Gentleman,
I just recently bought myself some lovely new Ferragamos (like those in the picture, but mine are black), and I am already (sadly) starting to see some pretty serious age marks around the top of the toe - or sort of where the toe meets the buckle/bling area...
WTF? I've worn these $595 bitches like 3 times and they're looking aged! In my past experience i've known 'Gamos to be pretty durable and last a reasonable amount of time. I keep the wooden things in them and all that, but it seems they're destined for looking only 80% of their original glory after the first 6 wears! Is there some aspect of shoe maintenance that I don't know about? Do i need to be rubbing some sort of "lotion" type moistorizer on these guys?
they don't need to be polished- they're still shiny as shit... so it's not that.
I have a pair of A. Testoni's and they break in like what you are talking about. Really delicate leather wears quickly. I would find some leather care lotion and rub that in. The shoe trees are good for keeping the shape, but make sure they are not too taut because it could stress the shoes.
Interesting... it's funny that the more expensive things are the less durable/reliable they tend to be. Another example would be a completely over the top and disgracefully expensive LV briefcase that I got for Christmas from my insanely impractical (but in a sweet and loving way) mother last year which is also falling apart... sigh.
Thanks for the advice though Anthony - I'll look for some leather lotion stuff and give the babies some love.
Yeah man, expensive shit wears out like nothing. I have a RL Black label suit with holes in the elbows from wear. I take care of my stuff also so there is no excuse.
Best pair of shoes I have (well 2) is a pair of $200 coach loafers and a paid of ostrich skin J&M's. I got the coach's re-soled in Philly and they are brand new. Leather is thicker and not as delicate as more expensive shoes.
This ties back to my comments on the Patek watch thread. Really fine and expensive stuff simply cannot be worn too often. It is unfortunate I suppose.
Go to styleforum.net and check out their shoe care stuff. Those guys are divas for quality.
word... i hope they ship to China... (FML)
It's called patina. It's a good thing they don't look brand new. Furthermore its conspicuous consumption to get them beat up/wear them in the rain etc.
mine look like shit but still fit great....
Make sure you don't wear your shoes on back to back days and also use shoe horns. I've had my pair for about 3 years and they still fit better than some of my cole haan shoes. I feel like they've held up pretty well. Don't forget to add that coat of wax every once in awhile too.
I emailed Ferragamo a similar question about my shoes, and they suggested using meltonian neutral shoe cream on the leather. It has been working well for me, I found it on ebay pretty cheap.
hehe "meltonian neutral shoe cream" is such a silly sounding thing to buy...
In all seriousness though, thanks for the advice --- I'll buy some.
p.s. that's pretty epic that you emailed ferragamo... comedy
If your shoes are meant to have the aged look (which, judging by the color treatment, they are), they'll break in pretty fast. It has less to do with price vs. durability and more with the designer's vision. I have Prada loafers that started looking well-worn within a week despite fairly thick leather, and Prada boots that I've had for 3 years already and they still show very little wear, although they are made of much thinner and stretchier leather than the loafers are made of. And what did you do with your LV briefcase to wear it out in less than a year? Smuggle cinder blocks or something? LV leather wears and last very well, especially Epi and Suhali. I wore a pair of Suhali leather shoes in rain and sleet for 2 years and the only thing I ever did for maintenance was get a rubber liner on the sole, because leather sole swells and gets slippery from contact with water. I'm not sure how the monogram or Damier canvas wear, but I'd assume those would be a little inappropriate for a business briefcase (unless you are meeting for a deal with Lil' Bow Wow)
I'm not sure what you guys are doing to your shoes/clothes but I've never had this problem. I have a pair of Ferragamos that I picked up on sale about 5 years back and they are still holding up really well despite an incredible amount of abuse (wild blacked out nights, running, rain, etc). My parents always bought nice things and kept them for 10-20 years and I'm starting to build my wardrobe so I can do the same. One piece of advice I would give is to wear things relatively infrequently.
I agree with this completely. From a similar experience with regular wear tennis shoes. Everything just lasts longer if you can get a regular rotation in with the shoes you wear. Applied this to dress shoes and all mine have been lasting longer than they probably would have as compared to if I had just bought 1 pair at a time and wore it everyday. Besides...your shoes don't smell as bad either.
I agree with macro...I've had a pair of ferregamos that have taken incredible abuse (like macro said wild blackout nights, rain, etc.) and have held up well for 6 years. Whenever I buy a new pair of ferragamos I always take them and have sole protectors put on...once those wear down I replace them and get new ones put on. That way I never have wear through the shoe's original sole. Also I treat them every month or two with meltonian neutral shoe cream...my 6 year old ferragamos look like new...
Alternating shoes every day will not only extend their shelf life, it's also better for your feet.
Alright as someone who has two pairs of Ferragamos (my second pair literally just came in today), I can say they break in quickly. I bought a Brooks Brothers shoe kit a little over a month ago and it's working out great. I clean the shoes once every 2 weeks.
As stated above, try not to wear them back to back. The only shoes I've seen someone wear back to back for weeks on end is a friend of mine who has a pair of Gucci loafers. As quick as I am to dismiss Gucci at the slightest mention of the name, I'm seriously thinking about taking a second look. I just like Ferragamo as they're nice shoes without the name strewn all over the shoe. I have the Pregiatos and the Fantinos and the Pregiatios are showing slight signs of wear but when I put them on and shine them up, they're good as new.
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