Mr Mueller
New in Town
- Messages
- 18
- Location
- Richmond, VA
It was requested in the suit forum that I create a thread detailing my conversion of a simple pair of thrift store wing tips, to a stylish pair of two-tone kicks. As many of you know, it is growing more and more difficult to find a nice pair of two-tone shoes anymore, and even more so if you want a nice vintage look to them.
While rush-shopping for accessories for my new suit, I ran across a pair of older wingtip brogues in my size for $7.99 at the Salvation Army. They were in decent shape (I still need to clean up the soles a bit), and a nice shade of dark brown that would go nicely with my grey suit. As I was heading home with my purchase I thought: "you know what would make these even better? If they were two-tone..."
Altering shoe color is nothing new to me as I spent two years of my life as a costume crafts person at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where the resident costume designer has an uncontrollable need to match the shoe color to the dress. It is, however, something fairly simple that any one of you can do at home with a paintbrush, a steady hand, some specialty paint, and shoe polish.
First. The Shoes.
The paint is called Angelus Shoe Paint. It is an acrylic base and, in my experience, has the best longevity and crack resistance of all the other shoe paints on the market.
I used "Vanilla", but there are several colors to choose from. You can buy it in small 1oz (which would easily cover one pair of shoes) from shoeshine express, or if you live in one of the major entertainment cities, you can buy it locally at Manhattan or LA Wardrobe Supply.
The first thing you need to do before you start painting is to prepare the surface you will be coloring. You do this with either acetone (I use acetone fingernail polish remover) or a high percentage rubbing alcohol. Simply get some on a rag and rub the finish off of the area you want to paint. It shouldn't take much. You are simply trying to break down and remove the waxes that seal the current finish in, not trying to completely remove the current color.
Next, you need a good brush. An artist type as opposed to a chip brush or house paint brush. Doesn't have to be fancy, just nice enough to not fall apart on you. I usually use a flat shader brush because it makes it easy to lay in the paint right up to the edge without having to mask off the part of the shoe you don't want painted (which you may want to do if you don't have a steady hand). The trick to to lay it on in several very light, smooth coats letting it dry 15 minutes or more in between. You don't want to brush it on so that you see the raised texture of the brush stroke. By the time you get to the 3rd or 4th layer, you should have a nice even coating. It is a bit tedious, but be patient. Take your time. Do while watching your evening TV. You'll appreciate the effort in the end.
First coat on half shoe:
The final step is to seal the whole thing. Angelus also offers an acrylic finisher, but I prefer a neutral shoe polish. The finisher has a tendency to yellow and look filmy. Simply polish your shoe like you would any other shoe and the wax will seal in the finish. That's it! All done! You now have a pair of two-tones to finish off your look.
Hope this was helpful.
While rush-shopping for accessories for my new suit, I ran across a pair of older wingtip brogues in my size for $7.99 at the Salvation Army. They were in decent shape (I still need to clean up the soles a bit), and a nice shade of dark brown that would go nicely with my grey suit. As I was heading home with my purchase I thought: "you know what would make these even better? If they were two-tone..."
Altering shoe color is nothing new to me as I spent two years of my life as a costume crafts person at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where the resident costume designer has an uncontrollable need to match the shoe color to the dress. It is, however, something fairly simple that any one of you can do at home with a paintbrush, a steady hand, some specialty paint, and shoe polish.
First. The Shoes.
The paint is called Angelus Shoe Paint. It is an acrylic base and, in my experience, has the best longevity and crack resistance of all the other shoe paints on the market.
I used "Vanilla", but there are several colors to choose from. You can buy it in small 1oz (which would easily cover one pair of shoes) from shoeshine express, or if you live in one of the major entertainment cities, you can buy it locally at Manhattan or LA Wardrobe Supply.
The first thing you need to do before you start painting is to prepare the surface you will be coloring. You do this with either acetone (I use acetone fingernail polish remover) or a high percentage rubbing alcohol. Simply get some on a rag and rub the finish off of the area you want to paint. It shouldn't take much. You are simply trying to break down and remove the waxes that seal the current finish in, not trying to completely remove the current color.
Next, you need a good brush. An artist type as opposed to a chip brush or house paint brush. Doesn't have to be fancy, just nice enough to not fall apart on you. I usually use a flat shader brush because it makes it easy to lay in the paint right up to the edge without having to mask off the part of the shoe you don't want painted (which you may want to do if you don't have a steady hand). The trick to to lay it on in several very light, smooth coats letting it dry 15 minutes or more in between. You don't want to brush it on so that you see the raised texture of the brush stroke. By the time you get to the 3rd or 4th layer, you should have a nice even coating. It is a bit tedious, but be patient. Take your time. Do while watching your evening TV. You'll appreciate the effort in the end.
First coat on half shoe:
The final step is to seal the whole thing. Angelus also offers an acrylic finisher, but I prefer a neutral shoe polish. The finisher has a tendency to yellow and look filmy. Simply polish your shoe like you would any other shoe and the wax will seal in the finish. That's it! All done! You now have a pair of two-tones to finish off your look.
Hope this was helpful.
