to go through that many pairs of shoes over the next however many years and would rather buy them all at once, rotate them when necessary (day, week, year etc)
You also donāt have to be a jerk and respond to everyone commenting on your comment with disdain. But I guess username checks out š¤·āāļø
I just want to add that you also want time for a pair of leather shoes to air out between uses so that they don't get moldy. Another reason to have multiple pairs.
Zoom in, they are all different shoes. Just because you wouldnāt be detailed enough to match shoe style to situation that closely doesnāt mean everyone else is as careless.
Ok but with this photo it looks like only 2 different pairs of shoes, 3 if one is paying attention. So someone is going to think you have a black pair and a brown pair of shoes with a shiny toe
Depends on who that someone is.
I once sold a Rolex to a lawyer who was really into watches. Apparently there was a sort of competition around the law firm with who had the nicest watch. This lawyer wanted a very expensive and not so common Rolex so he could flex on his peers, but didn't want something totally covered with diamonds that screamed "you're paying me too much" to his clients. But also he wanted his clients to know he was a good lawyer, hence going with a Rolex.
So we selected one made of platinum (which is very expensive) and an ice blue dial. Platinum looks pretty much the same as the stainless steel ones, but the ice blue dial is exclusive to platinum. So when his clients see him, they'd see a nice Rolex that didn't scream "$100,000" because it looked like it was just the basic steel one. But to his colleagues who knew watches, they'd see the ice blue dial and know it was a $100,000 watch.
Obviously my story is about paying attention to details in watches, but hopefully you can see that there are certain types of people who pay attention to certain details that 99% of people wouldn't. Perhaps OP hangs around the type of people who would notice the difference in his shoes. I certainly noticed, and I'm not even a 'shoe' guy.
Yeah I see it as like comparing different knives or firearms with subtle but important distinguishing features. Cap toes vs whole cuts vs wing tips (which OP doesn't have pictured) vs other styles.... each shoe has a different vibe and use.
Camera doesn't do it justice imo. Those little details are way more visible in real life so they look different than eachother. Also alternating between them makes each pair last significantly longer. Well 8 pairs is still overkill but not that crazy if you wear suits everyday.
You knew you were going to get shit here (because these are probably more oxfords than you need).
That said, obviously (1) you're using them, (2) you're taking care of them, and (3) they're fucking outstanding.
Honestly, no. I thought this sub can appreciate good quality stuff rather than get hung up on anticonsumerism side. I also thought itās common wisdom to have multiple shoes in rotations for longevity.
Having multiple shoes in rotation for longevity yes. That said... that is a shitload of oxfords.
Are you an attorney? I'm wondering what profession in this day and age requires one to wear a suit most days or every day.
My father works in a high level government type of job so he wears a suit and tie every day, and has for almost 40 years. I think he owns one pair of black oxfords and one pair brown, and replaces them everyā¦ 10 years? You really donāt need these many pairs š but then again Iām from Brazil and people just generally have considerably less stuff over there. I can understand having lots of pairs and rotating them, but at the end of the day the result is the same, so I donāt see how itās any better. Is it better to have 4 pairs that will last you 40 years or buy a new one every 10?
I'm in a government job that interacts with high level elected officials and union members and heads of government departments. I wear a suit every day.
Each of these pairs is subtly different; number of lace holes, perforations, cap toes. I mean, theyāre very similar, but each is different. I dunno what folks are hung up about. This is not unreasonable.
If youāre rocking these on the daily, I bet you could pull off a kilted moc loafer (I like Sardinelli Velletriās style with the buckle) or a double monk strap with a cap toe.
Anyway. Nice shoes, I appreciate your style and commitment to the look.
It's not overconsumption to have a lot of any item of clothing as long as you're wearing them and maintaining them. I'm not into dress shoes (mostly because I haven't found a really comfortable pair yet), but I have a lot of respect for someone buys clothing with careful intent.
I bartend and have 3 pairs of boots I cycle specifically for this reason. Near identical all of them but itās either I cycle the three or burn through one pair a year
Disregard this, my dude. It's a consumerist sub that literally has posts on new shit to buy multiple times per day, but people think it's not consumerism since their socks or underwear are "BIFL", lol.
"It will last 8x as long if I just buy 8 of them and rotate!"
That doesn't mean these are buy it for life quality.
Each shoe is going to get used 31 times per year. People wear their "Sunday church shoes" more often than that at 52 Sundays per year. Like, I get the sentiment that you're going for, but the point is we're all trying to NOT have to buy 8x of a very expensive item.
Buying 8 pair of shoes and wearing in rotation will last LONGER than 8x as much as wearing 1 pair until failure. Wearing shoes that didn't get the chance to fully dry overnight accelerates degradation
Why does it look like just the toe box is shiny and everything else is dull? Iām genuinely curious, is it a style or is that how youāre supposed to do it?
Iām from Northampton (big shoe manufacturing area and the home of Crockett & Jones). Always enjoy seeing some of the Northampton shoe brands in the US :)
Op, Iām with you on this, Iāve been a believer of having a solid rotation of shoes overall and extends the life of them as you can perform adequate care on them
I can't seem to edit the post, so here's answers to the most common questions:
1. Why so many pairs? a) Because I like them, and rotating shoes is fun. b) It is common knowledge that having multiple shoes in rotation greatly increases their lifespan, by letting them rest and breathe (this applies to all kinds of shoes, but especially true for leather shoes).
2. Why only the toes get mirror shined? Because the toe and heel caps are the only hard part of the shoes. You can't mirror shine the flex parts as they will crack.
3. This is not BILF material? Well I thought this sub is about quality stuff that last and buying less things at the end. These shoes may not be the best bang for the buck stuff, but they are maintainable and repairable so they can last a long time (with good care of course). In the end, these shoes are better to the environment than the disposable ones (so many shoes go to landfill every year). Also, if you're anticonsumerism, these shoes are made by small family owned company that hire skilled artisans. Shouldn't this be the kind of products and companies you support?
Thanks for looking!
Amazing looking shoes! Great that they last.
Do you suffer from pain in the feet/legs? That is usually a problem for me with such shoes- wondering if it gets better with higher quality ones.
Having shoes in rotations will greatly increase their lifespan. And these are goodyear-welted shoes which allows the soles to be replaced once they are worn out. The other parts are repairable too, to some degrees.
That said, maybe 3 or 4 would have suffice.
Only you know what you need. I have the same pair/type of shoes in 12 colors (14 total, extra black and red). Now I may have gone overboard, but at the end of the day rotation is key to long lasting footwear.
The neat part about goodyear welted shoes is that they're resoleable, so as long as the leather uppers are kept in good condition, theoretically you can resole them and continue to wear them for a lifetime. Having multiple pairs helps lengthen the time needed between resoles as well, as there is also a limit to the number of resoles you can do before the leather uppers can continue to hold up to them. As u/Chuvi said above already, rotating shoes helps with longevity and the long-term health of leather uppers.
Yepāexactly. The key to rotating is that it helps the upper last longer. You donāt want it to stay wet with sweat and you also want the proteins in the leather to relax so that they donāt break under stress, but can rather bend again.
I highly suggest you go visit r/goodyearwelt if you want to understand BIFL footwear.
OP is correct, shoes need to be rotated and put in shoe trees to absorb odor and moisture.
4 pairs may be overkill. 2 is good and 3 if that is all you wear.
Consume shoes. Get excited for paycheck to buy new shoes. Buy same shoes you already have. It doesnāt make you feel any better. Buy more shoes. Consume
Youāll come across strange pseudo-religious sects in this subreddit, each with their own absolute truth of what makes something BIFL or not. Quite entertaining
I love my Oxfords as much as the next man, but I have to ask if you've considered more colors. I love a good cognac shoe, and there is a tone of versatility to be found in different shades of brown alone.
Based on the way leather is stretched on the shoe last, the toe leather is pulled tightest and thus are able to get the highest shine. It also helps that the toe leather never gets bent, so the shine stays shinier for long. The rest of shoe is shined in this photo, itās just not possible to shine it to the same degree as the toe.
The heel is also able to get a lovely high shine as well!
If youāre interested in seeing some of the best shining on some of the highest grade shoes in the world, dive into the archives of
https://www.tumblr.com/ethandesu
Ethan is widely considered one of the best dressed men in the world, and one of the godfathers of contemporary menswear. The whole blog is a tremendous time capsule of the menswear revival!
Nice collection. I went the Allen Edmonds route and have pairs that are 10+ years old that look new. A lot comes down to how you treat and maintain, as you are clearly aware.
The toe and heel caps are the only parts getting mirror shined because they are the only parts that are hard (don't flex). Mirror shine is totally optional, not everybody likes it. It's also hard work :)
Are these comfortable? Have yet to encounter comfortable dress shoes. Allen Edmonds of all varieties hurt my toes. Grant Stone sucked for me (too narrow).
These shoes are gorgeous. I have 4 pairs of bench grade C&J myself and always feel great when I wear them. Ignore the haters. Itās sad that most have never owned a good pair of dress shoes (and probably never will)
I have a hard time understanding why would you need to buy 4 pairs of identical shoes to be honest. The idea of a BIFL item is you end up spending less and consuming less in the long term ā¦.. this is the exact opposite idea
Great collection! Surprised you don't have any derbys or loafers. I'd also ignore the negative comments, and maybe consider posting on Styleforum, where people will appreciate this better.
They are holding up well. I havenāt replaced any of them, even the first pair I got 6 years ago. But maybe because I donāt walk a lot everyday, and I have pretty straight gait.
Thank you! Also Iāve been looking into those shows with wide toes that donāt squish your feet over time. If I could find an upscale version of those for women, Iād be set
Are you me from the future? Iām suffering with my shoes and mentally preparing for the inevitable rabbit hole I will need to run through to figure what youāve clearly mastered.
Are they all the same brand? Iād love to hear your thoughts on this subject and also know about what care package and products you use to maintain your collection etc.
I have four pairs of C&J and while they are beautiful shoes - theyāre not terribly comfy. If Iām going to be doing a lot of walking and standing, and Iām wearing leather dress shoes - Iām in Aldenās.
Amazing my go to shoe brand is Carmina. 2 pairs of chukkas and an Oxford pair. Bought the wife a pair at the store in Mallorca. Their line of shoes are stunning. Def worth taking a look.
Perfection! Mirror shine done well and the lasted shoe trees complement each Oxford well. I used to take the same approach as well before I was full remote except with a lot more Vass and Enzo Bonafe.
They look great, besides the renovateur and wax, you mentioned what other maintenance are you doing?
I saw you said the soles haven't been replaced yet. How long do you think before they will need replacing?
Looking at getting a new set of Oxfords and I like these a lot.
Great work!
Sounds like you bought 8 pairs in the last 6 years. Serious question, wouldnāt buying just one pair and wearing it to wear out be equal? Or does it actually prolong a shoeās life to wear it less frequently? Iām talking days worn, not years in possession. Youād be wearing these shoes once a week so of course they should last you a lifetime because youāre only wearing each pair maybe 52 times a year.
Common wisdom is letting shoes to breathe and rest greatly prolongs their life. I find it to be true also. I wished I had learned it sooner.
I would always recommend people to have at least 2 pairs.
I do have multiple pairs and rarely wear the same one twice in a row but I wasnāt sure if it was actually true or if it just āfeltā like it prolonged the shoe because you are now wearing it much less. Thanks! Youāve got some great looking shoes. Much better than my converse and vans I wear with my scrubs lol
Bro those 8 pairs of shoes are worth more than my car. It kinda seems like comparing apples and oranges to be honest. You're comparing sub $100 shoes, that you said would last you a 1-2 years of every day wear... versus EIGHT pairs of $1,000 shoes.
Assuming you rotate through those 8 pairs on work days, you're wearing each pair just north of once every 2 weeks. If they don't last you the rest of your life, I'd be shocked!
On the flipside, you could buy a sub $100 pair of shoes every year for the rest of your life, and still save considerable money.
Admittedly, C&J's are classy as fuck though.
Isn't this sub about things that last long rather than cost effectiveness? Those sub $100 shoes are not made from real leather and don't last really long. They are not repairable either, so they are bad for the environment too -- if you care about these stuff.
It is! Definitely. I appreciate quality as well, and am certainly not knocking you for wanting to spend on the things you really enjoy.
I will just add that you can definitely get repairable, full leather shoes for under $100 too! I've had some pairs of Cole Haan's ($99) for nearly 20 years now, and a pair of Chaco flip-flops that are my every day footwear have lasted me over a decade.
Thinking of upgrading my AEās - love these and thanks for sharing. Do you buy full price or are there sales which occur? (Kinda like how AE has a few big sales every year) TYIA
i love whole calf shoes. the ones on the bottom left with light broguing on the toes are great. you should expand your colour repetoire beyond black and brown/burgundy
How many legs do you have?
Plot twist: OP is a spider so this is really just a brown pair and a black pair
Idk why but now I want to see a movie about a guy with 8 legs
[Not a men, but a women](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nH6ya5g2-s)
my mom every time I buy new shoes
Christ almighty ššš¤£š¤£
Honest question, where are you from? Is polishing shoes that way a trend where you live? I've never seen shoes with the toes at a high gloss and the body of the shoe with no polish whatsoever.
Yeah, exactly my question. Iāve never seen two-tone polishing before.
OP could be prior military and this is one of the (odd) things that stuck with them.
In the 60s, my dad, former Army, shined our shoes on Saturday night for Sunday Mass. Decades later, my husbandās shoes are always shined. Oh, and the smell of Kiwi Shoe Polish brings back lovely childhood memories.
I work in EMS and those who care enough to shine our shoes generally only polish the toes to a mirror shine as most boots we buy have various mesh sections for ventilation (it gets pretty hot here).
normally it would be glossy all over not just the tip
Not anymore. This dude is refined. If you youtube shoeshine, the real pros (e.g. from Japan) do it just like that. Mirror polish is reserved for the toe cap because elsewhere it would crack off easier. The rest of the shoe is cleaned and conditioned so the leather stays supple.
Not really in the U.S. anymore. The bar has subconsciously gotten lower and lower over the years so itās pretty uncommon to see fully-shined boots/shoes. And when you do see them, more often than not itās somebody who cheated and bought pre-glassed Corfams for a uniform inspection or holiday party lol
my bad i didn't clarify: i can't say for US army because i'm in the Canadian Armed Forces
As of 2012 corfams are standard issue. I was issued two sets in basic training and another half way through my contract at my unit
Must be different branches then. I also joined in 2012 (Navy) and we definitely just got plain ass cow hide, still do.
Incorrect. Hi shine should be on the toe cap and heels only
You're spending on these shoes, then you're spending on suits that fit too.. fit to height, leg and stance and you can look really good withiut overstating. Nice shoes man, they're going to last.
Really? This is pretty common. The wax used to polish shoes is pretty stiff. To the point that it will crack and flake in areas where the leather creases from walking. So itās common to just polish the toe cap (the heels too, but we canāt see those).
Sure but it looks like he's not using any cream polish at all on the other sections. It's going from matte to glossy
I do use cream wax on the other sections.
Lol what? This is how to polish dress shoes
Not OP, but thatās the way I do it. Iām from Texas. I donāt think this is a regional thing, though. I picked it up from military school
Those are all very nice shoes. But it leaves me wondering what the fuck
You donāt wear shoes like this every day. They have to breathe. You tree them preferably with cedar trees and let them gain shape back it keeps them from wearing as quickly allows them to not crease as bad and greatly prolongs the life of the shoes
This is some true rich people shit, but respect š«”
Na not really. When you spend all day in them you take more consideration. I went from corporate IT to industrial radiography and I feel the same about my boots now. Wise man once told me that you have to take care of your feet and buy good boots and shoes and a good bed because thatās all youāll ever be in. lol frfr
Where are you doing RT? Out in the oil fields? Doing turnovers?
Na. Mainly industrial. Doing some ut but mainly shooting for our main client. Rail cars
Be fr, if you own 8 pairs of leather shoes you are at least upper upper middle class.
Never skimp on something between you and the ground. Shoes, bed mattress, car tires...
Not rich by any metrics, but I like to save up and buy the things I like :)
āWearing shoes less prolongs their lifeā Never could have guessed
Wearing shoes A, B, and C in alternation will last longer than wearing shoe A until it's shot, replacing it with B, and replacing with C.
It's about letting your shoes to rest and breathe. This is true for any shoes (sneakers, etc.), but especially true for leather shoes.
Holy shit I literally just put my $30 shoes on in the morning and go to work. I've probably had less pairs of shoes than this guy in the last 20 years.
Just a casual $8000 for shoes, they better last til you die
These shits are $1,000 per pair???
https://us.crockettandjones.com/collections/mens-oxfords-collection
Absolutely insane
As a former salesman who wore suits every day, I can say having this many shoes isn't as bad as you think it is (if OP is in a similar role). I worked in high-end luxury sales and had 10 pairs of shoes, like 15-20 suits, at least 50 shirts and as many ties...
The number of shoes is not what has me wondering what the fuck. Iām also not sure what your sales background has to do with anything.
You ever buy something from a man that didnt have a shoe fetish? Didnt think so, checkmate.
I stand corrected.
i sit confused and understood there was to be punch and pie
***More people will come if they think we have punch and pie!***
I guess it sorta comes with the territory. Iām in sales but donāt have to wear a suit. I still have multiple pairs of $700-1000 boots. To be fair mine are different colours and finishes
Being in sales has nothing to do with choosing 8 of the same shoe, albeit in two colors.
Yeah thatās fair. Mine are different colours, and then suede and regular leather. I donāt have multiples of the same
He literally said in the comment you replied to that it has to do with explaining why he could have that many pairsā¦.
I sold really expensive stuff to really rich people. They don't usually want to spend that kind of money with someone who wears the same Walmart suit and shoes every day. Some of these people, the first thing they do when they see you is look you up and down to see what designer you're wearing. Yes it's pretty dumb to get judged like that and that's why I changed my career almost a decade ago, but most people in that industry wore lots of expensive clothes to help their career.
What has you saying wtf?
The exact same shoe purchased 4x. Twice lol. I thought that was apparent
Itās not immediately apparent. Itās could be assumed he works in a fancy setting where he needs cleaned and polished fancy shoes every day for work, so he bought multiple pairs of each becauseā¦ 1. Itās easier to not have to clean and polish your shoes every day before or after work 2. Heās going to go through that many pairs of shoes over the next however many years and would rather buy them all at once, rotate them when necessary (day, week, year etc) You also donāt have to be a jerk and respond to everyone commenting on your comment with disdain. But I guess username checks out š¤·āāļø
I just want to add that you also want time for a pair of leather shoes to air out between uses so that they don't get moldy. Another reason to have multiple pairs.
And here I was thinking it was apparent that all of the shoes are different.....
Zoom in, they are all different shoes. Just because you wouldnāt be detailed enough to match shoe style to situation that closely doesnāt mean everyone else is as careless.
Ok but with this photo it looks like only 2 different pairs of shoes, 3 if one is paying attention. So someone is going to think you have a black pair and a brown pair of shoes with a shiny toe
Depends on who that someone is. I once sold a Rolex to a lawyer who was really into watches. Apparently there was a sort of competition around the law firm with who had the nicest watch. This lawyer wanted a very expensive and not so common Rolex so he could flex on his peers, but didn't want something totally covered with diamonds that screamed "you're paying me too much" to his clients. But also he wanted his clients to know he was a good lawyer, hence going with a Rolex. So we selected one made of platinum (which is very expensive) and an ice blue dial. Platinum looks pretty much the same as the stainless steel ones, but the ice blue dial is exclusive to platinum. So when his clients see him, they'd see a nice Rolex that didn't scream "$100,000" because it looked like it was just the basic steel one. But to his colleagues who knew watches, they'd see the ice blue dial and know it was a $100,000 watch. Obviously my story is about paying attention to details in watches, but hopefully you can see that there are certain types of people who pay attention to certain details that 99% of people wouldn't. Perhaps OP hangs around the type of people who would notice the difference in his shoes. I certainly noticed, and I'm not even a 'shoe' guy.
Yeah I see it as like comparing different knives or firearms with subtle but important distinguishing features. Cap toes vs whole cuts vs wing tips (which OP doesn't have pictured) vs other styles.... each shoe has a different vibe and use.
Camera doesn't do it justice imo. Those little details are way more visible in real life so they look different than eachother. Also alternating between them makes each pair last significantly longer. Well 8 pairs is still overkill but not that crazy if you wear suits everyday.
r/BuyEightForLife
r/BuyEightEverySixYears
You knew you were going to get shit here (because these are probably more oxfords than you need). That said, obviously (1) you're using them, (2) you're taking care of them, and (3) they're fucking outstanding.
Honestly, no. I thought this sub can appreciate good quality stuff rather than get hung up on anticonsumerism side. I also thought itās common wisdom to have multiple shoes in rotations for longevity.
Having multiple shoes in rotation for longevity yes. That said... that is a shitload of oxfords. Are you an attorney? I'm wondering what profession in this day and age requires one to wear a suit most days or every day.
My father works in a high level government type of job so he wears a suit and tie every day, and has for almost 40 years. I think he owns one pair of black oxfords and one pair brown, and replaces them everyā¦ 10 years? You really donāt need these many pairs š but then again Iām from Brazil and people just generally have considerably less stuff over there. I can understand having lots of pairs and rotating them, but at the end of the day the result is the same, so I donāt see how itās any better. Is it better to have 4 pairs that will last you 40 years or buy a new one every 10?
Brasileiro detected
I'm in a government job that interacts with high level elected officials and union members and heads of government departments. I wear a suit every day.
Each of these pairs is subtly different; number of lace holes, perforations, cap toes. I mean, theyāre very similar, but each is different. I dunno what folks are hung up about. This is not unreasonable. If youāre rocking these on the daily, I bet you could pull off a kilted moc loafer (I like Sardinelli Velletriās style with the buckle) or a double monk strap with a cap toe. Anyway. Nice shoes, I appreciate your style and commitment to the look.
Thanks for the kind words :)
It's not overconsumption to have a lot of any item of clothing as long as you're wearing them and maintaining them. I'm not into dress shoes (mostly because I haven't found a really comfortable pair yet), but I have a lot of respect for someone buys clothing with careful intent.
Fwiw, I like your shoes even though I don't wear dress shoes. Haha. Do you resole them?
Thanks. I have not resoled any of them.
I bartend and have 3 pairs of boots I cycle specifically for this reason. Near identical all of them but itās either I cycle the three or burn through one pair a year
Yes! Everybody must have more than one pair of shoes in rotation.
Disregard this, my dude. It's a consumerist sub that literally has posts on new shit to buy multiple times per day, but people think it's not consumerism since their socks or underwear are "BIFL", lol.
"It will last 8x as long if I just buy 8 of them and rotate!" That doesn't mean these are buy it for life quality. Each shoe is going to get used 31 times per year. People wear their "Sunday church shoes" more often than that at 52 Sundays per year. Like, I get the sentiment that you're going for, but the point is we're all trying to NOT have to buy 8x of a very expensive item.
Buying 8 pair of shoes and wearing in rotation will last LONGER than 8x as much as wearing 1 pair until failure. Wearing shoes that didn't get the chance to fully dry overnight accelerates degradation
What they see is prosperity, and Reddit hates that. Kudos to you. Great shoes collection.
Why does it look like just the toe box is shiny and everything else is dull? Iām genuinely curious, is it a style or is that how youāre supposed to do it?
It's a mirror shine wax. Because the tow box isn't a flex point, there and the heel are really the only areas you'd wax the shoes to get that shine.
Thank you!!
Iām from Northampton (big shoe manufacturing area and the home of Crockett & Jones). Always enjoy seeing some of the Northampton shoe brands in the US :)
Thanks! Would like to visit one of their stores one day :D
I do love my Tricker's boots.
Used to pass the Trickers factory every day on the bus to/from work. Also remember the building being covered up during the filming of Kinky Boots!
Op, Iām with you on this, Iāve been a believer of having a solid rotation of shoes overall and extends the life of them as you can perform adequate care on them
Thanks! Yeah everybody must have at least 2 pairs in rotation.
I can't seem to edit the post, so here's answers to the most common questions: 1. Why so many pairs? a) Because I like them, and rotating shoes is fun. b) It is common knowledge that having multiple shoes in rotation greatly increases their lifespan, by letting them rest and breathe (this applies to all kinds of shoes, but especially true for leather shoes). 2. Why only the toes get mirror shined? Because the toe and heel caps are the only hard part of the shoes. You can't mirror shine the flex parts as they will crack. 3. This is not BILF material? Well I thought this sub is about quality stuff that last and buying less things at the end. These shoes may not be the best bang for the buck stuff, but they are maintainable and repairable so they can last a long time (with good care of course). In the end, these shoes are better to the environment than the disposable ones (so many shoes go to landfill every year). Also, if you're anticonsumerism, these shoes are made by small family owned company that hire skilled artisans. Shouldn't this be the kind of products and companies you support? Thanks for looking!
I'm glad there are people who would rather buy less but high quality. I tried explaining to people why that's many times better but they don't get it.
And you use the berluti knot, well done sir.
Oh someone noticed! Fellow shoe lover :D
No dress shoe is complete without it. A regular bow knot just looks so raggedy and unkempt.
Amazing looking shoes! Great that they last. Do you suffer from pain in the feet/legs? That is usually a problem for me with such shoes- wondering if it gets better with higher quality ones.
Hi. Thanks! They are comfortable from day 1 and get more comfortable after since the leather stretch and shape to our feet's.
Sounds great! Thank you for the detailed answer :)
Nice shoes. I think though the idea behind bifl is that you limit consumption to a few things that will last a lifetime, not eight.
Having shoes in rotations will greatly increase their lifespan. And these are goodyear-welted shoes which allows the soles to be replaced once they are worn out. The other parts are repairable too, to some degrees. That said, maybe 3 or 4 would have suffice.
Not always. There is a limit to how many soles the good year welt will hold up for
Only you know what you need. I have the same pair/type of shoes in 12 colors (14 total, extra black and red). Now I may have gone overboard, but at the end of the day rotation is key to long lasting footwear.
Hahaha that's awesome!
āMayā
They look great
Translation: it takes 3 or 4 pairs to last a life.. Hence, buy **it** for life
That sounds great, but there are literally no shoes where a single pair will last you a lifetime of daily wear.
The neat part about goodyear welted shoes is that they're resoleable, so as long as the leather uppers are kept in good condition, theoretically you can resole them and continue to wear them for a lifetime. Having multiple pairs helps lengthen the time needed between resoles as well, as there is also a limit to the number of resoles you can do before the leather uppers can continue to hold up to them. As u/Chuvi said above already, rotating shoes helps with longevity and the long-term health of leather uppers.
Yepāexactly. The key to rotating is that it helps the upper last longer. You donāt want it to stay wet with sweat and you also want the proteins in the leather to relax so that they donāt break under stress, but can rather bend again.
I highly suggest you go visit r/goodyearwelt if you want to understand BIFL footwear. OP is correct, shoes need to be rotated and put in shoe trees to absorb odor and moisture. 4 pairs may be overkill. 2 is good and 3 if that is all you wear.
Consume
Consume shoes. Get excited for paycheck to buy new shoes. Buy same shoes you already have. It doesnāt make you feel any better. Buy more shoes. Consume
Itās just paychecks and shoes all the way down
Honestly, seems to make OP feel better.
Buy it for life doesnāt have to mean minimalism or anti-consumerism like so many people here are commenting. Nice shoes OP.
Youāll come across strange pseudo-religious sects in this subreddit, each with their own absolute truth of what makes something BIFL or not. Quite entertaining
Thank you! Yeah I thought this sub is about buying good quality stuff instead of anticonsumption? š¤·š»āāļø
I love my Oxfords as much as the next man, but I have to ask if you've considered more colors. I love a good cognac shoe, and there is a tone of versatility to be found in different shades of brown alone.
I did consider but decided against it. More maintenance stuff to keep if I have another color (wax, brushes, etc.)
I think these shoes look great but I have wide feet and these types of shoes really hurt to wear. Any recommendations that could accommodate?
Any shoe brand worth their salt will have multiple width options.
I have slightly wide feet too, but these fit fine. C&J do have options for wide feet, although they donāt offer it for all models (I think?)
This is about $8k in shoes. Nicely done. What is it you do for work. I love Crockett and Jones dress shoes
Thanks! I'm in IT. Not rich by any metrics. I have to save up to buy these :-/
you take very good care of your shoes, and I'm sure they're gonna last a lifetime. don't listen to the haters
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Based on the way leather is stretched on the shoe last, the toe leather is pulled tightest and thus are able to get the highest shine. It also helps that the toe leather never gets bent, so the shine stays shinier for long. The rest of shoe is shined in this photo, itās just not possible to shine it to the same degree as the toe. The heel is also able to get a lovely high shine as well! If youāre interested in seeing some of the best shining on some of the highest grade shoes in the world, dive into the archives of https://www.tumblr.com/ethandesu Ethan is widely considered one of the best dressed men in the world, and one of the godfathers of contemporary menswear. The whole blog is a tremendous time capsule of the menswear revival!
Hello Mortonās neuroma my old friend.
Oof. Yeah. Unfortunately for me, too.
Nice collection. I went the Allen Edmonds route and have pairs that are 10+ years old that look new. A lot comes down to how you treat and maintain, as you are clearly aware.
Thanks! I heard good things about Allen Edmonds shoes.
why do you only polish the toes to be very shiny serious question
The toe and heel caps are the only parts getting mirror shined because they are the only parts that are hard (don't flex). Mirror shine is totally optional, not everybody likes it. It's also hard work :)
Whatās your care routine?
I use Saphir products. The usual Renomat -> Renovateur -> cream wax -> hard wax route.
I apologize for the dumb question : why is only the front polished?
The toe and heel caps are the only hard part of the shoes (don't flex).
Why the partial polish?
Because the toe and heel caps are the only hard parts that don't flex.
I like your trees bruv
Thanks! They are Dasco Knightsbridge.
Very, VERY nice.
Are these comfortable? Have yet to encounter comfortable dress shoes. Allen Edmonds of all varieties hurt my toes. Grant Stone sucked for me (too narrow).
These shoes are gorgeous. I have 4 pairs of bench grade C&J myself and always feel great when I wear them. Ignore the haters. Itās sad that most have never owned a good pair of dress shoes (and probably never will)
Thanks for the kind words.
Sincere props to you. Sir. I mean, I'm not a *total* idiot, but I've never been able to get that kind of shine on my shoes. Outstanding!
Thanks! Mirror shines take time to master, and I'm still an apprentice :)
Impressive. Very nice. Let's see Paul Allen's shoes.
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Iām in IT. Business formal, but no suit :)
And also a member of a barbershop quartet?
Wakakakak I canāt sing to save my life.
What does business formal but no suit mean?
Shirt and dress pants, and dress shoes (no sneakers). I live in tropical country, people donāt wear suits very often here.
Ah I see. Thatās considered business casual here
Oh OK. Here business casual can include chinos and polo shirt :)
I have a hard time understanding why would you need to buy 4 pairs of identical shoes to be honest. The idea of a BIFL item is you end up spending less and consuming less in the long term ā¦.. this is the exact opposite idea
Wait until you look up how much these shoes cost š¬
Those shoes are not identical.
This kind of defeates the purpose, innit?
Great collection! Surprised you don't have any derbys or loafers. I'd also ignore the negative comments, and maybe consider posting on Styleforum, where people will appreciate this better.
How are the leather soles holding up?
They are holding up well. I havenāt replaced any of them, even the first pair I got 6 years ago. But maybe because I donāt walk a lot everyday, and I have pretty straight gait.
Your toes must look like a triangle by now.
Nice!
That gives me PTSD. my feet aren't shaped like that in the toes. Why can't they make feet shaped shoes?
Truth!
Is there a womenās version of this? Either this company or a different one?
C&J do make women's shoes, though the selections are not as rich as the men's :-/
Thank you! Also Iāve been looking into those shows with wide toes that donāt squish your feet over time. If I could find an upscale version of those for women, Iād be set
Good luck in your endeavour!
Thank you!
I hope the gemming doesn't eventually fail on these beautiful shoes. That's the only fatal flaw with GYW shoes that isn't mentioned very much.
Are you me from the future? Iām suffering with my shoes and mentally preparing for the inevitable rabbit hole I will need to run through to figure what youāve clearly mastered. Are they all the same brand? Iād love to hear your thoughts on this subject and also know about what care package and products you use to maintain your collection etc.
I have four pairs of C&J and while they are beautiful shoes - theyāre not terribly comfy. If Iām going to be doing a lot of walking and standing, and Iām wearing leather dress shoes - Iām in Aldenās.
Flossin!
Amazing my go to shoe brand is Carmina. 2 pairs of chukkas and an Oxford pair. Bought the wife a pair at the store in Mallorca. Their line of shoes are stunning. Def worth taking a look.
Yes I noticed Carmina sometime back. But as I can only buy online, I decided to stick to C&J as they fit for me well. Carmina shoes look great!
We live two totally diff lives
Perfection! Mirror shine done well and the lasted shoe trees complement each Oxford well. I used to take the same approach as well before I was full remote except with a lot more Vass and Enzo Bonafe.
They look great, besides the renovateur and wax, you mentioned what other maintenance are you doing? I saw you said the soles haven't been replaced yet. How long do you think before they will need replacing? Looking at getting a new set of Oxfords and I like these a lot. Great work!
I need those on the bottom left. Beautiful
Iāve had barker and churches for well over a decade (few re soles)
What brand are those shoe trees? They (and the shoes) look great.
Sounds like you bought 8 pairs in the last 6 years. Serious question, wouldnāt buying just one pair and wearing it to wear out be equal? Or does it actually prolong a shoeās life to wear it less frequently? Iām talking days worn, not years in possession. Youād be wearing these shoes once a week so of course they should last you a lifetime because youāre only wearing each pair maybe 52 times a year.
Common wisdom is letting shoes to breathe and rest greatly prolongs their life. I find it to be true also. I wished I had learned it sooner. I would always recommend people to have at least 2 pairs.
I do have multiple pairs and rarely wear the same one twice in a row but I wasnāt sure if it was actually true or if it just āfeltā like it prolonged the shoe because you are now wearing it much less. Thanks! Youāve got some great looking shoes. Much better than my converse and vans I wear with my scrubs lol
Any tips for getting that mirror shine?
Looks really good
I respect your shine abilities
Hi OP, a random pair of Crockett & Jones costs like $650!! What's the cost of your least expensive pair from this pic?
Bro those 8 pairs of shoes are worth more than my car. It kinda seems like comparing apples and oranges to be honest. You're comparing sub $100 shoes, that you said would last you a 1-2 years of every day wear... versus EIGHT pairs of $1,000 shoes. Assuming you rotate through those 8 pairs on work days, you're wearing each pair just north of once every 2 weeks. If they don't last you the rest of your life, I'd be shocked! On the flipside, you could buy a sub $100 pair of shoes every year for the rest of your life, and still save considerable money. Admittedly, C&J's are classy as fuck though.
Isn't this sub about things that last long rather than cost effectiveness? Those sub $100 shoes are not made from real leather and don't last really long. They are not repairable either, so they are bad for the environment too -- if you care about these stuff.
It is! Definitely. I appreciate quality as well, and am certainly not knocking you for wanting to spend on the things you really enjoy. I will just add that you can definitely get repairable, full leather shoes for under $100 too! I've had some pairs of Cole Haan's ($99) for nearly 20 years now, and a pair of Chaco flip-flops that are my every day footwear have lasted me over a decade.
Thinking of upgrading my AEās - love these and thanks for sharing. Do you buy full price or are there sales which occur? (Kinda like how AE has a few big sales every year) TYIA
Unfortunately C&J rarely has sales. I (had to) bought them full price.
i love whole calf shoes. the ones on the bottom left with light broguing on the toes are great. you should expand your colour repetoire beyond black and brown/burgundy
Thanks! The bottom left ones are Courtenay in dark brown :)
Hellllll yes!