Cobblers, shoe care, DIY

[mattizzle]

Whats the best way to care for reverse leather (Guidi) boots?
Should I just let it be just the way it is? (Got caught in the rain with spots etc) Will the leather crack if I don't do anything or should i be using waterproof sprays?

[franz]

Whats the best way to care for reverse leather (Guidi) boots?
Should I just let it be just the way it is? (Got caught in the rain with spots etc) Will the leather crack if I don't do anything or should i be using waterproof sprays?

Hey

reverse leather should not crack, there is no particular care for this kind of leather, BUT:

• nourish the inisde of the boot with this: http://www.valmour.fr/produits-entre...-hp-aerosol,28 (this is good for all your boots with leather on the inside)
• against spots, use this: http://www.valmour.fr/produits-entre...edaille-dor,50
• For waterproof sprays, as stated above, NO SILICON that blots out the leather (kind of putting your head in a zipped plastic bag): http://www.valmour.fr/produits-entre...edaille-dor,55

Frankly, for these kinds of shoes, I am still amazed at some people speaking of using kiwi products for example... Use only high quality products, Saphir & its high-en,d range (Medaille d'or) are really among the best, if not the best (natural products, no silicon...)

[BSR]

i am amazed that people use any product for these shoes (guidi, augusta, ccp and the likes). there is nothing grosser than shiny shiny brand new bling bling bling arte povera shoes.

[eleven crows]

Not all products produce a Charlie Sheen.

[franz]

i am amazed that people use any product for these shoes (guidi, augusta, ccp and the likes). there is nothing grosser than shiny shiny brand new bling bling bling arte povera shoes.

+1 @ eleven crows : Who said anything about shining? I don't want to sound as lofty & contemptuous as you do, but shining shoes never nourished leather or made it last longer, it's only a matter of aesthetics.
On the contrary, nourishing the leather is something entirely different that does not necessarily impact the appearance in the short-term. And all leathers need to be nourished (apart from highly oil-enriched ones like cordovan and some other hides like CCP's Bison). Sorry, Guidi or Augusta don't use magic hides...

But I know it's not commonly accepted here and people like to boast about that. To each his own.
I for one am not a fan of ruining (or even taking the risk of ruining) a 2000$ pair of shoes every 4 years. Plus the shine goes so much better with my Dsquared jeans & MJ bags.
And anyway, if you're gonna use anything at all, do it right.

[BSR]

hmmm sorry i posted that in a hurry and didn't want to sound scornful in any way (it would be silly to hurt someone's feelings on a topic like shoe care policies ).

And btw you raise an interesting point: ccp and augusta (guidi is a different case) sell you shoes that obviously look used and damaged. Same goes with ccp clothing to a certain extent -the leathers for example (or the OD pieces) are anything but clean, and it's always suprising to find out that some of ccp final clients prefer to get 'cleaner' versions of the garments, not too scarred, without stains and so on while a lot of energy is put by the designer to show the process of construction, which may involve incidents and irregularities. But as you say

I for one am not a fan of ruining (or even taking the risk of ruining) a 2000$ pair of shoes every 4 years.

and indeed to go back to the shoes, they are very expensive and as such they do target people who are not in the mood for trashing their stuff the way teenage young rioters do. this leads to a dilemma that has been very often emphasized on SZ: does one has to keep his ccp derbies in a pristine condition (using, as you rightly say, the relevant nourishing products), or does it make more sense, not necessarily to ruin them, but to wear them without caring too much? I'm of the opinion that keeping your bison tornadoes 100% clean and brand new after years of use is a bit of a stop halfway attitude...

***on Guidi : they can perfectly accommodate a marc jacobs/Dsquared outfit (seriously) as they are less aggressive looking and much cleaner. But again it's a matter of preference and context: i think i've seen beautiful waywt pics by Macro where he pulls off very damaged Guidi (might be Augusta...) boots in a much more elegant fashion than any clean outfit would convey.

[BBSCCP]

and indeed to go back to the shoes, they are very expensive and as such they do target people who are not in the mood for trashing their stuff the way teenage young rioters do. this leads to a dilemma that has been very often emphasized on SZ: does one has to keep his ccp derbies in a pristine condition (using, as you rightly say, the relevant nourishing products), or does it make more sense, not necessarily to ruin them, but to wear them without caring too much? I'm of the opinion that keeping your bison tornadoes 100% clean and brand new after years of use is a bit of a stop halfway attitude...

I agree with you on the above said and see your point with that last sentence but as you say, those shoes come used/trashed, hence I personaly would not like to risk damaging them any further - and I think there is no need since they are already in a used look "out of factory". There is a difference between not cleaning your boots and allowing (negligently) the leather to crack. Caring is indeed necessary - keeping your boots in a pristine (not polished) condition is also a way of loving/ enjoying the stuff. It gives me a much better feeling than wearing them without caring. The same goes for garments. I wouldn´t like not caring for my stuff which would lead to a CCP taped fencing like ViF has

[BSR]

I agree with you on the above said and see your point with that last sentence but as you say, those shoes come used/trashed, hence I personaly would not like to risk damaging them any further - and I think there is no need since they are already in a used look "out of factory". There is a difference between not cleaning your boots and allowing (negligently) the leather to crack. Caring is indeed necessary - keeping your boots in a pristine (not polished) condition is also a way of loving/ enjoying the stuff. It gives me a much better feeling than wearing them without caring. The same goes for garments. I wouldn´t like not caring for my stuff which would lead to a CCP taped fencing like ViF has

ok but in that case why don't you buy shoes that look new ? my way of loving and enjoying the stuff is to make it mine. My leather jackets look much much better with creases and signs of wear than on day 1, same goes for shoes. Of course it's entirely a matter of taste, but to me the 'keep-your-damaged-stuff-as-clean-as-possible' motto is an aesthetic mistake!

[Venus in Furs]

I wouldn´t like not caring for my stuff which would lead to a CCP taped fencing like ViF has

Forever yours

[BSR]

now it's a true 1 out of 1 piece

[Raw]

I agree with BSR, especially with leather pieces, leather always looks better when worn in and given life by the wearer. With leather shoes and garments, I think even though some are distressed, they still have a finish that makes them look new in a way. Leather ages beautifully and I just let it wear in naturally. Sure if it gets wet I'll dry it off with a towel or paper towel when I get home depending on the extent and the specific piece. I don't use any products though.

An outfit also looks more comfortable and natural when the pieces look worn in by the wearer, not dirty or anything, but softened and creased in the right places, etc.

This is just my thoughts but I think MA+ is a very good example that the leather pieces are meant to be worn in and not babied. Maurizio tends to favour smooth cow leather that looks so clean and kinda plain in a way when new but you just know it's going to break in and form its own characteristics over time.

[BBSCCP]

ok but in that case why don't you buy shoes that look new ? my way of loving and enjoying the stuff is to make it mine. My leather jackets look much much better with creases and signs of wear than on day 1, same goes for shoes. Of course it's entirely a matter of taste, but to me the 'keep-your-damaged-stuff-as-clean-as-possible' motto is an aesthetic mistake!

I know, I know. If I´d liked the look-new aesthetics I´d probably stick to non-SZ brands. To me, CCP doesn´t naturally look used or damaged. It has a distinctive look on his own which I want to preserve.
Whilst I agree about creases, this is a process which does not necessarily has to do with an I don´t give a monkey about my clothes attitude but is simply natural, hence beautiful.
Rocking boots until they fall apart is not beautiful at all to my eyes. But to each his own.

[BBSCCP]

Forever yours

haha!

[BBSCCP]

@raw: breaking in and to let wither the leather are different things. I love caring my horsies and lambs :)

[Raw]

Yeah but I think as long as you dry them off if they get wet and clean them with a damp towel once in a while they won't wither and will just age nicely.

Edit: Don't get me wrong, I definately take care of my stuff too, but for me it's more about not doing stupid aggressive things in my 'good' clothes, trying not to damage it, and sticking to cleaner footpaths when possible lol