‘Just how shiny should my rambling boots be?’ now, most people don’t fancy the idea of trudging up Scafell Pike looking like a ballroom dancer, but you would be surprised what some of my clients ask me. The above is a small example of the nuances of style that maybe completely lost on many like my girlfriend; ) but remain incredibly important to anyone who really cares about their appearance.
Lovejoy fashion icon?
It is my job to help people make decisions such as these. Not only do we help with the finish of the shoe, but also giving advice on a more general level, what style of shoes to wear and to which occasion. For example I have never been a massive fan of wearing smart, shining oxfords with denim, so until Lovejoy comes back into fashion it should be given a wide berth! I use the word ‘fashion’ sparingly, it is more really about style – which is timeless.
Business Occasion
For women, wearing shoes with smaller heels may tell the others you are serious about your career. A business suit with strappy, high heels gives a mixed message because your outfit may suggest seriousness, but your feet may be screaming “party.” Men have it a little easier than women do when it comes to picking the right business shoe. For men, oxfords, loafers, cap toes, dress boots, and monk straps are all acceptable for business wear.
Cleaning: With business formal wear, there is probably more scope for expression through the shine than any other. Look to a conventional polish and finish with a chamois. Feel free to go as shiny or as matte as desired.
Shine rating 5/10
Formal Occasion
When going to a dance or another type of formal occasion, women wearing high heels often give off the vibe that they are feeling romantic and feminine, which is a great way to feel at a formal event. But remember, you want to wear comfortable heels. With formal shoes, men have it easy. Any shoe that is appropriate for business (with the exception of a loafer unless it is a very dress loafer) should be fine for a formal occasion. However, the same thing goes for comfort.
Cleaning: If, ever there is an excuse to go for the burn this is it shine, shine, shine. Go for that mirror gloss. Take a polish a small cloth apply the polish repeatedly in small circles, then do the same with the water to take it off.
Shine rating 10/10
Casual Occasion
Casual events are a much easier occasion in which to pick the right shoe. With casual events, you want to focus on two things: the shoes are casual and they match your outfit. It is fine if you are thin, but remember no matter what your size, it will make you look a bit larger. With jeans, most women prefer to wear flat shoes, unless it is a bit of a dress casual occasion, then you may want to wear heels.
For men, casual occasions mean casual shoes. You should be able to judge by what you are doing and who will be there if the event calls for sneakers or something a bit dressier like loafers.
Cleaning; We should be looking to water-proof and protect rather than shine. Take a dubbing or a saddle soap and combine it with a Scotchguard.
Shine rating 2/10
Happy shining and if, you have any queries just simply post a comment.
Drew
Friday 16 April 2010
Monday 12 April 2010
Top 6 Tips to Find The Perfect Cobbler
I do apologise for my lack of blogging over the weekend, took a bit of a sabbatical. I trust you all had a great weekend yourselves and I am back with a bang today. As the title suggests I want to chat a bit about cobblers and how to pick a good one.
WHAT A LOAD OF COBBLERS
There are so many of them around in Cities at least and it can be really tough to work out which one to take your precious Lanvins to. The actual cost of repairing a pair of shoes is minimal, a ladies re-heel for example would cost the cobbler no more than 20p in materials and £1 in labour, everything else is overheads and profit. Even the more expensive jobs like a mens resole still aren’t that costly£5/£6 max I am not being hard on cobblers, they have a business to run and they charge what the market will pay.
My tips below are regardless of what type of job you want done-fairly generic;
1) Does someone you know recommed somewhere?
Seems a bit of a no-brainer this one, but if ever there was a good piece of advice this is it.
2) Does the cobbler do repairs instore?
There are a number of reasons not to go to an agent store. i) They will not be able to give any professional advice ii) It can be tough mediating between the two stores if things starting getting complicated iii) It will take even longer to get them back.
3) Do they have a Singer Machine (or equivalent) in the store?
If, not they will have to take your shoes off-site if you need to get them stitched on some level.
4) Website?
Many, many stores do not have a website, which is amazing in this day and age. If they do it is an obvious plus for all the normal reasons.
5) Do they stock German Soles?
Again not relevant if you don’t need a re-sole, but if so they are the best.
6) Do they appear to have good customer understanding?
Many shoe repairers are ‘unpolished diamonds’ and (especially women) can feel intimidated by heavy handedness or a peceived lack of knowledge.
I hope this helps you in your quest.
Drew
WHAT A LOAD OF COBBLERS
There are so many of them around in Cities at least and it can be really tough to work out which one to take your precious Lanvins to. The actual cost of repairing a pair of shoes is minimal, a ladies re-heel for example would cost the cobbler no more than 20p in materials and £1 in labour, everything else is overheads and profit. Even the more expensive jobs like a mens resole still aren’t that costly£5/£6 max I am not being hard on cobblers, they have a business to run and they charge what the market will pay.
My tips below are regardless of what type of job you want done-fairly generic;
1) Does someone you know recommed somewhere?
Seems a bit of a no-brainer this one, but if ever there was a good piece of advice this is it.
2) Does the cobbler do repairs instore?
There are a number of reasons not to go to an agent store. i) They will not be able to give any professional advice ii) It can be tough mediating between the two stores if things starting getting complicated iii) It will take even longer to get them back.
3) Do they have a Singer Machine (or equivalent) in the store?
If, not they will have to take your shoes off-site if you need to get them stitched on some level.
4) Website?
Many, many stores do not have a website, which is amazing in this day and age. If they do it is an obvious plus for all the normal reasons.
5) Do they stock German Soles?
Again not relevant if you don’t need a re-sole, but if so they are the best.
6) Do they appear to have good customer understanding?
Many shoe repairers are ‘unpolished diamonds’ and (especially women) can feel intimidated by heavy handedness or a peceived lack of knowledge.
I hope this helps you in your quest.
Drew
Friday 9 April 2010
Unlocking the Secretive World of Google
Today I thought I might touch on the business side of things a bit, in particular a quick delve into the world of SEO or Search Engine Opitmization. For the uninitiated, it is when you search on Google or Bing for a particular subject, SEO is what dictates the order in which things come up on the screen. Companies pay billions of $$$$ each year attempting to get themselves at the top of the rankings.
CHEATING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP
Once you type in your desired topic like ’shoeshine’ the search engines uses complex mathamatical algorithms to discern the most relevant websites for your needs, however there is a cheat; pay those dastardly execs at the search engines a few extra dollars and they will rank your website top – regardless, they call these the sponsored links or pay per click and feature on the tower at the side (cheaper) or the banner over the top (premium)
I had to calculate the best strategy for this with Sunshine Shoeshine and no doubt it is something that you will have to do too, if you have either your own business or work in IT/marketing for your job. Our primary area of interest is the word ‘Shoeshine’, inspection revealed that this search was particularly competitive with a couple of companies jostling for sponsored links and therefore increasing the cost (the more interest, the more they put up the cost of being featured) I calculated that our best strategy is now to increase are ‘free’ ranking, (yes you can manipulate this too!) however ‘free ranking’ is a misnomer as it is not free you have to employ a company to do it unless you are much cleverer than me. You will notice that we are not on the free rankings as yet, but look hopefully for us to be featuring very shortly.
Back to more shoe-related topics tomorrow I promise!
Drew
CHEATING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP
Once you type in your desired topic like ’shoeshine’ the search engines uses complex mathamatical algorithms to discern the most relevant websites for your needs, however there is a cheat; pay those dastardly execs at the search engines a few extra dollars and they will rank your website top – regardless, they call these the sponsored links or pay per click and feature on the tower at the side (cheaper) or the banner over the top (premium)
I had to calculate the best strategy for this with Sunshine Shoeshine and no doubt it is something that you will have to do too, if you have either your own business or work in IT/marketing for your job. Our primary area of interest is the word ‘Shoeshine’, inspection revealed that this search was particularly competitive with a couple of companies jostling for sponsored links and therefore increasing the cost (the more interest, the more they put up the cost of being featured) I calculated that our best strategy is now to increase are ‘free’ ranking, (yes you can manipulate this too!) however ‘free ranking’ is a misnomer as it is not free you have to employ a company to do it unless you are much cleverer than me. You will notice that we are not on the free rankings as yet, but look hopefully for us to be featuring very shortly.
Back to more shoe-related topics tomorrow I promise!
Drew
Thursday 8 April 2010
Brush Up Your Shoecare
One of the main consituents of any shoe cleaning kit is of course the brushes. You will be using them to apply to the upper, welt and for removal. So it is worth taking some time to find out which brushes are most suited to you and your budget. When I say budget you may think to yourself, ‘how much could I possibly spend on a couple of brushes?’ well you would be surprised. We at Goodall’s use sets of bespoke brushes that retail at over £100
FANCY COMING BACK TO MINE AND LOOK AT MY BRUSHES?
A good brush will not only enhance the shine, but also means it will take you much less time to remove the application. The finest brushes will be natural and probably made from horse hair or boar bristle. One of the major stumbling blocks with the cheaper applicator brushes is that, you need to create quite a bit of downforce on the brush so as to thoroughly work the polish into the leather, the net effect of this is that if the brush is not constructed well you will find either;
a) The bristles will tangle up and look like rosettes.
b) They will fall out altogether.
c) You can not impress members of the opposite sex with your
expensive brushes!
To make your choice a little easier I have taken 3 of the most popular brushes and reviewed them for you,
Kiwi/Timpsons
RRP: £3.29 +
Utter rubbish. Expect them to fall apart pretty quickly, very weak bristle setting. Above all that the biggest design flaw is that the is a massive overhang around the edge of the brush which prevents you from getting the brush into the tin properly, you end up dipping the handle into the polish rather than the bristle. Pathetic. I can’t even believe these made it to the shop floor.
Dasco
RRP £3.25 small £4.25 large
This is a nice brush and would come out top on the value for money range. Prices can range considerably, so look to the internet.
Kent Brushes
RRP: £31
Only coming as part of a complete set, these are probably the best of the bunch, however you are paying for the name and you have to be a real aficianado to part with £31 for these.
If your trying out a brush in the shop and you are unsure about the quality rub it vigorously on your hand see if any bristles come off if so avoid, nothing more annoying than bristles all over you shiny shoe. Secondly look to the fibre, i.e is it natural.
Hope this helps
Drew
FANCY COMING BACK TO MINE AND LOOK AT MY BRUSHES?
A good brush will not only enhance the shine, but also means it will take you much less time to remove the application. The finest brushes will be natural and probably made from horse hair or boar bristle. One of the major stumbling blocks with the cheaper applicator brushes is that, you need to create quite a bit of downforce on the brush so as to thoroughly work the polish into the leather, the net effect of this is that if the brush is not constructed well you will find either;
a) The bristles will tangle up and look like rosettes.
b) They will fall out altogether.
c) You can not impress members of the opposite sex with your
expensive brushes!
To make your choice a little easier I have taken 3 of the most popular brushes and reviewed them for you,
Kiwi/Timpsons
RRP: £3.29 +
Utter rubbish. Expect them to fall apart pretty quickly, very weak bristle setting. Above all that the biggest design flaw is that the is a massive overhang around the edge of the brush which prevents you from getting the brush into the tin properly, you end up dipping the handle into the polish rather than the bristle. Pathetic. I can’t even believe these made it to the shop floor.
Dasco
RRP £3.25 small £4.25 large
This is a nice brush and would come out top on the value for money range. Prices can range considerably, so look to the internet.
Kent Brushes
RRP: £31
Only coming as part of a complete set, these are probably the best of the bunch, however you are paying for the name and you have to be a real aficianado to part with £31 for these.
If your trying out a brush in the shop and you are unsure about the quality rub it vigorously on your hand see if any bristles come off if so avoid, nothing more annoying than bristles all over you shiny shoe. Secondly look to the fibre, i.e is it natural.
Hope this helps
Drew
Wednesday 7 April 2010
A World of Uncertainty: An Open Ended Letter to Prada Directors
Some of you may not even be aware - there trying to keep it quiet - but Church’s the venerable British shoemaker has been bought out by Prada, thus ending the Church’s family lineage with one of the world’s finest shoemakers, (they have moved to Cheaney) I am not one of those anti-corporation types and am certainly willing to ’suck it and see’ as far as what will happen from now on in, however it is hasn’t gone unnoticed that the titanic luxury brand is already turning things in a new direction.
A cursory glance into a store the other day illustrated perfectly the new ethos. Diversification. Whilst the shop was predominantly mens shoes, more and more space was being taken up with higher margin items, wallets, umbrellas, diaries and – gasp womens shoes. This is not necessarily a Bad Thing, but can be alarming to lovers of a marque steeped in tradition and conservatism.
BRAND ALLIGNMENT
Many of our customers have been fully paid members of the Church’s club for decades and they are worried about slipping standards, a craft becoming an industry. Once upon a time a pair of Church’s showed where you stood in the world, a grown up mature gentleman of class and integrity, Prada on the other hand in their view are a global hyper brand full of marketing and fashion whimsies who probably couldn’t even spell craftmanship.
Therefore I have created an open ended letter to the Prada directors in an effort to capture the essence of our concerns and let us all know where and how things are going forward;
Dear Prada Directors,
As I am sure you are all aware the acquiring of Church’s to your bulging brand portfolio has come as a major shock to many loyal customers of Church’s. We are nervous about the direction in which you all intend to take the company and demand answers to the following;
1. How far do you intend to stretch the brand? Are you going to be creating a Church’s fragrance next? Such diversifications do not in our opinion sit favourably.
2. Are you planning to outsource the work to China or Italy?
3. Can you reassure us that the traditional craft and customer understanding will not be lost?
4. Are you going to resist vulgar new designs for the sake of a quick Euro?
We do not want to see the end of the marque and would very much like your buyout to succeed, however if it is at the expense of any of the above we will have absolutely no hesitation in taking our business elsewhere.
Yours worriedly
Chuch’s Shoe Owners
Let’s see, if we get a response.
Drew
A cursory glance into a store the other day illustrated perfectly the new ethos. Diversification. Whilst the shop was predominantly mens shoes, more and more space was being taken up with higher margin items, wallets, umbrellas, diaries and – gasp womens shoes. This is not necessarily a Bad Thing, but can be alarming to lovers of a marque steeped in tradition and conservatism.
BRAND ALLIGNMENT
Many of our customers have been fully paid members of the Church’s club for decades and they are worried about slipping standards, a craft becoming an industry. Once upon a time a pair of Church’s showed where you stood in the world, a grown up mature gentleman of class and integrity, Prada on the other hand in their view are a global hyper brand full of marketing and fashion whimsies who probably couldn’t even spell craftmanship.
Therefore I have created an open ended letter to the Prada directors in an effort to capture the essence of our concerns and let us all know where and how things are going forward;
Dear Prada Directors,
As I am sure you are all aware the acquiring of Church’s to your bulging brand portfolio has come as a major shock to many loyal customers of Church’s. We are nervous about the direction in which you all intend to take the company and demand answers to the following;
1. How far do you intend to stretch the brand? Are you going to be creating a Church’s fragrance next? Such diversifications do not in our opinion sit favourably.
2. Are you planning to outsource the work to China or Italy?
3. Can you reassure us that the traditional craft and customer understanding will not be lost?
4. Are you going to resist vulgar new designs for the sake of a quick Euro?
We do not want to see the end of the marque and would very much like your buyout to succeed, however if it is at the expense of any of the above we will have absolutely no hesitation in taking our business elsewhere.
Yours worriedly
Chuch’s Shoe Owners
Let’s see, if we get a response.
Drew
Tuesday 6 April 2010
The Great Christian Louboutin Scam Revealed
I only wear mine on the weekend at home on my own!; ) but some of you I undestand wear them a great deal, in fact if your a so called ‘fashionata’ and don’t have a pair of Louboutin’s then you are SO out of the loop. Most girls would give their left leg for a pair of those vibrant red soles. Unfortunately it is precisely those red soles that can be the problem, what happens when you get a hole in the bottom? You take them to the shop and they replace it with a light brown sole – doh! Far be it from me to suggest that this is intentional to force the customer to buy another pair, but…..
If, you don’t want to keep your shoes for anymore than a month or so, this isn’t a problem, but for most who have to justify the expense to their conscience – not to mention their boyfriend – it is an issue. As any doctor will tell you the best form of medicine is prevention, with that in mind, look to my top 3 tips;
1. Spend the entire day lying on a bed or sitting in a chair. If, you must visit Harvey Nics or Barneys then buy a Sedan Chair! Seriously though minimise a lot of walking, dancing, running.
2. Don’t buy killer heels. The CL Catenita’s are 5″ high, they might not be the highest couture pair, but will develop holes and fast. The reason being most holes form on the ball of the foot which is the primary area of stress, all your weight is distributed on an area 2cm across. Go low, they don’t have to be flats but 2″ or so will do, your chiropodist will love you too!
3. Get protective covers applied, clear obviously. This will add quite a bit of extra wear time and only set you back only a few Euros.
WHY DON’T YOU LISTEN TO ME?; )
Ok you can’t avoid it…it’s happened…despite your constant inertia and the barring of your boyfriend ‘trying them out’ a whacking great hole has appeared on the sole try my top 3 tips to get them back on the road;
1. Find a cobbler that can obtain red soles (easier said than done) this is pot luck and quite time consuming, many say they can and you end up with a sole that looks like pink custard.
2. Recolour them yourself, not quite as difficult as it sounds try some Plasti-Dip and follow these instructions;
Steps:
1) Wipe the bottom of shoes with dry paper towel
2) Dip foam brush into the Plast-Dip can and let the paint drip in can until enough paint is on the foam
3) Apply evenly on the bottom of the CL (keep dipping foam into can as needed)
4) Wipe the excess paint that got on the sides of the sides of the shoes with dry paper towel
5) Let the shoes sit for an hour, before I applied the next coat
6) Apply the Plasti-Dip about 4x total
3. ENGAGE GOODALL’S TO DO IT
Hmmmmmm there’s a difficult choice for you!
Drew
If, you don’t want to keep your shoes for anymore than a month or so, this isn’t a problem, but for most who have to justify the expense to their conscience – not to mention their boyfriend – it is an issue. As any doctor will tell you the best form of medicine is prevention, with that in mind, look to my top 3 tips;
1. Spend the entire day lying on a bed or sitting in a chair. If, you must visit Harvey Nics or Barneys then buy a Sedan Chair! Seriously though minimise a lot of walking, dancing, running.
2. Don’t buy killer heels. The CL Catenita’s are 5″ high, they might not be the highest couture pair, but will develop holes and fast. The reason being most holes form on the ball of the foot which is the primary area of stress, all your weight is distributed on an area 2cm across. Go low, they don’t have to be flats but 2″ or so will do, your chiropodist will love you too!
3. Get protective covers applied, clear obviously. This will add quite a bit of extra wear time and only set you back only a few Euros.
WHY DON’T YOU LISTEN TO ME?; )
Ok you can’t avoid it…it’s happened…despite your constant inertia and the barring of your boyfriend ‘trying them out’ a whacking great hole has appeared on the sole try my top 3 tips to get them back on the road;
1. Find a cobbler that can obtain red soles (easier said than done) this is pot luck and quite time consuming, many say they can and you end up with a sole that looks like pink custard.
2. Recolour them yourself, not quite as difficult as it sounds try some Plasti-Dip and follow these instructions;
Steps:
1) Wipe the bottom of shoes with dry paper towel
2) Dip foam brush into the Plast-Dip can and let the paint drip in can until enough paint is on the foam
3) Apply evenly on the bottom of the CL (keep dipping foam into can as needed)
4) Wipe the excess paint that got on the sides of the sides of the shoes with dry paper towel
5) Let the shoes sit for an hour, before I applied the next coat
6) Apply the Plasti-Dip about 4x total
3. ENGAGE GOODALL’S TO DO IT
Hmmmmmm there’s a difficult choice for you!
Drew
Monday 5 April 2010
Rags to Shining Riches: Goodall's the Untold Story
Forgive me. I get all carried away sometimes and don’t know when to stop. It’s my fault not yours. Of course I am talking about my relentless impersonal technical info and product reviews. Well now is the chance to pay penance and be a bit more personal.
The lines between Goodall’s the business and my own personal history are of course intrinsically linked, but one without the other I am afraid is inescapable, your stuck with me! Below is a red letter day account of Goodall’s, from day one to today;
ACTING AND HOMELESSNESS
Day 1: As a wannabe Olivier, times where hard as with many actors. The culmination of which was a 4 month winter stint sleeping rough in London, (Parsons Green to be precise) inbetween bouts of illness and acting jobs was hustling shoeshines in the streets of the nations capital
ASSAULTING THE CEO OF A FTSE 100 COMPANY
6 months: Things are looking up, roof over head and offered opportunity to shine shoes at a major investment bank in the financial district. Making many good friends.
‘During this time I caused a scare at a major financial informations company, by relaying a joke to the CEO which finished with a slap to the face, his secretary seeing the slap from a distance and not realising it was a joke called security saying the shoeshiner had ‘gone crazy’, fortunately the CEO is to this day a good friend of mine found it very funny and explained to the relieved guards!’
1 Year: Sunshine Shoeshine was formed with the mission statement of supplying in house corporate shoecare.
5 Year: Despite having very small parts in a few feature films and a couple of good theatre roles to my name gave it up mainly because I wasn’t good enough. Decided to pursue the shoe cleaning business further.
7 Year: Had grown Sunshine into the nations largest shoeshine company employing in 8 people.
8 Year: Won the inaugral British Shoeshine Championships.
9 Year: Formed Goodall’s as a response to many boardroom clients seeking a more personal service at their home.
10 Year: Completed a 6 month course in leather, trained as a cobbler and shoemaker – made my own shoes.
GOODALL’S AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS
11 Year: Was booked to work at the Academy Awards in the US (have since helped a number of clients there)
12 Year: Accumulated several high profile luxury brands as partners.
13 Year: Refined the ‘World’s Finest Shoeshine’ taken from ingredients all over the world and started a work on a iShoeshine iPhone app.
Really is enough ‘me’ time. Hope some of that was interesting for you.
Drew
The lines between Goodall’s the business and my own personal history are of course intrinsically linked, but one without the other I am afraid is inescapable, your stuck with me! Below is a red letter day account of Goodall’s, from day one to today;
ACTING AND HOMELESSNESS
Day 1: As a wannabe Olivier, times where hard as with many actors. The culmination of which was a 4 month winter stint sleeping rough in London, (Parsons Green to be precise) inbetween bouts of illness and acting jobs was hustling shoeshines in the streets of the nations capital
ASSAULTING THE CEO OF A FTSE 100 COMPANY
6 months: Things are looking up, roof over head and offered opportunity to shine shoes at a major investment bank in the financial district. Making many good friends.
‘During this time I caused a scare at a major financial informations company, by relaying a joke to the CEO which finished with a slap to the face, his secretary seeing the slap from a distance and not realising it was a joke called security saying the shoeshiner had ‘gone crazy’, fortunately the CEO is to this day a good friend of mine found it very funny and explained to the relieved guards!’
1 Year: Sunshine Shoeshine was formed with the mission statement of supplying in house corporate shoecare.
5 Year: Despite having very small parts in a few feature films and a couple of good theatre roles to my name gave it up mainly because I wasn’t good enough. Decided to pursue the shoe cleaning business further.
7 Year: Had grown Sunshine into the nations largest shoeshine company employing in 8 people.
8 Year: Won the inaugral British Shoeshine Championships.
9 Year: Formed Goodall’s as a response to many boardroom clients seeking a more personal service at their home.
10 Year: Completed a 6 month course in leather, trained as a cobbler and shoemaker – made my own shoes.
GOODALL’S AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS
11 Year: Was booked to work at the Academy Awards in the US (have since helped a number of clients there)
12 Year: Accumulated several high profile luxury brands as partners.
13 Year: Refined the ‘World’s Finest Shoeshine’ taken from ingredients all over the world and started a work on a iShoeshine iPhone app.
Really is enough ‘me’ time. Hope some of that was interesting for you.
Drew
Sunday 4 April 2010
Shoeshine sponges: evil or just misunderstood?
Silicone shine sponges reputation procedes them they are a contentious issue amongst almost everyone pro or otherwise. Before going on there is one major myth that I would like to start by putting firmly to rest;
‘Silicone sponges DO NOT ruin your shoes’
I feel much better for getting that out of my system. If, I had a dollar for every time someone accuses them of doing so……
WHY?
Companies that manufacture sponges refine the silicone they use in polish, concentrate it and apply it to a sponge, so catergorically it does not ruin the leather. Could you imagine the lawsuits if it did?
Time for the downside, it does create a slightly sticky coating over the leather that is tacky to the touch, as a result of this, ambient material sticks to it. Secondly, leather is porous the silicone sits on top of the pores and briefly prevents it from breathing. However, the shoe will not display any lasting damage due to this as it is only temporary.
When using a sponge it should be as an extension of the whole process, not used lazily as a ‘magic bullet’ below I have reviewed 3 of the sponges on the market today;
REVIEWS
Kiwi Express Shine
RRP: £2.39
http://www.gradyshardware.com/Sara-Lee-184001-Shoe-Shine-Sponge/M/
B000RNBG2Q.htm
You can rely on this for around 30 shines. It is prohibitively expensive. There is a defunct window on the lid with the idea that you can see how much liquid silicone you have left. A nice idea only it is not needed as you tend to simply stop using it when it is not having any more effect on the shoe. Combine this with a design fault that the grey sponge starts flaking and leaving little grey specks all over your front room.
Punch Quick Shine Sponge
RRP: £1.99 (high street)
http://www.wynsors.com/QUICK-SHINE-p-8972.html?utm_source=
google&utm_medium=google_base&utm_campaign=google_base
Lasts for around 40 shines. Not to be confused with the crap Punch Max and Punch Max 2 sponge. This is a definate step up from the Kiwi Express and is way better than the weak Punch Max 2. It has a nice aroma and is always moist and ready for action (ooeer!)
Schwipe Shoeshine Sponge
RRP: £1.49
Very hard to find. Ask your local cobbler.
Lasts 100+ shines. This without doubt is star of the show. It is cheap and almost too good, loaded with silicon, lasts forever and robust. On the downside, hard to find and it can suffer from that same flakeyness that Kiwi Express has.
Sorry about not finding a link for the last one.
Have a good Sunday
Drew
‘Silicone sponges DO NOT ruin your shoes’
I feel much better for getting that out of my system. If, I had a dollar for every time someone accuses them of doing so……
WHY?
Companies that manufacture sponges refine the silicone they use in polish, concentrate it and apply it to a sponge, so catergorically it does not ruin the leather. Could you imagine the lawsuits if it did?
Time for the downside, it does create a slightly sticky coating over the leather that is tacky to the touch, as a result of this, ambient material sticks to it. Secondly, leather is porous the silicone sits on top of the pores and briefly prevents it from breathing. However, the shoe will not display any lasting damage due to this as it is only temporary.
When using a sponge it should be as an extension of the whole process, not used lazily as a ‘magic bullet’ below I have reviewed 3 of the sponges on the market today;
REVIEWS
Kiwi Express Shine
RRP: £2.39
http://www.gradyshardware.com/Sara-Lee-184001-Shoe-Shine-Sponge/M/
B000RNBG2Q.htm
You can rely on this for around 30 shines. It is prohibitively expensive. There is a defunct window on the lid with the idea that you can see how much liquid silicone you have left. A nice idea only it is not needed as you tend to simply stop using it when it is not having any more effect on the shoe. Combine this with a design fault that the grey sponge starts flaking and leaving little grey specks all over your front room.
Punch Quick Shine Sponge
RRP: £1.99 (high street)
http://www.wynsors.com/QUICK-SHINE-p-8972.html?utm_source=
google&utm_medium=google_base&utm_campaign=google_base
Lasts for around 40 shines. Not to be confused with the crap Punch Max and Punch Max 2 sponge. This is a definate step up from the Kiwi Express and is way better than the weak Punch Max 2. It has a nice aroma and is always moist and ready for action (ooeer!)
Schwipe Shoeshine Sponge
RRP: £1.49
Very hard to find. Ask your local cobbler.
Lasts 100+ shines. This without doubt is star of the show. It is cheap and almost too good, loaded with silicon, lasts forever and robust. On the downside, hard to find and it can suffer from that same flakeyness that Kiwi Express has.
Sorry about not finding a link for the last one.
Have a good Sunday
Drew
Saturday 3 April 2010
Tonight I am on a promise.......
I am very late off the mark today, I do apologise. Resting after the exhaustion of yesterdays titanic blog about JM Williams – no-one told me this malarkey would be so time consuming! It is 4.15 in the morning GMT so will TRY to keep todays (nights?) blog shorter.
SANDALS? IN LONDON? DO ME A FAVOUR!
Todays blog is dedicated to a lovely Goodall’s customer. They live in a very affluent area in central London, UK they are money rich and time poor as well as being new to town, (hailing from Abu Dhabi) so have no idea where to go to look at enhancing their shoe collection, most of their footwear at present is sandal based and not suited to the frequent inclement conditions in Britain, with the climate like it is at present I think fishing waders could be the only solution.
SHHH….. IT’S INSIDER TRADING
The good news is when it comes to mens shoes in particular, London is where it’s at, so why not start with those luscious brogues? I have also included an insider contact, so as to get the very best service. The stores that I am always first to visit are;
John Lobb, St James Street,
Contact: William Hunter Lobb
Not to be confused with John Lobb, Jermyn Street, which is RTW, these are bespoke all the way! The best bar none. Expect a 8 month waiting time.
Lodger Footwear, Clifford Street, Mayfair
Contact: Nathan Brown/Clement
A very interesting range of both modern and classical pieces. This is all RTW, (ready to wear) so are cheaper. Expect attentive spot on service.
Brioni, Bruton Street, Mayfair
Contact: Andrea Fiore – Great Grandson of Brioni founder
A little piece of Italy in the heart of London. Beautiful shop, continental style shoes designed for the discerning international gentleman. Expect a style one stop shop.
ONE AT A TIME LADIES PLEASE….
Harrods, Old Brompton Road
Contact: Maurice
In truth this could have also gone in the mens section too. A massive range of fabulous shoes, everything from court shoes, pumps and kitten heels, with almost all the major names in attendance makes it any shoe lovers paradise.
Harvey Nichols, Old Brompton Road
Contact: Helen McManus
My personal favourite this one. Virtually next door to Harrods (sometimes location executives get it SO right) but wins for customer service and more edgy ranges. If, you don’t come out of this store £100’s of lighter I’ll eat my Gaziano’s!
Manolo Blahnik, 49-51 Old Church Street, Chelsea
Contact: Stephen
A visit to Chelsea wouldn’t be the same without a shopping here. Shoe designer to the stars, take in his international flagship store and feel just that little bit more glamorous.
Having now fulfilled my promise it is ‘off to bed and perchance to dream’
Happy shopping
Drew
SANDALS? IN LONDON? DO ME A FAVOUR!
Todays blog is dedicated to a lovely Goodall’s customer. They live in a very affluent area in central London, UK they are money rich and time poor as well as being new to town, (hailing from Abu Dhabi) so have no idea where to go to look at enhancing their shoe collection, most of their footwear at present is sandal based and not suited to the frequent inclement conditions in Britain, with the climate like it is at present I think fishing waders could be the only solution.
SHHH….. IT’S INSIDER TRADING
The good news is when it comes to mens shoes in particular, London is where it’s at, so why not start with those luscious brogues? I have also included an insider contact, so as to get the very best service. The stores that I am always first to visit are;
John Lobb, St James Street,
Contact: William Hunter Lobb
Not to be confused with John Lobb, Jermyn Street, which is RTW, these are bespoke all the way! The best bar none. Expect a 8 month waiting time.
Lodger Footwear, Clifford Street, Mayfair
Contact: Nathan Brown/Clement
A very interesting range of both modern and classical pieces. This is all RTW, (ready to wear) so are cheaper. Expect attentive spot on service.
Brioni, Bruton Street, Mayfair
Contact: Andrea Fiore – Great Grandson of Brioni founder
A little piece of Italy in the heart of London. Beautiful shop, continental style shoes designed for the discerning international gentleman. Expect a style one stop shop.
ONE AT A TIME LADIES PLEASE….
Harrods, Old Brompton Road
Contact: Maurice
In truth this could have also gone in the mens section too. A massive range of fabulous shoes, everything from court shoes, pumps and kitten heels, with almost all the major names in attendance makes it any shoe lovers paradise.
Harvey Nichols, Old Brompton Road
Contact: Helen McManus
My personal favourite this one. Virtually next door to Harrods (sometimes location executives get it SO right) but wins for customer service and more edgy ranges. If, you don’t come out of this store £100’s of lighter I’ll eat my Gaziano’s!
Manolo Blahnik, 49-51 Old Church Street, Chelsea
Contact: Stephen
A visit to Chelsea wouldn’t be the same without a shopping here. Shoe designer to the stars, take in his international flagship store and feel just that little bit more glamorous.
Having now fulfilled my promise it is ‘off to bed and perchance to dream’
Happy shopping
Drew
Friday 2 April 2010
Drew's Shoe Review - JM Williams
Well, it’s Good Friday and despite the fact that there is plenty to do, a girlfriend to spend time with and plenty on television, I have decided to invest time doing my first shoe review as I promised in an earlier blog.
I will approach my reviews not only from a quality/style standpoint, but also maintenance, (after all it is my USP) So, as the title suggests today I am addressing JM Williams the Australian bootmaker.
LETS GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING....
RM Williams is an Australian icon that evokes images of the vast Australian outback, of Banjo Patterson and the Man from Snowy River. They have been making boots since the 1930’s when Reginald Murray Williams learned the art of leather saddlery and boot making in the South Australian outback from a fellow known as Dollar Mick.
LOVE JMW BECAUSE.....
The thing that makes JM Williams a rare bird and particularly collectable is the whole cut Chelsea Boot. (to find out more about what wholecut is I will be addressing the term in a future blog, but for the sake of brevity; ‘It is a shoe or boot were the entire upper is covered by a single, non-seamed skin’) The long and short of it is it moulds to the bridge of your foot, making it very comfortable. JM Williams makes a noteworthy example of a wholecut boot.
**The buyer beware sometimes seams are cunningly disguised, if you look at this link for a Tudor boot from John Lobb you can see the seam directly underneath the vamp, it is small, but it is there. http://img168.imageshack.us/i/tudoruf4.jpg/**
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
Upon inspecting a brand new pair of JMW will notice a ridge running down the middle to the toe, this is not a defect, only proof that they use an old fashioned high end manufacturing technique.
The overall quality of their boots can be best described as basic high end comparable to Allen Edmonds and superior to Loakes. They are very comfortable footwear, doubtless largely as a result of their whole-cut boot construction for which they are famous. They are mostly Goodyear welted. As well as this they are also one of the few bootmakers left that make a ready to wear boot with a brass screwed leather construction.
LEATHERS FOR ALL WEATHERS
The leathers they use on their dress boots are mainly yearling, kangaroo, veal calf as well as suede. I have only ever seen them use full grain leathers. As well as this they do exotic, such as crocodile, but expect to part with the best part of $5500 Australian for these. Another leather, less commonly used by RM Williams is willow. It is a slightly grainier leather than yearling and less expensive. It is used mostly in the cheaper range of boots. I will spare you the technicalities of the leathers, (believe me I could go on!) if anyone is interested to hear further just leave a message.
YOU SHOULD REALLY GET....
If, you pushed me my top JMW tip would be; the Wholecut Craftsman made from french veal in chestnut colour; a handsome, slim, sleek and comfortable boot, perfect for the great outdoors and fear not due to the reverse ’storm’ welting not a single droplet of moisture will penetrate.
WHAT YOU HAVE REALLY BEEN WAITING FOR... Cleaning
There are certain essentials that should be ‘de rigueur’ for footwear of this type;
1. Most importantly they need to be cleansed and scrubbed with water to remove mud and dirt. Now I know this seems obvious, but you would be amazed how many people just don’t do this.
2. Secondly, a leather conditioner – due to the nature and usage you will experience a lot of cracking and drying so a basic conditioner goes down great keeping the upper supple and soft.
3. Next a nice cream, this will cleanse and enhance the aesthetic of the leather giving it beautiful depth and clarity.
4. The finish depends on you – the grand stylissimo; having performed the above a simple buff with a natural chamois would suffice. You can push the envelope and create a deep shine, but for casual shoes I would suggest this is a little frantic.
My next review will be womens shoes, so ladies stay tuned. Have a great Good Friday.
Drew
I will approach my reviews not only from a quality/style standpoint, but also maintenance, (after all it is my USP) So, as the title suggests today I am addressing JM Williams the Australian bootmaker.
LETS GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING....
RM Williams is an Australian icon that evokes images of the vast Australian outback, of Banjo Patterson and the Man from Snowy River. They have been making boots since the 1930’s when Reginald Murray Williams learned the art of leather saddlery and boot making in the South Australian outback from a fellow known as Dollar Mick.
LOVE JMW BECAUSE.....
The thing that makes JM Williams a rare bird and particularly collectable is the whole cut Chelsea Boot. (to find out more about what wholecut is I will be addressing the term in a future blog, but for the sake of brevity; ‘It is a shoe or boot were the entire upper is covered by a single, non-seamed skin’) The long and short of it is it moulds to the bridge of your foot, making it very comfortable. JM Williams makes a noteworthy example of a wholecut boot.
**The buyer beware sometimes seams are cunningly disguised, if you look at this link for a Tudor boot from John Lobb you can see the seam directly underneath the vamp, it is small, but it is there. http://img168.imageshack.us/i/tudoruf4.jpg/**
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
Upon inspecting a brand new pair of JMW will notice a ridge running down the middle to the toe, this is not a defect, only proof that they use an old fashioned high end manufacturing technique.
The overall quality of their boots can be best described as basic high end comparable to Allen Edmonds and superior to Loakes. They are very comfortable footwear, doubtless largely as a result of their whole-cut boot construction for which they are famous. They are mostly Goodyear welted. As well as this they are also one of the few bootmakers left that make a ready to wear boot with a brass screwed leather construction.
LEATHERS FOR ALL WEATHERS
The leathers they use on their dress boots are mainly yearling, kangaroo, veal calf as well as suede. I have only ever seen them use full grain leathers. As well as this they do exotic, such as crocodile, but expect to part with the best part of $5500 Australian for these. Another leather, less commonly used by RM Williams is willow. It is a slightly grainier leather than yearling and less expensive. It is used mostly in the cheaper range of boots. I will spare you the technicalities of the leathers, (believe me I could go on!) if anyone is interested to hear further just leave a message.
YOU SHOULD REALLY GET....
If, you pushed me my top JMW tip would be; the Wholecut Craftsman made from french veal in chestnut colour; a handsome, slim, sleek and comfortable boot, perfect for the great outdoors and fear not due to the reverse ’storm’ welting not a single droplet of moisture will penetrate.
WHAT YOU HAVE REALLY BEEN WAITING FOR... Cleaning
There are certain essentials that should be ‘de rigueur’ for footwear of this type;
1. Most importantly they need to be cleansed and scrubbed with water to remove mud and dirt. Now I know this seems obvious, but you would be amazed how many people just don’t do this.
2. Secondly, a leather conditioner – due to the nature and usage you will experience a lot of cracking and drying so a basic conditioner goes down great keeping the upper supple and soft.
3. Next a nice cream, this will cleanse and enhance the aesthetic of the leather giving it beautiful depth and clarity.
4. The finish depends on you – the grand stylissimo; having performed the above a simple buff with a natural chamois would suffice. You can push the envelope and create a deep shine, but for casual shoes I would suggest this is a little frantic.
My next review will be womens shoes, so ladies stay tuned. Have a great Good Friday.
Drew
Thursday 1 April 2010
The Inside Track on Journalism
I would like to welcome Mid Cap Europa to the Sunshine Shoeshine breakfast table, they have today signed up for weekly corporate office visits on Fridays. It is another sign that the economy is slowly and sluggishly starting to rebound. Having just watched a documentary on the great Wall Street crash of 1929, however, I think we have had it easy – people throwing themselves out of windows? The only time I saw anything close to that was after a gassy spicy business lunch at Soc Gen!; )
As I mentioned in a previous blog Sunshine Shoeshine was effected considerably by the downturn/recession/readjustment/credit crunch/financial crisis. I hope this time around we are alot fitter and leaner to cope with anything similar happening. But then hasn’t that always been the way throughout financial history, everyone thinks there impervious. With my ‘economic sage’ hat on I can confidently predict that ‘SH*T HAPPENS!’ damn I’m inciteful!
On the inside of the shoeshine world, I was many times contacted by the press looking for a story, an unusual angle on the crisis. The story it seemed they we’re desperate to spin and one I often hear which is that shoeshine bucks the problems because everyone is out of a job and needs to keep their shoes clean for interviews. This is nonsense, not only that it displays a lack of understanding on our business model in the 21st century, (For those new to the blog we visit offices) people who work there HAVE a job and are NOT going to interviews, in fact with all the negative publicity the banking industry has been given customers are even less likely to show perceived extravagance. In my interviews with various journo’s they simply dutifully wrote down the dialogue and published what they wanted to publish anyway. Bah humbug!
Drew
As I mentioned in a previous blog Sunshine Shoeshine was effected considerably by the downturn/recession/readjustment/credit crunch/financial crisis. I hope this time around we are alot fitter and leaner to cope with anything similar happening. But then hasn’t that always been the way throughout financial history, everyone thinks there impervious. With my ‘economic sage’ hat on I can confidently predict that ‘SH*T HAPPENS!’ damn I’m inciteful!
On the inside of the shoeshine world, I was many times contacted by the press looking for a story, an unusual angle on the crisis. The story it seemed they we’re desperate to spin and one I often hear which is that shoeshine bucks the problems because everyone is out of a job and needs to keep their shoes clean for interviews. This is nonsense, not only that it displays a lack of understanding on our business model in the 21st century, (For those new to the blog we visit offices) people who work there HAVE a job and are NOT going to interviews, in fact with all the negative publicity the banking industry has been given customers are even less likely to show perceived extravagance. In my interviews with various journo’s they simply dutifully wrote down the dialogue and published what they wanted to publish anyway. Bah humbug!
Drew
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
