I am thoroughly enjoying my Allen Edmonds after the Kirby Allison restoration with the JR soles and heels. They are now my favorite shoes, extraordinary patina and super comfortable.
I feel that you danced around the durability question on open/hidden channel, Kirby. As far as I understand, even if the bottom stitching may have become undone due to wear, the durability is still there (from Trenton&Heath). I can appreciate that a thin bit of leather adds a degree of durability on top of this, however, hidden channel stitching usually comes up a huge up-charge which is not accessible to everyone.
You're right. The stitch on a Goodyear welt is a lock stitch. Each individual stitch must fail in order for the sole to come off, and it fails at the point where you reach the lock (essentially the piece of stitching you can see at the top of the welt, often a different colour). Durability has nothing to do with the stitching, I've never heard of stitching failing. Durability running out is when you wear down the leather to reveal the welt in any part of the shoe's sole (usually the toes or one side if you walk in a particular way, this is why tacking or a metal tip is popular) or through the center of the sole and reveal the cork. The hidden stitch is purely aesthetic. Edit: changed up phrasing
I would say that invisible and open channel stitchings are probably equal. The thing is, that with invisible, you generally also get a higher quality sole, since only higher quality makers are doing that.
Thank you for such informative videos, I've been enjoying them for quite a while. I've also been meaning to ask you for a while, how are you able to use things such as Reno'mat indoors without suffocating? Could this have any health risks (like those good old aniline dyes)?
Hi Kirby, in a video you mentioned ‘high quality suede’. How do we differentiate between higher and lower levels? To me this is less apparent that full grain vs. corrected grain.
Kirby, many thanks for your thoughtful and detailed answer to my question. I really enjoy your channel although I don't get much chance to dress up these days. I watched your cigar unboxing show and was wondering if you have any interest in pipes? If so, perhaps we'll see some content. V/R
Going to buy my first "real" suit next month and im wondering what the best color for a multipurpose suit. Navy? Dark navy? Black? Gray? Im not sure what to get. Thanks
Your second suit should be a black one; they're very useful for something more formal. Maybe a gray one for your third; they're a bit more casual and great for the spring and summer. Then you can go crazy with it and have different patterns and colors.
I would recommend you either get a navy or a dark-grey (a.k.a. Charcoal Grey suit) Black suits are looked down upon by many because Black suits are largely regulated to black-tie events among other reasons. The great thing about Charcoal suits is that is the most formal you can get without going into black-tie and white-tie in my opinion (assuming the pattern and weave are appropriately subtle). The only downside is that is not the most versatile suit in that it needs to be worn with either black or oxblood shoes in my opinion. Some people disagree with me and think it goes well with brown shoes, if you decide to that route I would strongly encourage you to stick with dark brown shoes. All round this is my suit of choice for weddings and funerals. Navy, particularly dark navy is just one step below a charcoal suit in terms of formality but is still perfectly appropriate for anything which is not black-tie or white-tie. But what it loses in formality it makes up for in versatility; you can wear it with black, oxblood, dark brown, and medium brown shoes and still look great. I would only recommend that you avoid lighter colored shoes(such as the Alen Edmonds Walnut finish) as that creates too much contrast in my opinion. In short I recommend you get one for your first suit, the other for your second, and for the third I would recommend a medium grey. The great thing about medium grey is that it looks great with literally any tie or pair if shoes worth wearing. Hope this helps.
Whatever choice you go for (navy or grey) make sure it is as dark as possible for funerals. If it doesn't fit this specific situation, it's wrong for a first suit. Please, never buy a black suit for a first suit.
kirby, something i haven't seen on any of your shoes yet is one of those rubber sole protectors that are glued from the toe of the shoe to the waist, along with a metal tap at the bottom of the toe. i have it on all my high end shoes and i don't think i would have it any other way seeing as it's much easier to replace a rubber sole protector than an entire sole. i'm curious to know why you don't also have those on your high quality shoes.
I personally don't have rubber sole protectors because I like looking at the leather sole. I know it's stupid.😁. I only have metal taps on some of my shoes; they seem to make my shoes more slippery.
It's to prevent your trousers catching on the corner, both when you're sitting and the trouser leg might fall below the heel, and when you're walking so it doesn't catch on any cuffs/turnups you may have.
Kirby, I love you and all, but I bought the renomat and used them on a pair of Allen Edmonds nomad penny loafers. Completely stripped the finish. Problem is, the description in your hanger project renomat purchase page specifically says it will not strip the finish. I appreciate your videos so much that I don’t care, but just an FYI
You appreciate the videos, even though he clearly glossed over the inherent risk in order for you to buy the product? Even after it has damaged your shoes?
David yes, I have taken away so much more from his videos than the damage caused by one pair of shoes. My only problem with hanger project is the shipping costs at 25-50% the cost of the items!!!
Hi Kirby regards from Singapore. Was wondering if I send my LV shoes to be resoled, choosing the sovereign grade packet. Do you shipped internationally? Cheers
Dear Mr. Kirby, I love the Q&A videos, and this one is no different. I noticed that the outfit you are wearing in the video is not the same as the one in the thumbnail. Do you always make those pictures another day, for example the day it gets edited? Greetings from the Netherlands, Jonne
Hi Jonne, I'm glad you enjoy these videos. I love to make them! As to your question about my outfit, usually we do create a thumbnail using images from the video at hand. However in this instance, we wanted to get an image of me holding these two shoes, and didn't have one that was right, from the original selection after we filmed. Therefore we went back a couple of days later and took some new pictures. I hope that clarifies.
Hi Kirby, as always thanks for the interesting video. I am a 18 years old high school student, who lives in Israel. The dress code in Israel is very casual but I enjoy wearing a dress shirt and a pair of dress trousers every day. Most of my shirts are from Polo Ralph Lauren and I have bought the trousers from Charles tyrwhitt. I have a very tall and slim build so it's very difficult for my to find a good fit for my shirts. I like pleated trousers but it's impossible to get for my size. There are no made to measure stores in Israel. The only high quality items are in the high end brands which are very expensive. Maybe you have any ideas for my where could I obtain high quality garments? Thanks, Jonathan.
I like the dress shirt you’re wearing with your initials on the torso. I just realized your initials stand for Kiss My A$$. It’s what you can say to yourself when any philistine gives you an odd look for dressing nicely.
![Discover High Quality Shoes Anywhere [Shoe Design FAQs] | Kirby Allison](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_A69GLpqiKA/mqdefault.jpg)
I am thoroughly enjoying my Allen Edmonds after the Kirby Allison restoration with the JR soles and heels. They are now my favorite shoes, extraordinary patina and super comfortable.
I really love your content Kirby! Not only learning so much, which has changed my purchasing choices, but highly entertained by your passion and care.
I feel that you danced around the durability question on open/hidden channel, Kirby. As far as I understand, even if the bottom stitching may have become undone due to wear, the durability is still there (from Trenton&Heath). I can appreciate that a thin bit of leather adds a degree of durability on top of this, however, hidden channel stitching usually comes up a huge up-charge which is not accessible to everyone.
Totally agree. I do not think that there is real statistics that would support more durability for hidden channel stitching.
You're right. The stitch on a Goodyear welt is a lock stitch. Each individual stitch must fail in order for the sole to come off, and it fails at the point where you reach the lock (essentially the piece of stitching you can see at the top of the welt, often a different colour). Durability has nothing to do with the stitching, I've never heard of stitching failing.
Durability running out is when you wear down the leather to reveal the welt in any part of the shoe's sole (usually the toes or one side if you walk in a particular way, this is why tacking or a metal tip is popular) or through the center of the sole and reveal the cork.
The hidden stitch is purely aesthetic.
Edit: changed up phrasing
I would say that invisible and open channel stitchings are probably equal. The thing is, that with invisible, you generally also get a higher quality sole, since only higher quality makers are doing that.
Thank you for such informative videos, I've been enjoying them for quite a while. I've also been meaning to ask you for a while, how are you able to use things such as Reno'mat indoors without suffocating? Could this have any health risks (like those good old aniline dyes)?
Great video Kirby. you are a wealth of information. Keep it up!
Hi Kirby, in a video you mentioned ‘high quality suede’. How do we differentiate between higher and lower levels? To me this is less apparent that full grain vs. corrected grain.
Kirby, many thanks for your thoughtful and detailed answer to my question. I really enjoy your channel although I don't get much chance to dress up these days.
I watched your cigar unboxing show and was wondering if you have any interest in pipes? If so, perhaps we'll see some content.
V/R
Going to buy my first "real" suit next month and im wondering what the best color for a multipurpose suit. Navy? Dark navy? Black? Gray? Im not sure what to get. Thanks
Charcoal gray or dark navy are the most versatile and are usually recommended as a first suit.
I agree with@@theartistformallyknownasdi5338
Your second suit should be a black one; they're very useful for something more formal. Maybe a gray one for your third; they're a bit more casual and great for the spring and summer. Then you can go crazy with it and have different patterns and colors.
I would recommend you either get a navy or a dark-grey (a.k.a. Charcoal Grey suit)
Black suits are looked down upon by many because Black suits are largely regulated to black-tie events among other reasons. The great thing about Charcoal suits is that is the most formal you can get without going into black-tie and white-tie in my opinion (assuming the pattern and weave are appropriately subtle). The only downside is that is not the most versatile suit in that it needs to be worn with either black or oxblood shoes in my opinion. Some people disagree with me and think it goes well with brown shoes, if you decide to that route I would strongly encourage you to stick with dark brown shoes. All round this is my suit of choice for weddings and funerals.
Navy, particularly dark navy is just one step below a charcoal suit in terms of formality but is still perfectly appropriate for anything which is not black-tie or white-tie. But what it loses in formality it makes up for in versatility; you can wear it with black, oxblood, dark brown, and medium brown shoes and still look great. I would only recommend that you avoid lighter colored shoes(such as the Alen Edmonds Walnut finish) as that creates too much contrast in my opinion.
In short I recommend you get one for your first suit, the other for your second, and for the third I would recommend a medium grey. The great thing about medium grey is that it looks great with literally any tie or pair if shoes worth wearing. Hope this helps.
Whatever choice you go for (navy or grey) make sure it is as dark as possible for funerals. If it doesn't fit this specific situation, it's wrong for a first suit.
Please, never buy a black suit for a first suit.
how about oiled nubuk...what would you use to condition that?i have not seen any information on that...only on normal nubuk and suede
kirby, something i haven't seen on any of your shoes yet is one of those rubber sole protectors that are glued from the toe of the shoe to the waist, along with a metal tap at the bottom of the toe. i have it on all my high end shoes and i don't think i would have it any other way seeing as it's much easier to replace a rubber sole protector than an entire sole. i'm curious to know why you don't also have those on your high quality shoes.
I personally don't have rubber sole protectors because I like looking at the leather sole. I know it's stupid.😁. I only have metal taps on some of my shoes; they seem to make my shoes more slippery.
Hi Kirby. Why do top lifts have a little notch cut off on the inside corner on most shoes?
It's to prevent your trousers catching on the corner, both when you're sitting and the trouser leg might fall below the heel, and when you're walking so it doesn't catch on any cuffs/turnups you may have.
@@DavakiDnD thanks. Appreciate it.
Kirby, I love you and all, but I bought the renomat and used them on a pair of Allen Edmonds nomad penny loafers. Completely stripped the finish. Problem is, the description in your hanger project renomat purchase page specifically says it will not strip the finish. I appreciate your videos so much that I don’t care, but just an FYI
You appreciate the videos, even though he clearly glossed over the inherent risk in order for you to buy the product? Even after it has damaged your shoes?
David yes, I have taken away so much more from his videos than the damage caused by one pair of shoes. My only problem with hanger project is the shipping costs at 25-50% the cost of the items!!!
Hi Kirby regards from Singapore. Was wondering if I send my LV shoes to be resoled, choosing the sovereign grade packet. Do you shipped internationally? Cheers
How does Juvacuir compare to a leather dye?
An excellent informercial
I want to change color from blood color to black. What is the best way to do this at home.
Hi Kirby. Could I use the Canadian on a leather sofa ?
You got the slack jacket; it looks nice.
Another great video!
Dear Mr. Kirby,
I love the Q&A videos, and this one is no different. I noticed that the outfit you are wearing in the video is not the same as the one in the thumbnail. Do you always make those pictures another day, for example the day it gets edited?
Greetings from the Netherlands,
Jonne
Hi Jonne, I'm glad you enjoy these videos. I love to make them! As to your question about my outfit, usually we do create a thumbnail using images from the video at hand. However in this instance, we wanted to get an image of me holding these two shoes, and didn't have one that was right, from the original selection after we filmed. Therefore we went back a couple of days later and took some new pictures. I hope that clarifies.
Hi Kirby, as always thanks for the interesting video. I am a 18 years old high school student, who lives in Israel.
The dress code in Israel is very casual but I enjoy wearing a dress shirt and a pair of dress trousers every day. Most of my shirts are from Polo Ralph Lauren and I have bought the trousers from Charles tyrwhitt. I have a very tall and slim build so it's very difficult for my to find a good fit for my shirts. I like pleated trousers but it's impossible to get for my size. There are no made to measure stores in Israel. The only high quality items are in the high end brands which are very expensive.
Maybe you have any ideas for my where could I obtain high quality garments?
Thanks,
Jonathan.
Bakers vs JR. Which oak bark tanned sole is better?
I like the dress shirt you’re wearing with your initials on the torso. I just realized your initials stand for Kiss My A$$. It’s what you can say to yourself when any philistine gives you an odd look for dressing nicely.
The collar of the coat? Why wear a coat indoors anyway
Yep, great content
When I think of a generic well dressed white guy I think kirby allison
I don't think the multiple camera shots are a good idea.
That collar gap is such an eye sore, ask for a refund!
With all respect please don’t wear the jacket on video, it doesn’t look flattering on you, in contrast with suit jackets.
Kindest regards