Watches and one of my other passions...

[Boris_Koch]

...shoes!!!

Crockett & Jones Gatsby / Rolex 1680




Crockett & Jones Tavistock brown / Tudor 7016




Crockett & Jones Tavistock black / IWC 3717




Altan derby "automn leaf" / Tudor 94010 M.N.80




Altan derby "prune" / Rolex 1675




Oxford Santoni / Tudor 7016:




Boot Crockett & Jones / IWC 3705 Ceramic:




Low boot Altan / Rolex 1675:




Derby Crockett & Jones Highbury / IWC 3717:




Derby Heschung / Tudor 94010:




Chukka Crockett & Jones / IWC 3717:




Derby Saddle Marc Guyot / Zenith Elite Port Royal V:




Loafer Crockett & Jones Merton / Tudor 7016:




Suede Oxford Heschung / IWC 3717:




My wife's Salome-Heschung and her Rolex Air-King:



Hope you enjoy.

Happy holidays to you all.

[bullibeer]

Wooooowwwwwww..... fantastic shoes!!!!!!!!!!

Real Craftsmenship!

[Jogi]

great! - I miss the water-polishing on the suede-shoes

Do you have any tips on how to get the polishing to such a perfection? I tried and tried but never came close to such a result...

rgds,
j

[retsyo]

Awesome collection of footwear!

[Boris_Koch]

Originally posted by Jogi
great! - I miss the water-polishing on the suede-shoes

Do you have any tips on how to get the polishing to such a perfection? I tried and tried but never came close to such a result...

rgds,
j

Here is an interesting article from a friend of mine, Marc Guyot, about shoe polishing:

http://www.marcguyot.com/2.aspx?sr=6

Otherwise, a little tip when you polish your shoes:

- after you have finished to apply a thin layer of polish with a clean cotton cloth (an old, worn out T-shirt works best), get an old nylon tight from your wife / girlfriend, roll it in the shape of a little ball, and polish the shoes with it. You should obtain a nice satin finish

- for the mirror polishing of the tip, you need to apply the polish in concentric cycles, then add a small drop of warm (not hot) water on the shoe and continue the concentric cycle, then some more polish, etc. It is the mix between the polish and the water that creates the mirror effect. As a finishing touch, gently rub the tip with the nylon tight mentioned above

It takes a bit of practice, so don't be discouraged if you don't succed the 1st time. Of paramount importance is the quality of the polish. Kiwi works well, but if you can find the Saphir brand, it is the best I know. And never, ever use liquid polish sold in tube.

[Jogi]

Boris, thank you very much for the info and the interesting article!

Currently I have several Kiwi and some Ed Maier polish. If I succeed (and the result is acceptable enough to be published) I'll post an update...

Happy Holidays,
j

[jholbrook]

Great thread! C&J are awesome shoes...hard to come by here in the states though.

I'm not quite at the level you are in shoes, but I do like shoes. Here's a few (bad) camera phone shots of my typical atire to the office:

Allen Edmond:






Johnston & Murphy:





Allen Edmond Park Avenue (the American classic):





Here's a couple of pairs of Allen Edmonds I wear more casually:

[Boris_Koch]

Hello John,

Thanks much for sharing the pictures. Look like they've been taken from the book "Dressing the Man" by Alan Flusser. If you don't have it, I strongly recommend you get it.

About your shoes, Allen Edmonds do make very good shoes. The leather is of high quality and the construction is flawless. Same could be said of another american brand, Alden. I particularily like the models in cordovan calf. Now, as far as styling is concerned, they probably have not evolved as much as their European counterparts at Crockett & Jones, Edward Green or John Lobb. It would be nice to see them be a little bit more daring, and introduce new shapes. But maybe it's just me and my fussy European tastes.

Johnston & Murphy, if I remember correctly, used to be the official shoemaker for the Presidents of the United States, and had a lot of prestige. However, they went for mass production a few decades ago, and I feel the overall quality is not on par with the like of, say, Alden.

Happy holidays to you and your family, John. Hope you didn't get too much of the bad weather I saw was affecting the US. Here, in Singapore, it's about 28 degrees celsius and overcast (it's the rainy season).

Boris

[Jocke]

Boris I would love to see you paddle collection too.



Sorry I couldn´t resist.

Jocke

[jholbrook]

Originally posted by Boris_Koch
Hello John,

Thanks much for sharing the pictures. Look like they've been taken from the book "Dressing the Man" by Alan Flusser. If you don't have it, I strongly recommend you get it.

About your shoes, Allen Edmonds do make very good shoes. The leather is of high quality and the construction is flawless. Same could be said of another american brand, Alden. I particularily like the models in cordovan calf. Now, as far as styling is concerned, they probably have not evolved as much as their European counterparts at Crockett & Jones, Edward Green or John Lobb. It would be nice to see them be a little bit more daring, and introduce new shapes. But maybe it's just me and my fussy European tastes.

Johnston & Murphy, if I remember correctly, used to be the official shoemaker for the Presidents of the United States, and had a lot of prestige. However, they went for mass production a few decades ago, and I feel the overall quality is not on par with the like of, say, Alden.

Happy holidays to you and your family, John. Hope you didn't get too much of the bad weather I saw was affecting the US. Here, in Singapore, it's about 28 degrees celsius and overcast (it's the rainy season).

Boris

Boris - thanks for the kind words. Yes, J&M has gone down in quality in recent years which is a real shame. I have a couple of pairs which I have gotten GREAT deals on eBay. By and large, I stick to AE's. Yes, they have that traditional clunky look to them...what can I say? I'm a traditional kind of guy.