So for Valentines Day my lovely wife took my shoes to get a nice shine. There is a great shoe shine place on the Country Club Plaza for you Kansas City denizens. They did an incredible job as a couple of these were getting pretty beat up. But the reason I buy high quality shoes, is that no matter how hard you are on them, which I am, a good shine gets high quality leather back to almost new.

Polo by Crockett and Jones Shell Chukkas

I traded a customer a beautiful sportcoat for these. They are heavy and as solid a shoe I have ever felt. I fear they may outlive me.

Edward Green (Cadogen I believe)

These are the most comfortable shoes I own, by far. Yes they took about 5-6 months to break-in, but if I had to go run a marathon to save my life, I would pick these to run in. I got these in our giant purchase of the Venanzi store. We didn’t know there were any shoes coming, let alone 50 pair of the one of the finest shoes produced in the world. We sold these for $250 (over $1000 retail), and I still ask customers if they’ll sell me back the shoes, now three years later for the same price we sold them for.

Tricker’s Short Wing

This shoe is a beast. English made as well, strong and sturdy, with a dianite sole. Got these off styleforum, with maybe a wear or two. Took them to Chicago a couple weeks ago, it was freezing and these guys kept me quite warm.

Peal and Co. by Alfred Sargent

Another styleforum steal, english made as well, these brogued-up double monk aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. I find them to be a really elegant shoe, in fantastic leather, and a spot-on fit. And my favorite last for a double monk strap, of which many are clunky (and I generally like a bit clunky) or too elongated.

Hanover vintage plain toe in shell, made in the USA

Damn I love the shoes. They were given to me by a friend who hunts thrift shop. I believe he paid $4-$6. They were really beat up, but fit well and I thought they’d look cool with jeans and wear them casually. I figured I send them out with just to see what a shine would do to them, and they came back looking practically new. I’m guessing they’re 30-40 years old. I wish I had taken a before pic, but these are a testament to high quality American manufacturing, which there is sadly not enough of anymore.

So thats the tour of my shoes, I have a few other, a vintage florshiem imperial pebble grain longwings I wear casually, a tan alden suede chukka, a pair of blue suede shortwings with a crepe sole, and a couple more. Those are mostly spring-summer shoes, so we’ll get to them a little later.