February. Moscow. Traditional crap outside. Snow, rain and sleet, a cement sky and sunshine, spring brooks and snow porridge with reagents underfoot. All of this together.

This kind of weather affects two things most of all: your shoes and your psyche. We don’t understand yet how to save your moral health, but by now receiving expert consultancy we can at least help you with your shoes.

Representative of the Shoes Bar by Gentiluomo Scarpe Vladimir Venediktov speaks on how to safely travel the distance from home to the office in the current Moscow weather and not let your boots die prematurely.

First, do not wear new shoes with leather soles in the rain. For shoes with leather soles it takes some time and some care to become water repellent.

Second, do not wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. 24 hours is a necessary interval, allowing the shoe to rest.

Third, use a shoehorn when putting your shoes on.

Fourth, to eliminate wrinkles, use a wooden mold form. Shoes wet due to rain or snow should be dried using wooden mold forms, laying on their side and away from any heat source.

Fifth, during long periods of use, shoes should be covered with a thin layer of wax, placed in a cloth bag and with the sole on a flat surface.

What should be in a shoe purse?

Wax cream with natural ingredients and a set of brushes, depending on the type of leather, are required.

How to give the necessary gloss to leather footwear?

After you have thoroughly washed and cleaned shoes from dust, put the mold form in it. Use cream, always choosing a little lighter shade compared to the complexion. With rapid circular movements, spread cream with a clean cloth over the entire surface of the shoe, including the sole.

Make sure that you didn’t use too much cream. If your leather seems to be still too dry, it is better to wait a few minutes and repeat the procedure.

With the wooden mold still in place, let the shoes dry for a few hours. Then rub them to a shine with a soft brush. If you want them to be even shinier–use wax. The wax is applied with the same circular motion as the cream. For the final touch – rub the shoes with a clean, slightly wet cloth.