Patina & Why Cheap Italian Shoes Are Useful: Part II

I wrote an article awhile back about Patina or shoes and why cheap shoes are good as practice for home made shoe patina. Anyway, according to the webpage analytics, it is one of the most popular posts in here. Not that this blog is popular in the first place but it does get a majority of the hits herein. That article is here.

Anyway, the shoe is still alive and kicking even after being used for almost a decade at almost once a week (7-8 years old shoes). Why so? Because it isn't blake stitched or goodyear welted but only stuck together with glue. Of course occasional gluing of its sole helped. But it has lasted this long. So much for those that say glued shoes do not last. 

Patina & Why Cheap Italian Shoes Are Useful

This is a pair of shoes made by Andrea Cammelli, one of the million or so shoe makers in Italy. I've decided to give it a new lease of life with a bottle of Cutex nail polish remover, leather conditioner, shoe cream and polish.

Actually, I wanted to experiment a little on it. As I mentioned earlier I got this pair of shoes at a bargain. RM150.00 at Tangs down from its original list price of around RM500.00. Typically Italian budget brown shoes with glued/stuck on construction (which I've added a thin slice of Vibram to the sole and heel so that it'll be a perfect beater work shoe for me and the Malaysian weather). It also had a full leather lined upper but it has that sliightly square toed look to it. Not like those ridiculously square toed crap. Almost, but with the elongated shape of the last it is wearable with a pair of slim cut trousers.

The brown leather of this cheap pair of shoes is typically Italian. Thin, and well, cheap feeling. Not substantial like some of the other shoes I have but not as thin as those glove leather shoes that Italians seem to use most of the time. Anyway, I think they made this shoe using polish instead of dye. So I resorted to cutex to get rid of the polish in a few strategic spots. Rubbing harder in those spots which you want it to be lighter and lightly rubbing the parts you want it to retain some darker shade on the leather. After that, condition the leather using leather conditioner, then a layer or two of shoe cream (in light brown, mid brown and dark brown) and then a layer of dark brown polish.

I must say it somehow worked for me. The shoe with new waxed laces looked a million times better than the tired old look. More patina/antiquing making it look slightly more special to wear. And the investment was basically a bottle of cutex and some time to kill.

Not bad for a first time effort eh? And this is why a cheap pair or three of Italian shoes come in handy.

Update: The shoe gets another rework three years on. Read it here folks.

Some Colour to Brighten Up Work Attire

A friend took this photo of the lower part of my ensemble recently. He was slightly taken aback by the many colours I had on me. My dress shirt was a mid-blue shade, grey slacks, green socks, and chocolate brown shoes with blue shoelaces.

The shoes are branded Andrea Cammelli, Firenze. These are 6 year old pair of cheap Italian shoes - thin glove-like leather which the Italians seem to like putting on their cheaper shoes (but extremely comfortable from the start as you don't need to 'run them in', slightly shoddy stitching, stuck on sole that I've added thin Vibram rubber soles and a Vibram re-heel. These were  bought from CK Tangs during its first sale (when it first re-opened in Malaysia some years ago) for an incredible RM150.00. Tangs are one of those stores that stock Italian shoes, usually from those smaller shoe makers that Italy has thousands of. Sometimes, gems could be found even if they are not the usual brands most of us hear of.

The choice of green socks made me seem a little Irish (whereas I am as Asian as most of the people in this parts of Kuala Lumpur) as I reminded him of a Leprechaun. Don't mind actually as Leprechauns have a pot of gold lying somewhere around. Actually the only thing Irish around my office would be Guinness Stout sold in nearby shops.

Anyway, I suppose it IS a little distracting if you work in a total business environment and everything is all protocol and what-not. But I work in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur where things are a little less formal and I dress to please myself. So expect purple, orange, red, maroon, green, blue coloured socks and a lot of patina in my shoes. And shoelaces of various colours too!