Man I watched one video of yours to see what the pros use and now I’ve got my steel toed boots mirror shined with Saphir while I’m marathoning all your videos.
I love watching this I am a 26 year old female who works as an apprentice embalmer and i wear a full 3 piece suit and i love my leather dress shoes. I work with all kinds of crazy chemicals and I'm on my feet all day. This has helped me save my shoes from some crazy embalming mishaps though out the work day. Thank you so much
Seriously, I prefer how The Duke looks. Much more regal, less painted. Although, what do I know about dress shoes, I watch your videos purely because of the extremely satisfying aesthetics.
No, Preston, you're not wrong about the mirror shine! The quality of the leather; the number of coats of wax; the quality of the wax, and the water/alcohol mix, are indeed what make the difference in any mirror shine! I discovered that if I use at least twelve coats of wax, and mix my water and alcohol 50/50, the mirror shine almost jumps off of the shoe, and that's with barely *any* Mirror Gloss!! I laughed when you were blowing the lint off the shoe, when you were waxing it! It's a lesson I learned the hard way, with my very first mirror shine. I knew it had turned to glass, because I could see two pieces of lint, perfectly clearly. It looked like you could pick them off the toe, but of course you couldn't. Fortunately, none of my friends seemed to notice them. I guess that's why they're friends!!
I had Triumph toe plates installed on my new Allen Edmonds “cigar” Strands by Potter and Sons (via mail). They did a beautiful job and I highly recommend them!
Saphir appears to have a number of products that can be used to clean leather shoes, e.g., Cleaning Lotion, Reno Mat, Creme Delicate, and Renovateur. Can you comment on the differences between them and when to use one over the other?
Hi i am in highschool i bought my first pair of goodyear welted boots about a year ago and they have leather soles i was walking to the football field to get ready for a game and i slipped and scuffed my boots i have sanded them untill they got smooth but i was just wondering if i could send them in to get them stained ill pay whatever you want me to i just love these boots and i want them to look new again
Hey NoVa, please email me at theelegantoxford@gmail.com and I will asses the boots. I can then see if I can help or offer you a referral of someone who can!
Made my first purchase from the online store. Very easy process and the site is well put together and easy to navigate. I will be coming to you for all my Saphir needs from now on. Plus I absolutely love your channel and want to see the greatness continue so if it helps that happen I'm all about it. Cheers from Grand Junction, Colorado!
These shoes are beautiful, I love everything about them, the colors, the shape, the sole, everything. I'd really like to own a pair, maybe in the future, for now I'll just enjoy watching your videos
I remember back in the days when men use to have swagger wearing nice dress shoes and all that what happened to those days.he is doing a good job in shining them shoes.
I'm from China and I definitely think Chinese factories can nail down shoemaking. The thing is, however, the dress shoe market in China is too small so nobody get attention to it.
@@TheElegantOxford People wearing loafers and derby shoes all the time here in China.But the loafers people usually wear on the street of China will not be the loafers you might have in mind if you are a classic menswear enthusiast,they are constructed as loafers but they just look ugly.I can't blame our fellow Chinese and Asian people lean toward derby shoes though,because the top of our feet is usually higher than most western people,so derby shoes is the only option before domestic shoe makers create Oxford lasts specially for Chinese or Asian people's special condition,because not everyone can go bespoke.
@@TheElegantOxford About Chinese shoemakers,there are Slimshoes (also known as Yearn in NA),JimJun,TGC,Badia,Twinkima G,MATTINA,and so on,most of them are hand made hand welt hand stitched,some of them can do MTO or even bespoke,and we also have several independent bespoke shoe makers here in China,but they are usually too expensive with a loooooooooooong waiting list,so I can't be bothered.
@elegantOxford would you ever consider doing a Chelsea Boot shine? Reasons being: I can’t seem to figure out where to end the mirror polish, and also where to mirror polish on a boot like this?? Anyway thanks love the content! You’ve inspired me to try my hand at this skill!
Dear Preston, I had a question, could you maybe make a video in which you explain how to repair patent leather shoes ? I bought a pair from a thriftshop but it has some wrinkles on it. I suppose it needs a diffrent kind of attention than full calf grain leather shoes do. I hope to hear from you, Warm wishes, A regular watcher of your video's
Hi, just shined a new pair of shoes and now I wonder when should I re-shine them and when I do, do I just go conditioner - >cream - >wax like the first time or do I do something to get the old product out before I begin the aforementioned process?
I seem to be missing the part, in all of your videos, where you shine the rest of the shoe. I understand it’s not this heavy layered, shine to a reflective finish, as the toe and the heel, but can you point me to a video where you show the method for the middle of the shoe?
Sir..From one of your new subscriber.. I have a question regarding the mirror shine.. I used kiwi product and my mirror shining captoe have cracked and easily peeled off within a small steps..All my work of three days have been crashed within a few steps which is a devastating experience..Could you please give me advice regarding my issue??
Hello do you shine shoes for normal people if so how much And how long will it take. I tried doing it myself but I just made the shoe look worse even after listening to your video I tried going to an actual shoe shine shoe repair shop but all they did was remove the mirror shine from my shoe and it’s really important to have it because I’m in my school JROTC program and my military shoes are supposed to be extremely shiny or just I can send you a picture of the section that I did because I honestly don’t know if I’m doing right
Good afternoon, I have a pair of Paul Evens Double Monk Strap in Oxblood. I purchased them back in January 2020 but did not receive them in the mail till May 2020. They have been in storage with shoe trees and shoe bags since, Now that I am going to an event I would like to wear them. What do I need to do to them so they are ready to wear? Do I need to condition them? What will happen to the dye or color job, will the conditioning, polish or wax damage the factory color? Thank you for your assistance as these were not a cheap pair of shoes.
Im finally understanding now that Im methodically watching the japanese shoe shining and your videos. The details definitely matter and I think the biggest thing I did wrong on my first polish was caking on the polish along the vamp 🤣🤣 thank god for your videos.
So, if I want to restore a pair of shoe, this would be the order in which to apply stuff: remove everything with acetone, then dye, then apply renovateur to hydrate, then shoe cream, then wax for a mirror shine. Is that correct?
I'm willing to take the risk. The boots were scratched and beat up, I brought them to a cobbler to get them fixed. Instead of removing old wax, he dyed light brown boots completely dark chocolate brown without even asking, with numerous dark spots all over. You can see remainf of old wax around the edges, it's all peeling away now. After two days of wearing them I wanted to lightly wash a few grains of dirty with plain water using my fingers. The dark dye came right off and bare leather is now exposed over the whole toe cap on one boot. I bought some Fiebing's light brown dye and am planning to simply take everything off with acetone cause they are unusable like this. Dye them and buy some Saphir stuff and do it right. As a long time DIY guy, I think I'll manage but I owe a lot to you and this channel, giving me confidence I can do it. Thank you and best wishes from Croatia!
I watch all of your videos love all of them. I have a question is there anything you have made for matching polish for shoes? I am buying a new shoe/boot and looking for a dark brown to match.
@ The Elegant Oxford do you still gift people entering the workforce a restored pair of dress shoes? If so, I have multiple pairs of Allen Edmonds in 9 eee and vintage Florsheims in bc Sirius sizes I’d like to donate to your organization.
Hey bro I need some help. I have a black pair of magnanni derby’s about 4 months old. I bought all the saphir products and used them like your video now the shoes look super creased up and almost like dry and cracking. I have no idea what to do now
Hi, I'm Italian and I always follow you. How can I have your work on my shoes? You tell me where to ship and how I will pay you. Thanks and look forward to hearing from you. You are the number one.
Hi, I'm Italian and I always follow you. How can I have your work on my shoes? You tell me where to ship and how I will pay you. Thanks and look forward to hearing from you.
Hello hopefully you can give me some advice. I have been trying to mirror shine a pair of shoes that look close to these in this video only they cost $70 US dollars. Is there a difference in the leather that is used in a cheap pair of shoes like will a cheap pair not absorb the wax like a nice pair does? Thanks. I would like to see you try to mirror shine a cheap pair of shoes to see if it can be done. I am new to all of this
Sorry this is so late but I think what you are saying is true. I’ve been in uniformed public safety for years, and still mirror shine my boots like I was taught by my drill sergeant Dad. When I started in the job, the leather used in footwear was way better. In fact- with uniform footwear today at least- the leather is inferior or maybe even artificial. I can still get a mirror shine but doesn’t last as long, and I can’t get it looking like black glass like I did years ago
@@TheElegantOxford thanks for your reply. I'm no expert, I use to clean off all the wax built up once in 6 months. Let it dry, moisturize n start over. As a novice, not comfortable with acetone or heat gun. ❤️
love the videos and channel,... can you PLEASE do a video on how to care (condition and polish, and mirror shine) a pair of Alligator shoes/boots? I just bought a pair of Gaziano & Girling made to order Burnham Chelsey boots in Alligator for close to $10,000 and want them to look amazing for life!
Awesome choice! Sure thing I will work on that video. They only require one product: Saphir reptan which was formulated specifically for lizard skin I sell it at TheElegantOxford.com Use code FEBFRIENDS22 for a 5% discount
I love your videos, but I think your comparison to GG was completely one sided and never mentioned obvious flaws in the Y (sloppy brouging, huge gap in the throat, and presumably the poor factory polish you corrected in this video). Not saying the Y isn’t good value, but it makes me less inclined to trust your reviews.
Hey Scott, the bad wax job wasn’t from the factory. The shoes were used and sent to me after another shoe shiner made an attempt at shining the shoes. He used an inferior polish brand unfortunately and the wax flaked. The gap in the throat says nothing of the quality of ANY shoe. Some pairs are simply designed to have a throat that opens more than others, including from Gaziano & Girling themselves. I’ve noticed that brands like J FitzPatrick are designed with a really tight throat while brands like Vass and Alden aren’t, even though Vass and Alden do make superior shoes in my estimation. It’s a stylistic element, not a quality one per se. I’m not sure what you mean by sloppy brouging. I did mention that G&G uses superior leather and has much better attention to detail overall but that concession must be weighed against the $1200 price tag versus the $500 one. If better leather quality is more desirable than a hand welted, hand lasted, and hand stitched shoe (all things G&G does not offer for the double the money), then you’re more than free to buy the shoe that makes you happy. I stand fully by what I said. As I’ve said in all my videos, make it informed choice as a consumer by watching various videos with different opinions on the same subject.
You're not paying for the name. The longer you keep the side by side comparison on the screen, the more I see why they're 1200 and the others are cheapos. Great job, but there's no comparison
G&G makes beautiful shoes, but as a matter of personal preference I've never really been in love with the way they do shape and proportion. Preston, I think that's why I loved your other video with the G&G patina makeover so much; you really beautifully created an illusion that gave the shoes the contour I felt they were missing. Yeossal's lasts are much more in line with my aesthetic preferences, and I find myself attracted to the execution of refined-yet-still-aggressive aesthetics that you find with a lot of East and Southeast Asian welted shoemakers. Graziat, Hephaestus, Winson, Jim&Jun, Acme, and Sapatero are some of my personal favorites in addition to Yeossal. The pricing across these shoemakers runs a pretty wide gamut to fit a range of budgets, too. Also, I like your idea of doing an educational/discussion video on country of origin. I really don't think a lot of people are fully aware of how geopolitics (or more specifically, the media's skewed reporting of geopolitical issues) as well as preexisting racism and xenophobia play a huge role in shaping how we collectively assign value to products and artisanal labor. It's not surprising either that this is an issue that pervades the "classic menswear" world because so much of its history cannot be uncoupled from colonialism, and imperialistic ideas of Europe and Europeans being the epicenter of quality, innovation, and even tradition. Even within Europe, the west turns up its nose at the east as if Central and Eastern Europe aren't brimming with incredible craftspeople and rich histories of artisanal making of all kinds. Makes me appreciate people like you, Justin Fitzpatrick, Ashwin from WeltedWare, and others who go out of their way to highlight the fantastic tradespeople working in parts of the world that the rest of the classic menswear set willfully ignore. Don't even get me started on how this issue comes up in the tailoring community. I get so mad and could honestly go on about it forever lol.
Those companies all ripped off GG. Then they just made the lines more aggressive. Not saying they don't look good, but GG lasts will never go out of style.
Hey AE1P, I completely agree. I like G&G but Yeossal is a fierce competitor. I personally prefer their lasts as well. Yohei Fukuda is another shoemaker that really does well at making beautiful lasts that speak to me. Thanks for your comment
@@TheElegantOxford Yohei Fukuda makes gorgeous lasts, I agree! There are so many shoemakers in the Japanese market creating absolute sculpture it's dizzying. Thanks for reading and replying to my (lengthy) comment ☺️
Freakishly shiny shoes need to go away. This was required when I was in boot camp fifty years ago and was weird looking even then. We viewed it as more punishment than useful because after boot camp it was never again required. The only thing that should be that shiny is jewelry.
The freakier the better! I don’t think mirror shines are going anywhere. In fact, next month, the World Shoe Shine Competition is taking place where the best shiners come together to battle it out. It’s a huge event! Haha it’s still punishing though. Some mirror shines drive me crazy 😂
Man I watched one video of yours to see what the pros use and now I’ve got my steel toed boots mirror shined with Saphir while I’m marathoning all your videos.
I love watching this I am a 26 year old female who works as an apprentice embalmer and i wear a full 3 piece suit and i love my leather dress shoes. I work with all kinds of crazy chemicals and I'm on my feet all day. This has helped me save my shoes from some crazy embalming mishaps though out the work day. Thank you so much
If you are female & not transgender, why are you cross dressing with male clothing?
Seriously, I prefer how The Duke looks. Much more regal, less painted. Although, what do I know about dress shoes, I watch your videos purely because of the extremely satisfying aesthetics.
Hey Ben! Thanks for your comment. I agree, the Duke looks better aesthetically to me as well
No, Preston, you're not wrong about the mirror shine! The quality of the leather; the number of coats of wax; the quality of the wax, and the water/alcohol mix, are indeed what make the difference in any mirror shine! I discovered that if I use at least twelve coats of wax, and mix my water and alcohol 50/50, the mirror shine almost jumps off of the shoe, and that's with barely *any* Mirror Gloss!!
I laughed when you were blowing the lint off the shoe, when you were waxing it! It's a lesson I learned the hard way, with my very first mirror shine. I knew it had turned to glass, because I could see two pieces of lint, perfectly clearly. It looked like you could pick them off the toe, but of course you couldn't. Fortunately, none of my friends seemed to notice them. I guess that's why they're friends!!
Hey Brook! Very true.
I agree! Good shoes deserve a second chance!
I had Triumph toe plates installed on my new Allen Edmonds “cigar” Strands by Potter and Sons (via mail). They did a beautiful job and I highly recommend them!
How long did that take?
@@jlozano2014 I think it was like two weeks?
Hey Scotty! I love Trenton & Heath
Man the shoes look like art master pieces too good to wear just look at like fine art work. Wow just Wow.
Saphir appears to have a number of products that can be used to clean leather shoes, e.g., Cleaning Lotion, Reno Mat, Creme Delicate, and Renovateur. Can you comment on the differences between them and when to use one over the other?
Hi i am in highschool i bought my first pair of goodyear welted boots about a year ago and they have leather soles i was walking to the football field to get ready for a game and i slipped and scuffed my boots i have sanded them untill they got smooth but i was just wondering if i could send them in to get them stained ill pay whatever you want me to i just love these boots and i want them to look new again
Tragic but doubt he will respond to you bud he dosnt usually do that
@@elimotes8663 He might dont be so quick to down on someone
@@Eli-Motes lol he isnt he is just saying dude but i get it
Hey NoVa, please email me at theelegantoxford@gmail.com and I will asses the boots. I can then see if I can help or offer you a referral of someone who can!
I agree I prefer the fidleback
Same here! It’s so sharp
I loved your lounge music which was missing today please don't forget that the next time it makes the video so much better
I love mirror shined shoes that arnt black, they look so good!
Made my first purchase from the online store. Very easy process and the site is well put together and easy to navigate. I will be coming to you for all my Saphir needs from now on. Plus I absolutely love your channel and want to see the greatness continue so if it helps that happen I'm all about it. Cheers from Grand Junction, Colorado!
Thank you Joseph. I appreciate the support and the comment
@@TheElegantOxford donate me fifty pairs of shoes and 10 sapphire parade gloss. I’ll trade you all my comic books
20 mn of joy and beauty. Everytime !
Thank you Greg!
These shoes are beautiful, I love everything about them, the colors, the shape, the sole, everything. I'd really like to own a pair, maybe in the future, for now I'll just enjoy watching your videos
I remember back in the days when men use to have swagger wearing nice dress shoes and all that what happened to those days.he is doing a good job in shining them shoes.
Great great content! On a side note, you have such a relaxing voice. I suffer with bad anxiety so listening and watching u is great for me thanks! 🇬🇧
I’m glad videos help. Thank you for watching
I'm from China and I definitely think Chinese factories can nail down shoemaking. The thing is, however, the dress shoe market in China is too small so nobody get attention to it.
That’s a great insight! Thanks for sharing
@@TheElegantOxford People wearing loafers and derby shoes all the time here in China.But the loafers people usually wear on the street of China will not be the loafers you might have in mind if you are a classic menswear enthusiast,they are constructed as loafers but they just look ugly.I can't blame our fellow Chinese and Asian people lean toward derby shoes though,because the top of our feet is usually higher than most western people,so derby shoes is the only option before domestic shoe makers create Oxford lasts specially for Chinese or Asian people's special condition,because not everyone can go bespoke.
@@TheElegantOxford About Chinese shoemakers,there are Slimshoes (also known as Yearn in NA),JimJun,TGC,Badia,Twinkima G,MATTINA,and so on,most of them are hand made hand welt hand stitched,some of them can do MTO or even bespoke,and we also have several independent bespoke shoe makers here in China,but they are usually too expensive with a loooooooooooong waiting list,so I can't be bothered.
Mainly because nothing from China is quality or lasts any reasonable amount of time
@elegantOxford would you ever consider doing a Chelsea Boot shine? Reasons being: I can’t seem to figure out where to end the mirror polish, and also where to mirror polish on a boot like this?? Anyway thanks love the content! You’ve inspired me to try my hand at this skill!
That looks COMPLETELY different and much better. I really thought they were black at first! Well done as always!
Thanks Jed! Good to hear from you bro
I like the darker colour !
I found that once you have a fairly good shine I find the shine will improve with just water
Hi, love your videos. I see that you always use acetone. Do you need clean it off with any solutions before renovateur and cream? Thank you.
What's the colour of your shoe 1:37,,,they look amazing
I love the shoe strings……… where do you get yours??
Can you make a video using Pure Polish products?
I use Saphir and Pure Polish, but I cant make that mirror shine with Pure Polish
Do you recommend ways to remove pigmented shoe cream from your bare fingers? My fingers get stained and I have difficulty getting it off. Thank you.
You seemed in good spirits in this video. Keep up the great work, brother!
Thank you FOX! I was happy!
Beautiful job Preston. I'd love to see you get your hands on some Berluti at some point.
Hey Mark! For sure! They have a store a couple of hours from my house so I need to pay them a visit
@@TheElegantOxford I'm sure they would be delighted to have you give a honest review and put your magic on them.
So when I'm matching a polish to a shoe color just use the closest color? I remember you said you liked using red on burgundy shoes
In your opinion, what is the best black cap toe oxford under $500?
I’d have to go with TLB Mallorca Artista Line or Carmina for that price.
Hey Preston, if possible, how would you decontaminate shoe polishes/creams?
Dear Preston,
I had a question, could you maybe make a video in which you explain how to repair patent leather shoes ? I bought a pair from a thriftshop but it has some wrinkles on it. I suppose it needs a diffrent kind of attention than full calf grain leather shoes do.
I hope to hear from you,
Warm wishes,
A regular watcher of your video's
Burgundy is my favorite color.
Hi, just shined a new pair of shoes and now I wonder when should I re-shine them and when I do, do I just go conditioner - >cream - >wax like the first time or do I do something to get the old product out before I begin the aforementioned process?
Though not quite the same thing, White's boots are hand lasted and hand welted in America.
Yes you’re right! But unfortunately I can’t include boots like White’s. This discussion is strictly about high end dress shoes
@@TheElegantOxford I figured but couldn't help but say it!
I love watching your videos and learning from them!
May you kindly share the link/name of where I can get affordable spade sole shoes.
I seem to be missing the part, in all of your videos, where you shine the rest of the shoe. I understand it’s not this heavy layered, shine to a reflective finish, as the toe and the heel, but can you point me to a video where you show the method for the middle of the shoe?
I’m going to talk about it in a future video but just preliminarily, it’s the same process as a mirror shine. Video is incoming!
Where have you been Preston!
Hi I was looking through your videos but I could not find how to take care of patent leather shoes and how to fix scuffs on them. Thank you.
Hey Tony. I haven’t made one but patent leather is easy to clean. Just use windex
Sir..From one of your new subscriber.. I have a question regarding the mirror shine.. I used kiwi product and my mirror shining captoe have cracked and easily peeled off within a small steps..All my work of three days have been crashed within a few steps which is a devastating experience..Could you please give me advice regarding my issue??
Yeossal is awesome! Really considering to get the Duke!
Do you always have to go over the shoe with acetone before polishing or is it okay to apply the polish and then buff?
Hello do you shine shoes for normal people if so how much And how long will it take. I tried doing it myself but I just made the shoe look worse even after listening to your video I tried going to an actual shoe shine shoe repair shop but all they did was remove the mirror shine from my shoe and it’s really important to have it because I’m in my school JROTC program and my military shoes are supposed to be extremely shiny or just I can send you a picture of the section that I did because I honestly don’t know if I’m doing right
Good afternoon,
I have a pair of Paul Evens Double Monk Strap in Oxblood. I purchased them back in January 2020 but did not receive them in the mail till May 2020.
They have been in storage with shoe trees and shoe bags since, Now that I am going to an event I would like to wear them. What do I need to do to them so they are ready to wear? Do I need to condition them? What will happen to the dye or color job, will the conditioning, polish or wax damage the factory color?
Thank you for your assistance as these were not a cheap pair of shoes.
These shoes are incredible and perfectly reasonable!
What are some good shoes for business majors
where can I find the video on water baths to remove creases?
Those are Beautiful shoes. I need a pair
Hello.. I love your work.
One question.
Can i use Isopropyl instead of acetone?
Yes you can, you just have to apply more. If you're talking about isopropyl alcohol, that is.
What is a good cheap200$ or under shoe? Id rather have a few than just one
Try Meermin. $195 for brand new goodyear welted shoes. Check out my review of 2 pairs from them
Off topic, but is your watch a SKX007?
Im finally understanding now that Im methodically watching the japanese shoe shining and your videos. The details definitely matter and I think the biggest thing I did wrong on my first polish was caking on the polish along the vamp 🤣🤣 thank god for your videos.
Remember the painter Bob Ross?
Dude- you are the Bob Ross of shoe shining
The Duke all day long!
Hi. I just thought of something while polishing and does using hot water for a mirror shine change anything?
Cold water helps more than hot does
I use ice cubes in the water
If I purchased a pair of these how much would it cost for you to lighten and shine them like this for me? Thanks.
Hey Taylor. I usually charge $150-$170 for that type of work. Email me for more info
@@TheElegantOxford hey the name where I can buy them after that like to send them to you please I really need them please message me back
So, if I want to restore a pair of shoe, this would be the order in which to apply stuff:
remove everything with acetone, then dye, then apply renovateur to hydrate, then shoe cream, then wax for a mirror shine. Is that correct?
Yes! Except I don’t recommend acetone unless you’re very experienced because you could easily ruin a shoe if you’re not familiar with it.
I'm willing to take the risk. The boots were scratched and beat up, I brought them to a cobbler to get them fixed.
Instead of removing old wax, he dyed light brown boots completely dark chocolate brown without even asking, with numerous dark spots all over. You can see remainf of old wax around the edges, it's all peeling away now.
After two days of wearing them I wanted to lightly wash a few grains of dirty with plain water using my fingers. The dark dye came right off and bare leather is now exposed over the whole toe cap on one boot.
I bought some Fiebing's light brown dye and am planning to simply take everything off with acetone cause they are unusable like this. Dye them and buy some Saphir stuff and do it right.
As a long time DIY guy, I think I'll manage but I owe a lot to you and this channel, giving me confidence I can do it. Thank you and best wishes from Croatia!
Awesome! I’m sure you’ll do great 👍🏻
I watch all of your videos love all of them. I have a question is there anything you have made for matching polish for shoes? I am buying a new shoe/boot and looking for a dark brown to match.
Handwelted is the strongest point. 😄
I agree Alexander. Handwelted shoes are next level for sure
@ The Elegant Oxford do you still gift people entering the workforce a restored pair of dress shoes? If so, I have multiple pairs of Allen Edmonds in 9 eee and vintage Florsheims in bc Sirius sizes I’d like to donate to your organization.
Can you use neutral when you don’t have colored wax
Hey Kenny! Yes you absolutely can
Hey bro I need some help. I have a black pair of magnanni derby’s about 4 months old. I bought all the saphir products and used them like your video now the shoes look super creased up and almost like dry and cracking. I have no idea what to do now
Incredible pair of shoes. You have the best content Preston. Great job on the mirror shine. Great info!
Thank you Mark! I appreciate your comments
is the logo on the toe cap going to stay after a few wears?
It will last longer than you think but eventually the toe plate does it job and it wears down
@@TheElegantOxford cool!
Anyway Preston, what do you do with smooth leather and Suede leather shoes if they have been sitting around for a few months?
Go can you provide the spelling for that Singapore show brand you mentioned please? Dope video as always Thank you!
Y by Yeossal! Tell them I sent you!
@@TheElegantOxford just checked their website. Beautiful stuff
Hi, I'm Italian and I always follow you.
How can I have your work on my shoes?
You tell me where to ship and how I will pay you.
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you.
You are the number one.
Hi, I'm Italian and I always follow you.
How can I have your work on my shoes?
You tell me where to ship and how I will pay you.
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you.
Hello hopefully you can give me some advice. I have been trying to mirror shine a pair of shoes that look close to these in this video only they cost $70 US dollars. Is there a difference in the leather that is used in a cheap pair of shoes like will a cheap pair not absorb the wax like a nice pair does? Thanks. I would like to see you try to mirror shine a cheap pair of shoes to see if it can be done. I am new to all of this
Sorry this is so late but I think what you are saying is true. I’ve been in uniformed public safety for years, and still mirror shine my boots like I was taught by my drill sergeant Dad. When I started in the job, the leather used in footwear was way better. In fact- with uniform footwear today at least- the leather is inferior or maybe even artificial. I can still get a mirror shine but doesn’t last as long, and I can’t get it looking like black glass like I did years ago
I can get the same shine using Lincoln polish.
Show me. Tag me on instagram with your best shine and I’ll feature you on the channel. So far, no one has come forward to answer the challenge.
Can you please get a exotic leather, from snake, lizard, or alligator leather shoes and do the clean/and care of it? Please
Where are you located? I wanna send you my shoes
Aren't shoe waxes toxic? I have always been hesitant to use my bare hands for that reason.
Saphire does not use petroleum to my knowledge so they should be fine
Why you don't use saddle soap?
Saddle soap is only for soiled leather in my opinion but even then I don’t like it personally.
@@TheElegantOxford thanks for your reply. I'm no expert, I use to clean off all the wax built up once in 6 months. Let it dry, moisturize n start over.
As a novice, not comfortable with acetone or heat gun. ❤️
Your videos are always very pleasant,and relaxing in a way,😁merci 👍(unfortunately,the discount code doesn’t work in France)TYou,anyway Bravo
Oh sorry Stephane! Yes it only works for US viewers! I thank the French for Saphir! Best in the world
Beautiful Craftsmanship
I agree!
The hermes red that I've bought is much more purple in tone than that
That’s weird! Mine have always been very reddish. The new red color is truly red though
You're the Bob Ross of shoes
Do you offer mail in services to work on shoes?
Hey Joseph. Yes I do but unfortunately my lead times are long at the moment. Email me and we can talk about it
Good
Where can I get those shoes?
From Yeossal!
Call me crazy but I prefer the shape of the Yeossal. 🤔
How come this channel hasn't made any new videos recently :(
What is the chinese brand called? Hard to spell out lol
Hey Jagger. They are called Y by Yeossal
OOHRAH! Semper Fi
Yeah, I'm not supporting China when I'm able to not suppot them, and more people need to try to do that too.
love the videos and channel,... can you PLEASE do a video on how to care (condition and polish, and mirror shine) a pair of Alligator shoes/boots? I just bought a pair of Gaziano & Girling made to order Burnham Chelsey boots in Alligator for close to $10,000 and want them to look amazing for life!
Awesome choice! Sure thing I will work on that video. They only require one product: Saphir reptan which was formulated specifically for lizard skin
I sell it at TheElegantOxford.com
Use code FEBFRIENDS22 for a 5% discount
Hola saludos desde Bogotá😷😱🙏
Gracias Joaquin! Saludos
I love a fair price for higher quality! Dukes looks sexyest aniway! That baby ❤️
Algo
I love your videos, but I think your comparison to GG was completely one sided and never mentioned obvious flaws in the Y (sloppy brouging, huge gap in the throat, and presumably the poor factory polish you corrected in this video). Not saying the Y isn’t good value, but it makes me less inclined to trust your reviews.
Hey Scott, the bad wax job wasn’t from the factory. The shoes were used and sent to me after another shoe shiner made an attempt at shining the shoes. He used an inferior polish brand unfortunately and the wax flaked.
The gap in the throat says nothing of the quality of ANY shoe. Some pairs are simply designed to have a throat that opens more than others, including from Gaziano & Girling themselves. I’ve noticed that brands like J FitzPatrick are designed with a really tight throat while brands like Vass and Alden aren’t, even though Vass and Alden do make superior shoes in my estimation. It’s a stylistic element, not a quality one per se.
I’m not sure what you mean by sloppy brouging. I did mention that G&G uses superior leather and has much better attention to detail overall but that concession must be weighed against the $1200 price tag versus the $500 one.
If better leather quality is more desirable than a hand welted, hand lasted, and hand stitched shoe (all things G&G does not offer for the double the money), then you’re more than free to buy the shoe that makes you happy.
I stand fully by what I said. As I’ve said in all my videos, make it informed choice as a consumer by watching various videos with different opinions on the same subject.
You're not paying for the name. The longer you keep the side by side comparison on the screen, the more I see why they're 1200 and the others are cheapos. Great job, but there's no comparison
G&G makes beautiful shoes, but as a matter of personal preference I've never really been in love with the way they do shape and proportion. Preston, I think that's why I loved your other video with the G&G patina makeover so much; you really beautifully created an illusion that gave the shoes the contour I felt they were missing.
Yeossal's lasts are much more in line with my aesthetic preferences, and I find myself attracted to the execution of refined-yet-still-aggressive aesthetics that you find with a lot of East and Southeast Asian welted shoemakers. Graziat, Hephaestus, Winson, Jim&Jun, Acme, and Sapatero are some of my personal favorites in addition to Yeossal. The pricing across these shoemakers runs a pretty wide gamut to fit a range of budgets, too.
Also, I like your idea of doing an educational/discussion video on country of origin. I really don't think a lot of people are fully aware of how geopolitics (or more specifically, the media's skewed reporting of geopolitical issues) as well as preexisting racism and xenophobia play a huge role in shaping how we collectively assign value to products and artisanal labor. It's not surprising either that this is an issue that pervades the "classic menswear" world because so much of its history cannot be uncoupled from colonialism, and imperialistic ideas of Europe and Europeans being the epicenter of quality, innovation, and even tradition. Even within Europe, the west turns up its nose at the east as if Central and Eastern Europe aren't brimming with incredible craftspeople and rich histories of artisanal making of all kinds. Makes me appreciate people like you, Justin Fitzpatrick, Ashwin from WeltedWare, and others who go out of their way to highlight the fantastic tradespeople working in parts of the world that the rest of the classic menswear set willfully ignore.
Don't even get me started on how this issue comes up in the tailoring community. I get so mad and could honestly go on about it forever lol.
Those companies all ripped off GG. Then they just made the lines more aggressive. Not saying they don't look good, but GG lasts will never go out of style.
Hey AE1P, I completely agree. I like G&G but Yeossal is a fierce competitor.
I personally prefer their lasts as well. Yohei Fukuda is another shoemaker that really does well at making beautiful lasts that speak to me. Thanks for your comment
@@TheElegantOxford Yohei Fukuda makes gorgeous lasts, I agree! There are so many shoemakers in the Japanese market creating absolute sculpture it's dizzying.
Thanks for reading and replying to my (lengthy) comment ☺️
Freakishly shiny shoes need to go away. This was required when I was in boot camp fifty years ago and was weird looking even then. We viewed it as more punishment than useful because after boot camp it was never again required.
The only thing that should be that shiny is jewelry.
The freakier the better! I don’t think mirror shines are going anywhere. In fact, next month, the World Shoe Shine Competition is taking place where the best shiners come together to battle it out. It’s a huge event!
Haha it’s still punishing though. Some mirror shines drive me crazy 😂
I do admire the dedication and work required to get that shine it’s just, well, each to his own.
You're not American sir. Promoting a Chinese product lmao 🤣
🙄
@@ffotograffydd 😏
@@keithzeykon9428 That emoji works too! 😉
Does toetapsbyivan have an IG?
Hey Jose, he currently does not but wants to start one soon