Plain-toed, brown, leather-soled Oxford?

[Mossyrock]

As for the REALLY slick/plasticky look, you could try a little rubbing alcohol & soft cloth to cut through that 'painted on' looking finish and then hit them with leather conditioner. I've seen this technique recommended to cut thru similar factory finishes on Bass Weejuns.

I was going to try that tonight in conjunction with a good saddle-soaping. I am wearing them today, giving them a little break-in time. While they are reasonably comfortable, I can tell they aren't 18-hour shoes...at least not yet.

 

[Tomasso]

Conditioners and cream polishes will not be very effective if in fact the shoes are made from corrected grain leather. Stripping and antiquing techniques will prove futile as well. For care: wipe with a damp cloth, apply a light layer of same colored wax polish, then buff.

 

[MrBern]

sticky shock

Matt, the price you paid for those Rickson's is EXACTLY what I paid for my first car in 1982! Trust me, I am NOT against paying for quality; I own a pair of Alden 405s as proof of that (and am wearing them now). But, I have to admit to a good bit of sticker shock when seeing what Rickson's are going for! lol

Isnt it funny that men get flustered at $300 shoes, whereas many women would pay twice the price.

 

[Diamondback]

$300? $50-60 for a pair of Dockers that last through a year of daily wear (my usual shoe lifespan is six months) is pushin' it for me...

 

[Mossyrock]

Gentlemen;

With regards to the WPG's mentioned earlier in this thread: I can not recommend them at this time. While I will not mention specifics, suffice it to say that they have not lived up to my quality expectations (in both workmanship and materials) and I must suggest you look elsewhere.

The search continues....

 

[Dr Doran]

$300? $50-60 for a pair of Dockers that last through a year of daily wear (my usual shoe lifespan is six months) is pushin' it for me...

Buy used wingtips (vel sim) at your local Goodwill. Buy several pairs. $5 each; rotate them throughout the year. Cheap. Good. I swear by it.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Fred (Zemke Fan) had a great article in the first or second issue of Classic Style that showed buying 4 or 5 pair of Allen Edmond shoes saves loads of money in the long run compared to buying one or two pair of $50-75 shoes every year. I still haven't made the plunge till I've worn out & used up the shoes I have, but the economics of it makes complete sense.

 

[Edward]

Buy cheap, buy twice and all that. Clarks aren't popular round these parts, but I can get close on ten years out of a pair of those worn twice a week.... As a general rule, though, I find that shoes are one thing it's really not worth skimping on (within reason).

Another thought: two pairs of shoes worn in rotation will long outlast three pairs worn exclusively, one after the other. I don't know the science exactly, but it is absolutely true in my experience.

 

[Orgetorix]

Unless you buy high-quality shoes that use oak bark-tanned soles, you're going to wear through shoe leather quickly with frequent walking. I commuted by foot for a few years in the city, and I wore through the soles of a brand-new pair of Allen-Edmonds in about six or eight months.

Have rubber topys put on your leather shoes if you do a lot of walking. They'll last a bit longer, and they're only $20 or so to replace when they wear out.

And, of course, make sure you aren't wearing your shoes every day or you'll trash the uppers in short order. Rotate at least two or three pairs.

 

[cookie]

Buy used wingtips (vel sim) at your local Goodwill. Buy several pairs. $5 each; rotate them throughout the year. Cheap. Good. I swear by it.

Especially vintage Florsheims Nettletons etc...

 

[Tomasso]

Shoes need to rest (in shoe trees) for a minimum of a day or two between wearings so that they can sufficiently dry out (same with clothing). Failure to do so will hasten their demise. Wear rubbers in foul weather or set aside a pair of rubber soled shoes for such. +1 on Topy

The more shoes that you have in rotation, the longer they will last (same with clothing); I have several pairs nearly twenty years old which have yet to need resoling.

As I've mentioned before, Allend Edmonds are available at discount ($100-150) on Ebay and at their outlet store.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Gentlemen;

With regards to the WPG's mentioned earlier in this thread: I can not recommend them at this time. While I will not mention specifics, suffice it to say that they have not lived up to my quality expectations (in both workmanship and materials) and I must suggest you look elsewhere.

Why not? Specifics would be very useful for other people thinking about these shoes (not I). The specifics of a review are what will give them the info they need to make an informed decision. Right now it's just an opinion (very dirty word); with specifics it becomes an informed opinion (very clean words).

(I must say i'm not at all surprised that a WPG product has not lived up to expectations.)

bk

 

[Mossyrock]

Why not? Specifics would be very useful for other people thinking about these shoes (not I). The specifics of a review are what will give them the info they need to make an informed decision. Right now it's just an opinion (very dirty word); with specifics it becomes an informed opinion (very clean words).

(I must say i'm not at all surprised that a WPG product has not lived up to expectations.)

bk

The biggest reason I would hesitate is that is IS an opinion, and, therefore, subjective.

But, since you asked, this opinion hinges on two items: Comfort and quality. I wore the shoes for a couple of days, and they almost crippled me. Maybe I am spoiled by wearing Aldens and Rockports, but these things HURT. In the time I wore them, it became very apparent that the finish on the leather was not a dye and wax, but a very "plasticky" painted-on finish. I tried to remove the finish with rubbing alcohol and discovered that the finish was a thin plastic veneer with fairly rough leather underneath. I applied polish over what was there and was rewarded with a mess that wouldn't take a shine. Now, after over 25 years in the US Army, I KNOW how to shine shoes and have spent HOURS getting the perfect "spit shine". No dice on these shoes.

I am chalking this experience up to "lessons learned" and moving on. My next purchase will be another pair of Aldens.

"Expensive is cheap, and cheap is expensive."

 

[cookie]

Even though those were cheap (and you were warned about corrected grain) you should take this up with WPG. Lots of shoe sellers are selling corrected grain without explanation of their inherent bad side....like it was just ordinary leather.

 

[Dr Doran]

Sorry, I should have specified: by buying several pairs of $5 wingtips at Goodwill, I meant several pairs of high quality $5 wingtips in good condition. Not several pairs of poor quality wingtips in poor condition.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

exactly right. My cheap-o, thrift store Crockett & Jones, R. M. Williams and Allen Edmonds are going strong. The AEs i got 5 years ago; total workhorses.

bk

 

[bigshoe]

As a general practice I avoid comment on others products as I am in the same bussiness as WPG. I do feel compelled to add a few comments on this thread. WPG is trying to supply a niche market that is more cognizant of price and specific color than quality. He like myself and others in that market will never be able to come up with enough cash to get the materials we should. In order to get correctly dyed and tanned leather no one in the states will make less then 4000 sq ft (the capicity of a tanning drum). If you go overseas for complete manufacture like WPG you get what you pay for. A factory in china that makes 10,000 pair a day will make what you want but if you order only a 100 pair you are simply not going to get their attention. A correct upper leather will cost about $8.00 per sq ft. A medium grade Argentine sole leather runs $6.00 a pound. Top quality pit tanned sole leather from one of the three remaing tanneries runs $8 to $9 per pound, depending on exchange rates. Outfits like AE buy 10,000 to 12,000 sq ft per month so they can be picky, unlike reenactors their clients will pay for it.

To me a corrected grain leather is a leather that has been plated (smoothed in a large press) this can still be polished or dyed. P.U. leather is generaly split leather that is coated with a polyurethane or other chemical coating, what you see is what you get, you can't do much with it.

Older made shoes such as you find in thrift stores were made of materials that far excede the quality of most footwear made today so 40 year old shoes will out wear much of what is made now.

I try to buy mostly the $8 a foot leather so my prices reflect that, If I wanted to get rich I would have become a politician. WPG is in the same boat and we are both bailing as fast as we can.
Tom

 

[Dr Doran]

Thank you, Bigshoe. That's very interesting. If there is one thing I love about the Lounge, it is that we get insider information on the things we love and their manufacture.

As a general practice I avoid comment on others products as I am in the same bussiness as WPG. I do feel compelled to add a few comments on this thread. WPG is trying to supply a niche market that is more cognizant of price and specific color than quality. He like myself and others in that market will never be able to come up with enough cash to get the materials we should. In order to get correctly dyed and tanned leather no one in the states will make less then 4000 sq ft (the capicity of a tanning drum). If you go overseas for complete manufacture like WPG you get what you pay for. A factory in china that makes 10,000 pair a day will make what you want but if you order only a 100 pair you are simply not going to get their attention. A correct upper leather will cost about $8.00 per sq ft. A medium grade Argentine sole leather runs $6.00 a pound. Top quality pit tanned sole leather from one of the three remaing tanneries runs $8 to $9 per pound, depending on exchange rates. Outfits like AE buy 10,000 to 12,000 sq ft per month so they can be picky, unlike reenactors their clients will pay for it.

To me a corrected grain leather is a leather that has been plated (smoothed in a large press) this can still be polished or dyed. P.U. leather is generaly split leather that is coated with a polyurethane or other chemical coating, what you see is what you get, you can't do much with it.

Older made shoes such as you find in thrift stores were made of materials that far excede the quality of most footwear made today so 40 year old shoes will out wear much of what is made now.

I try to buy mostly the $8 a foot leather so my prices reflect that, If I wanted to get rich I would have become a politician. WPG is in the same boat and we are both bailing as fast as we can.
Tom

 

[Edward]

Sorry, I should have specified: by buying several pairs of $5 wingtips at Goodwill, I meant several pairs of high quality $5 wingtips in good condition. Not several pairs of poor quality wingtips in poor condition.

Yes, sorry, I got where you were gonig with that, I meant cheap shoes in general that are, well..... cheap shoes as opposed to higher quality items bought at a bargain used price. I should have been clearer!

 

[The Shooman]

Most of those shoos pictured are not Oxfords. Most are bluchers/derby's.

Here is a pair of brown captoe oxfords. l absolutely love them.