Men's Footwear

[DHC]

Re: Men's Footwear

I'm inclined to say its never too late, but it all depends on how much wear already exists on the heel at this point. If isolating the wear of the heel is your goal, I would give heel taps a go as it would halt further wear/deterioration. Faust seems to be a firm believer in them so I think I'm going to have to try them on this pair. I'm definitely going to have some TOPYs put on mine as well. I usually do this before ever wearing a pair out and in the future I will not neglect doing so again. Anyone have any thoughts on both TOPYs and heel taps being excessive?

[theetruscan]

Re: Men's Footwear

[quote user="matthewhk"][quote user="DHC"]

^That second boot is a handsome one for sure.

[quote user="ddohnggo"]i'm going to have to agree with the topys and
heel tab. keeps longevity of the leather soles so you don't have to
resole them and make them look all funky. i actually got a layer of
rubber on the heel of ccp derbys and i kind of regret it now since it
gives a little bit more lift in the heel. oh well.
[/quote]

All about protectionf or my soles as well. I didn't get them installed on my 6holes and the soft leather soles of those reverse calf Cape's look like sandpaper now, from being embedded pebbles.

[/quote]

yeah that's what happened to my C Diem 6-holes, both shoes have got that funky one sided curve thing going on in the back of the heel. Too late to put a tab on it?

[/quote]

Your best bet is probably to have the last 1-2 stacked leather pieces off the bottom of the sole removed and replaced, with the bottom one being replaced with a half-leather/half-rubber piece in matched color. I'm not sure how to explain this well, but it is very commonly done, and nearly impossible to see (unless you're stepping on someone's face I suppose). Fixing the worn down leather is a non-starter, but replacing just the very bottom of a worn heel is straightforward and shouldn't cost more than $30-40 even at a good cobbler.

In regards to Topys and heel taps being excessive, I would say not. They're both very hard to see if done well, and make your boots last much longer. The only people who will see them are people looking at the bottom of your shoes, and that doesn't seem like enough of a drawback to be worth letting your boots wear down. I mean, a pair of CCP boots now is $2200. A pair of topys/heeltaps is $50. They will add > 300 wears at a bare minimum before the boots need attention. This seems like an easy decision. Also, I believe topys and heel taps are available in whites, browns and blacks all.

[philip nod]

Re: Men's Footwear

my friend advises against putting on rubber soles because it ruins the leather. the rubber sole traps the circulation (exit) of moisture in the leather and makes the shoe less healthy.

[theetruscan]

Re: Men's Footwear



[quote user="philip nod"]my friend advises against putting on rubber soles because it ruins the leather. the rubber sole traps the circulation (exit) of moisture in the leather and makes the shoe less healthy.
[/quote]

Tony Gaziano (of Gaziano & Girling) says the same. It is something of a long-time standing argument in the shoe world.

[Who?]

Re: Men's Footwear

Used a perforated rubber sole... problem solved?

[DHC]

Re: Men's Footwear



[quote user="Who?"]Used a perforated rubber sole... problem solved?
[/quote]

Now there's a novel solution to the whole rubber or no rubber conundrum. How much moisture can escape through the sole anyways? Moisture from within the shoe from wear? That's why I use moisture wicking shoe trees.

[theetruscan]

Re: Men's Footwear



So, the threads at Ask Andy and Styleforum (also probably London Lounge) go on for pages and pages. The short version is: Many people put topys and heeltaps on all their shoes, and their shoes last 5+ years of moderate-heavy wear between resolings. Many people don't put topys and heeltaps on their shoes and their shoes last 5+ years of moderate-heavy wear between resolings. Some of the people who use taps and topys think the others are stupid. Some of the others think the taps and topys group are stupid. Both groups seem to still be wearing shoes happily, so whichever option makes more sense to you is probably good. Also, given that the soles usually involve multiple layers of leather glued together, sealed on the side with some kind of a paint/stain thing, and so on, there's probably very, very little moisture escaping from the shoes.

I wear down leather heels in under a year of moderate (2-3x/week) wear, so I use taps/topys. There's no apparent trouble on my older shoes. But those are only 5-6 years old, so I dunno.

[kallun]

Re: Men's Footwear



Thank you Faust! I will check and if I buy I´ll report back (if there is any interest).

/TKL

[Faust]

Re: Men's Footwear



[quote user="philip nod"]my friend advises against putting on rubber soles because it ruins the leather. the rubber sole traps the circulation (exit) of moisture in the leather and makes the shoe less healthy.
[/quote]

I am not sure if it makes the shoes less healthy, but it definitely makes the feet less healthy. this is why i always advise against buying footwear with rubber sole. I don't put rubber soles on my footwear either - only tabs. I only have full rubber soles on one pair of boots where the leather sole finally caved in (after 5 years or so).

[Faust]

Re: Men's Footwear

[quote user="theetruscan"]

So, the threads at Ask Andy and Styleforum (also probably London Lounge) go on for pages and pages. The short version is: Many people put topys and heeltaps on all their shoes, and their shoes last 5+ years of moderate-heavy wear between resolings. Many people don't put topys and heeltaps on their shoes and their shoes last 5+ years of moderate-heavy wear between resolings. Some of the people who use taps and topys think the others are stupid. Some of the others think the taps and topys group are stupid. Both groups seem to still be wearing shoes happily, so whichever option makes more sense to you is probably good. Also, given that the soles usually involve multiple layers of leather glued together, sealed on the side with some kind of a paint/stain thing, and so on, there's probably very, very little moisture escaping from the shoes.

I wear down leather heels in under a year of moderate (2-3x/week) wear, so I use taps/topys. There's no apparent trouble on my older shoes. But those are only 5-6 years old, so I dunno.

[/quote]

Look, it all really depends on how you pronate. I underpronate, so if I don't put tabs on my heels, I kill them not in a matter of years, but in a matter of weeks. Some people have excellent pronation, therefore they distribute their weight on the heel evenly. That's why you get different opinions.

P.S. You are welcome, kallun. Let us know how you make out.

[deleuze]

Re: Men's Footwear

I put rubber soles on all my boots since for 4 months of the year here the streets and sidewalks are lined with salt. For shoes, I just keep them natural.

[philip nod]

Re: Men's Footwear

[quote user="Faust"][quote user="theetruscan"]

So, the threads at Ask Andy and Styleforum (also probably London Lounge) go on for pages and pages. The short version is: Many people put topys and heeltaps on all their shoes, and their shoes last 5+ years of moderate-heavy wear between resolings. Many people don't put topys and heeltaps on their shoes and their shoes last 5+ years of moderate-heavy wear between resolings. Some of the people who use taps and topys think the others are stupid. Some of the others think the taps and topys group are stupid. Both groups seem to still be wearing shoes happily, so whichever option makes more sense to you is probably good. Also, given that the soles usually involve multiple layers of leather glued together, sealed on the side with some kind of a paint/stain thing, and so on, there's probably very, very little moisture escaping from the shoes.

I wear down leather heels in under a year of moderate (2-3x/week) wear, so I use taps/topys. There's no apparent trouble on my older shoes. But those are only 5-6 years old, so I dunno.

[/quote]

Look, it all really depends on how you pronate. I underpronate, so if I don't put tabs on my heels, I kill them not in a matter of years, but in a matter of weeks. Some people have excellent pronation, therefore they distribute their weight on the heel evenly. That's why you get different opinions.

P.S. You are welcome, kallun. Let us know how you make out.

[/quote]

yes, i guess am prone to heavy pronation. the inner heal wears down quickly. i should look into tabs.

[theetruscan]

Re: Men's Footwear

[quote user="Faust"]

Look, it all really depends on how you pronate. I underpronate, so if I don't put tabs on my heels, I kill them not in a matter of years, but in a matter of weeks. Some people have excellent pronation, therefore they distribute their weight on the heel evenly. That's why you get different opinions.

P.S. You are welcome, kallun. Let us know how you make out.

[/quote]

Hmmm, thanks. Is pronation/supination something they fix with orthotics, or is that something that you just cope with? I put leather tabs (and soles) on because I supinate a lot and wear out the outer heel.

[Faust]

Re: Men's Footwear

not sure, to be honest, i suck at medicine. i just deal with it.

[Merveilles]

Re: Men's Footwear

http://www.barneys.com/b/browse/product.s?source=crossSells&productId=660081

I tried these Officine Creatives at Barney's today and it looked great but the quality look like shit. There were some similiar looking Buttero's that looked a lot better and cheaper but they didn't have any in my size :(

Any alternatives around the 400 range?