Current completed stages As you can see from the pictures, I was able to remove the deep creases Stripping (The Reset): Applied Saphir Reno'Mat using microfiber rags. Stripped until the leather was "matted" and porous. *Letting them sit for 12 hours... I will come back to them tomorrow and evaluate if they need more stripping. Next steps Re-Hydration: Applying a light coat of Saphir conditioner, than allowing 24 hours for lipid penetration to prevent "dye-shock" (cracking).

Wendell Almond Toe Bicycle- a now largely discontinued design from Allen Edmonds that sits in a sweet spot modern catalogs barely touch anymore. You don’t see many of these anymore… and there’s a reason the guys who know... know to keep them. Stamp sits in Mid-1990s (1993–1997) the sweet spot ! When AE was still paying attention to the details and quality craftsmanship. Badly misshapened(the pictures are very forgiving). I don't think these ever saw a shoe tree. Creasings are deep. Scratches and a couple of minor cuts in the leather... The vision: Olive-Base Enhanced Tobacco & Ember Sfumato Fade.....

I rarely get over to the shoe discussion but a recent exchange with @Steven Hotchkiss about three great shoes he inherited from his FiL inspired me. He recieved a horse bit black loafer, a burgundy captoe and a suede penny. Each of these shoes are absolute classics and have so many uses. In fact less popular today but nevertheless timeesss is a cordovan or oxblood (burgundy) leather. Because this color crosses over the hump between outfits that are brown tans or outfits that are blue/greys, it is the most versatile color shoe a man can have in his wardrobe. In doing a little inspirational research on Pinterest for some combos I thought I would share to the whole community if that’s alright Steven. In American classic timeless menswear, shoes are much less restricted than in many parts of the world. The two perfect examples are the loafer and the brogue. In England for example loafers (especially thinner soled ones) are kind of impractical apparently because of the persistent rain as well as the un-even pavement and muddy ground (although this last issue i find a bit odd since many cities in Italy (home to the Gucci loafer) are older than England and have all kinds of surfaces like cobble stones etc). The loafer fits perfectly with the American comfort sensibility-: looser sack fit suit, full cut oxford shirts, button down collars (which are fine with a suit by the way) full leg double pleated trousers etc. while a loafer can be worn with a suit ( as can a button down oxford shirt), unquestionably they are a significantly less formal accessory. Furthermore there are suit loafers and sport coat loafers. This last aspect is dictated by whether the shoe has a moccasin toe(aka apron toe) or raised lake (aka welted toe.) These descriptions can go down some weird rabbit holes- https://shoegazing.com/2023/03/26/guide-types-of-apron-front-and-split-toe-seams/

After spending about an hour trying on almost the entire store and getting other guest and sales assistant opinions, I decided to jump into the Captain Boots in chocolate. I'll either be back for the cadets or going to Amberjack for another pair of dress shoes soon. We'll see how well this goes!

I came across these after reading Antonio’s article about heritage shoes today. Any thoughts?https://sullivent.com/services/