Yup Niakulah is right, Saphir has got a huge range of colours including green cream polish.
Anyway this particular Cheaneys has a polished leather hence I don't really need to put any polish on top. I just got to becareful not to scuff it, otherwise my polish won't do much to the leather. It's mainly for rainy days when the water will just slide off the surface

I dropped by Crockett & Jones today to pick up the latest catalogue. Some really nice shoes will be coming out this new season, particularly the Gower Double monks. May consider a pair.

They've even updated the paperbag with printed insides. Very nice touch.




For those asking how I shine my shoes. Here's are some videos which may be useful. My process is very similar except for Pt.2

Presidential Shoe Shine pt.1


Presidential Shoe Shine pt.2

Haha it's the other way around for me, difficult to find Carmina here except maybe over at Hackett stores which Carmina makes shoes for. I should give Vass a try as well.

I second the use of Saphir, their wax and polishes just works. For conditioning, I sometimes use Bickmore Bick 4 Leather Conditioner which works quite well.

Nope just the usual mid tan shoe cream. For this I use Dasco cream polish.
As for the wax I use a mix of various Saphir browns however for the toe I've added dark a light touch of dark brown wax rather than black as it can be too dark.


@nairud I would avoid using hot gun on your shoe. Creases is inevitable however the best you could do is to use shoetrees and alternate your leather shoes.

Not much you can do once the leather cracks. Time for a new pair.. and do invest in some shoetrees as well.

Np, you don't really need expensive generic shoe trees as most would do the job. I usually prefer full cedar wood shoetrees and can be had for quite reasonable prices.

There are some fancier ones and some supplied by the shoemakers themselves. I tend to spend a bit more on manufacturers shoetrees on my more expensive shoes.
Tbh they all do the same job.

It's snowing here in UK and time to break out the CJ boots

another pair of boots shined up

Thanks Leetan33 Glad you like em.

Long overdue, here's the double monks I picked up last month. Many may not have heard of Carlos Santos, (except for Santana) neither have I until AFPOS and Skoak started stocking them. Tried it at the trunk show in summer and I'm sold. It has a fantastic arch support, reminds me of EG and for the money, it's pretty good value.

Finally picked up my MTO Cheaneys under their 1 of 1 program. It's been 4 months but it is worth the wait.
I'll post some pics tomorrow if anyone is interested.

First off, apologies for the amount of pics I'm about to post.
Here are the photos as promised. Picked it up from the London store after 3-4 months wait. It should have been quicker but there were some delays in the factory but it was worth the wait. I went back and forth trying out various ideas and colours. Some were pretty bold but decided to settle on something I could wear often rather than occasionally. I may go back to the initial idea of Navy with Aubergine spectators on the next pair.

Fresh out from the store in natural light



Comes in a nice big box, with magnetic latch.



Comes with lasted shoes trees as well. The shoe looks a bit too green here, I need to white balance the camera next time.



and shoe care. I believe the wax polish is saphir, abbeyhorn shoe horn, extra laces, polishing cloth. The shoe bags are different as well, it has a nice satin finish to it.



The green is quite difficult to capture. Here are a few more which closer to how it should look like.







I wanted purple lining but it wasn't available so green it is. I also specified copper foil in the stamp



Personalised to your name or another other nick names/rude remarks



and lastly the sole. Option for full or half. I went for half purple sole but looks more reddish instead.
Closed channel and beveled waist, similar to Cheaney's Imperial line.

nope... especially those rubber soles and the logo

Thank you Yes I cant wait for it to patina naturally. Cheaney has started to change their wax now to Saphir I've been told. On an interesting note, Saphir has also taken over Dasco recently.

Straits Establishment
Fantastic job! Looks new again! Who is the shoemaker?
I presume the shoe on the left has been sanded? It looks knackered

It's on the 234 Last. I can't really compare it to the Carmina as I don't have a pair Although I have to say the CS arc support is superb!

I would have to scuff this up eventually

Unfortunately that's inevitable, however you'll be surprised how sturdy leather soles are. I wouldn't worry too much about it and less so since you have another pair for rotation.

I have a pair of leather soles shoes that I walk quite a lot on tarmac. No issues with it but just don't go stepping on rocks. Heck, I've even gone through snow and slush (I should have checked the weather report). Dried it and it's fine to carry on.

A recent shot at my Alma Mater last week during a short break in KL.

If you have 1k to spend I would suggest to some proper good year welted shoes from Loake or Barkers. Even blake stitch italian made shoes arent too bad either and probably more choices to choose from. Personally I quite like the ones from Paul Smith.
I wouldn't spend the money on shoes from Zara or Topman. They aren't very well made shoes, same can be said for the quality as well.

dainite/vibram sole with good year welted stitching will be very durable. Personally I think English shoes are more durable in construction compared to italian.
The best is to buy 2 pair of shoes and wear them in rotation. Never wear them twice or more in a row, that would prolong the life of the shoes/leather. Get shoetrees as well.
Even the most expensive brand will get worn out quickly if not looked after properly. Pricing is immaterial to durability.

Sorry double post

This post has been edited by Kelvw: Apr 4 2018, 05:51 PM