Ten Shoe Tips Everyone Should Know

When we are new to high-end shoes we often spend a lot of time overthinking many things that in the end don’t matter. Or we often don’t realize many things that do matter. So I compiled a list of what I feel are the top ten tips for anyone who desires to purchase/wear welted footwear.

When I read magazines many years ago, I loved this section in Esquire called ‘What I’ve Learned.’ For me, it was one of the more interesting reads in the magazine as it was one that actually shared real knowledge. More often than not, it was a seasoned gentleman sharing his wisdom as let’s face it, the reality is that we should get wiser as we get older.

Whether or not I agreed with it all, it was always a pleasure to read, think about, try to understand, and gain a new perspective. While I am still quite young, in shoes, I feel old. Having spent over 20 years in the industry and having seen, tried, owned, sold, and handled most of the shoes in this industry, I feel that my experience allows me to write the following.

So, here goes with What I’ve Learned in the Shoe Industry in the form of ten shoe tips.

The Top Ten Shoe Tips

1. No matter how hard we try not to, we always scuff our shoes one way or another. The legs of a chair are your heel’s worst enemy. Stairs are your toe’s worst enemy. And other people are your cap/vamp’s worst enemy. You are going to get your shoes scuffed so deal with it and learn to polish them properly.
2. Getting flawless leather is simply paying for wastage. That is the reality of it. Expensive shoes are expensive for 2 reasons. The number of hours paid to the workers for the extra details like fiddleback waists and the amount of leather you waste when cutting the hide. If you cut one pair from the hide that can cut 8 pairs, then you are paying for those seven non-existent pairs in your one pair.
3. Leather is more comfortable than rubber. I prefer a double leather sole to everything else. Rubber can often feel rigid and doesn’t break in. It stays the same, always.
4. Why is a leather sneaker always a derby? I never understood this. So I made an oxford sneaker. I prefer oxfords.
5. Toe taps are the greatest invention. Heel taps are the worst. Toe taps do not make noise. Heel taps only make noise and are dangerous. Get toe taps. Avoid heel ones at all costs.
6. Cheaper shoes are cheap for a reason. They will never look nor feel as good as a well-made, more expensive shoe. In shoes, you literally get what you pay for.
7. Italian leather shines the easiest. I don’t know why. Maybe they manage to get the pores shrunk during the tanning process. But it’s true. It shines quickly. French box calf takes longer. Kangaroo leather is the hardest.
8. Patent shoes are overrated. They are unnecessary in modern times. A nice oxford with a high cap shine is all one needs to be formal and will take you a long way for many different occasions. Buy patent shoes only because you like them, not because you feel you need them.
9. Shoe trees don’t wick away moisture. That is a myth created by Cedar wood selling shoe tree companies to make you buy them in the US. They maintain shape. That’s their real intention. No one outside of the US/UK believes/thinks that shoe trees wick away moisture. Ask yourself why?
10. Complaining about small imperfections in your brand new shoes’ leather is pointless as there is a 99.9% chance that in the first wear you will do more damage to the upper than the insignificant flaw you are overthinking. They are just shoes.

There is a lot more than just these ten shoe tips that I can and will share, but here are the best ones to think about for now.

If you enjoy educational posts like this, please see more here: https://theshoesnobblog.com/educational/

—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob

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