I bought some shoes OR maybe I have a sense of personal style after all

[Orionson]

Nice thread and nicer shoes.

My Grandfather taught me to always buy the best quality shoes you could afford, in timeless classic styles which never go out of fashion - even if it meant stretching your budget a bit - and to take good care of them. Find a good cobbler and resole them, with good leather when necessary. I still have, and use regularly the shoe box and brushes he gave me 50 years ago.

His secret, which I will share with you now (I am surprised that no one has previously mentioned this) is always buy good shoe trees - preferably full cedar - and keep them in the shoes whenever they are not in use. The trees will help the shoes dry out from the inside between use and maintain the shape and form of the leather, preventing shrinkage and cracking of the surfaces of the outer leather.

Regular polishing will also maintain the beauty and integrity of the leather for a lifetime.

If properly cared for properly, good shoes will literally last a lifetime.

Well done. Excellent choice. Those are a lovely lifetime pair of brogues. Love the colour.

Cheers.

[mull]

Might be of interest.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/news/the-6...215616258.html

[Alan H]

You know, it's funny how my head works. I will drop money on equipment to DO things without a second thought, and that goes double if it's something that I'll use a lot.

A new tool? -no problem.
A weight to throw? -all the time
a gizmo for the boat? -you bet
fabric to MAKE a kilt? -of course
super cheap athletic shoes to wear "around" every day? -naturally

However, dropping money on clothes that I don't wear all that often is like torture to me. It took me three YEARS to finally decide to get a jacket and waistcoat that fit me properly. Instead, I tried adapting sport coats, etc. etc. and looking for super-duper deals on ebay until I realized that it just wasn't going to work. The same goes for shoes. I don't live in dress shoes. I wear athletic shoes and old hiking boots to work, and around town. I might wear these shoes 7-8 times a year, so in my mind it's hard to justify spending a mint on them. What makes it worse is that I think it's nuts to buy shoes over the internet. I mean, I have to put them on my feet to see if they fit, right? I'm not one of those guys who'll buy a pair of shoes, have them shipped to me at great expense, then try them on and if they don't fit then I have to send them back again, ....again at great expense. No. Lots of things are buy-able over the internet, like say....books for example. Shoes? Not so much.

[Llama]

Most of the companies that do shoe sales online have free shipping and returns. I hear that people with regular-size feet don't have a problem with it.

However, I have to try on 30 pairs of shoes in 3 different sizes to find the right one. I'll stick to shoe stores for now.

[CMcG]

... Lots of things are buy-able over the internet, like say....books for example. Shoes? Not so much.

Unless of course you find a pair of shoes you like at a store, try them on, find out that they fit, but don't buy them because of the price. While waiting for them to go onsale, you happen to see the exact same brand, style, and size, brand new on eBay at a significant discount. Then you can order them worry free, knowing that they will fit. That's how I got my brogues