FEATURED POST
Hand Stitching The Upper
Hand-stitched shoes require a lot of work that we might not often appreciate. It is one of those art forms that is slowly fading as machine work increases. Although I dare say there is a resurgence of handcraft work in the shoe industry, this is one that often gets overlooked. We are now focused on
Recent Posts
Santoni SS2023 Collection
I have always had a love/hate for Santoni shoes. Mainly I hate the fact they don’t make …
Stupid Shoes of 2023 – The Fun Continues
Just when you thought stupid shoes could not get any worse (see here the last post), the …
Bad Advice on Shoe Forums
The majority of people don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to shoes. Period. …
Error, no group ID set! Check your syntax!Cordovan Week by Carmina Shoemaker
Carmina Shoemaker has just started their Cordovan Week whereby they offer over 50 models of cordovan …
Exposed Channel Stitch ≠ Sole End Of Life
If you are new to closed channel soles the exposure of the channel stitching might scare you. …
Got Black Shoes?
No matter how hard I try to change this fact, black shoes are easily the most sold …
Unboxing Videos
The Shoe Snob – Unboxing Series – Crockett & Jones Benchgrade Collection
Here I an unbox a brand that really needs no introduction as one of the world’s most reputable shoemakers today: …
The Shoe Snob – Unboxing Series – Oriental Shoemaker for Yeossal – The Handgrade Line
Here I unbox two pairs of shoes from Yeossal ‘s latest collaboration with Japan’s Oriental Shoemaker. As they have two collections, Benchgrade …
The Shoe Snob – Unboxing Series – Carmina Shoemaker
Here I unbox a pair of monkstraps from the most famous Spanish shoemaker: Carmina Shoemaker . This is a pair …
The Shoe Snob – Unboxing Series – TLB Mallorca New ‘Van Gogh’ Last
It’s unboxing week here at The Shoe Snob Blog. And believe it or not, I have so many other pairs …
The Shoe Snob – Unboxing Series – Spier & Mackay Wholecut Oxfords
One of my latest supporters in the blog, Spier & Mackay, has sent over a pair for review and I am …
The Shoe Snob – Unboxing Series – Septieme Largeur
? Here I unbox one of Septieme Largeur ‘s new A/W2020 boots, the Moissac. Septieme Larger is a brand I have respected …
Product Reviews
ACME Shoemaker – The Review
*** Warning: Picture heavy post. The pair was gifted with no strings attached. I was never asked to review these but I do so for …
Shoe Review: TLB Mallorca ‘Artista’
For those that do not know, TLB Mallorca is one of the newer brands hailing from Spain but unlike the countless ones made by other …
Herring Boots – The Review
I finally had the time to break out my new Herring Boots for a stroll in the park and weekend excursion to be able to …
Yeossal Shoes – The Review
There is a new shoe brand in town and I am here to write about them as they are most certainly worth being written …
Altan Bottier – The Review
There are many makers you see online that are harder to find in person, many of them Japanese and some of them French. One of …
Fugashin Saigon – Shoe Review
If you mentioned 10 years ago that the Vietnamese would be producing shoes as good as the British, people might have laughed at you. But …
Baudoin & Lange ‘Sagan’ Loafer Review
My friend Mr. Allan Baudoin has come a long way since being just a young computer science student from Paris to launching his own bespoke …
My Saint Crispins Boots – Review
After going to the Saint Crispins factory last year (and writing about it HERE), I worked with Phillip Car (the owner) to have a Saint …
Carmina – The Review
I have always loved and respected Carmina shoes and what they do as a company. While I don’t think that Spanish shoemaking as a whole …
Shoe Care
Handwelted Resoling With Fiddleback By Bedo’s Leatherworks
Dear Readers, Sorry that I was gone for so long without posting. I was away in London for the London …
Video: Educational Series – Conditioning of New Shoes and Shoe Storage
In the world of shoes, there are many ideas of what to do and what not to do. But the reality …
Are Toe Taps Necessary?
As little as ten years ago, few people used toe taps. Like most myths created by people who do not know any …
Tip: Do Not Use Neutral Wax
Neutral Wax is the cause of many issues in the shoe-care realm of the shoe industry. Namely by regular people (i.e. no …
Do Not Wear Brand New Shoes In The Rain
***Warning: I write direct, often crass, with lots of spelling and grammatical errors. I do not write this blog to become ‘an …
Do Not Condition Brand New Shoes
I never understood why people do a full shoe shine regime on a brand new pair of shoes. I can understand wanting …
Popular Articles
Mythbuster Part 1 – Leather Creasing Means Something is Wrong
Leather Creases. Plain and simple. There is no such thing as crease-free leather. Frankly, the thought of people thinking that leather should not crease …
Leather Soles vs Rubber Soles
There is long debate on the differences between leather soles vs rubber soles with regards to comfort/durability/elegance etc. So I thought it wise to …
A Guide To Shoe Trees
There is a lot of opinion/speculation on shoe trees and their importance in relation to footwear. Some well known so-called ‘facts’ in reference to …
Breaking In Shoes – Your First 30 Days
JM Weston Triple Sole Brogue – Hard to Break In!!! When you think about buying shoes, most people probably think about getting the most …
Additions To Your Sole
There is much debate on whether or not one should add things to his/her sole to make them last longer/protect from the elements. Some …
The Importance of Toe Taps
Growing up in America and selling shoes at Nordstrom, I never really understood what toe taps where all about. I had seen the ones …
Understanding The Fit of a Shoe
I had a good question from a reader not too long ago and it was all about fit and how big the gap …
Suede Shoes – The Big Misconception
Why is it that so many men are afraid to buy suede shoes for fear of ruining them? Suede is just like any other …
Managing Your Shoe Purchase Expectations
G&G, the perfect shoemaker. When buying these they should be flawless, but that is what you should get for +£700 I recently had a …
How To Patina Video – An Introduction
Another brief look into the art form that has taken the shoe industry by storm. Here, the basic steps are shown in order to get …
How To
How to Style Button Boots – Casually
In the modern-day, it is not a rule that button boots have to be worn with …
A Guide To Dyeing Your Own Shoes
Have you ever been bored of a pair of shoes and wanted to do something about, …
Restoring Old Shoes
A blog reader, in light of the shoe polishing contest, sent it a few pictures of some …
How to Restore Your Suede Shoes – Video
Sometimes your suede shoes can get a bit rough looking, especially after one too many outings to …
How To Restore Your Creased Leather Shoes – Video Tutorial
A shoe is rarely beyond recovery unless you are the type to never use shoes trees, wears …
How To Create The Perfect Polish Cloth – Video
Ever since doing my ‘How to Polish Your Shoes Properly‘ video, I have had numerous people …
How to Button Your Button Boots
Here is a video where I show how to fasten your button boots by hand, as …
How To Become A Shoe Designer
(this will be ongoing until the end of it says “finished”) Part 1: I remember when I …
Polish Your Shoes Properly
I know that for some of you, this has been a long time coming. So let me …