Exotic leather shoes - Something to indulge after you have owned the basics

Fratelli Rossetti Crocodile Balmorals (l) and Teju Lizard Derby shoes (r)

What every working man should have are shoes to rotate so that the shoes do not die a premature death. I had suggested that working men have at least two good pair of shoes to rotate every other day. They should then build this up to at least five pairs of dress shoes and about two or three good pair of casual weekday shoes as well as a pair of patent leather oxfords or formal patent leather slippers/pumps for those black tie functions. With this outlay, it is easy to ensure that the shoes you have invested your money will actually last a decade or so with proper maintenance and care.

How shoelaces can add character to a pair of shoes

I just changed the shoelaces of this pair of shoes. Some Italian brand by the name of Bruno Cascinelli, one of the million or so Italian made and branded shoes sold.Typical affordable blake stitched pair that are reasonably comfy and fits my feet well.

Anyway, see what dark blue laces do to the shoe instead of the usual brown laces. Turns things up a notch in terms of 'dandiness'...no?

The Reason I Fancy Italian Shoes A Tad More....

...than English ones is the fact that they're slightly decadent, slightly over the top and slightly flamboyant. I do have a few pairs of English made ones, but these days, every time I end up buying a new pair of shoes it ends up being Italian.

Take this pair of StefanoBi. It may seem like a typical pair of dark brown brogues, but the madness is in the details. The antiquing, while not as rich as the ones on the pair of Santoni I featured earlier is quite good. The shoelaces have a little knot at the end instead of crimped plastic makes it a tad more playful than the usual straight laced brogue. And then we get to the sole of the shoe....Or soul of the shoe.

Now this is usually a place where no one would actually see, but it still is beautifully embellished.  The sole is dyed/coloured a nice brown/green. It basically is patina for the sole of the shoe. The narrowest part of the shoe has a fiddled (or beveled) waist and is beautiful to look at. I have to apologise for the photo as I am couldn't find the correct angle to capture this detail. Anyway, add some strategically placed nails to the front and on the heel and everything comes together (It's those the little details) and the final outcome is pure decadence. Well maybe not as decadent as some other shoes out there. A Silvano Lattanzi or a Branchini (who used to own StefanoBi before selling it off to LVMH) comes to mind for something totally outrageous. Or if we add the French custom patinaed shoes  .....hmmm. But these would cost a kidney or a leg in this part of the world.


 Of course there are those that say Italian shoes aren't as well constructed as some British goodyear welted ones (these are Blake stiched) and may not last as long. But one cannot help but indulge in some flair as you only live once. So who cares if it does not last 285 years or so. It will look stunning for at least 15 years which is quite a decent time for a pair of shoes, like this pair of Bruno Magli monkstraps that are a part of a larger, non-weekly shoe rotation lineup of mine. 

In fact they could last another decade or so. One can never have too many shoes.