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Paris Part 2 -- Paulus Bolten, The Patina Artist

As many of you who frequently read my blog may know, the art of the patina is something that is appreciated and practiced, as a profession, by several people in France. One of those people, would be the magnificent Paulus Bolten, who is the owner of Patine & Glacage Souliers. So while I was in Paris, I figured that even though I love all of my shoes the way they are, I might as well utilize the service to see it transform my shoes, first hand. And so it did. In reality, I did not have a shoe on me (as I left all of the crummy one's back in the States) that I wanted to change, so I bought these Edward Green's made for Gieves & Hawkes shoes (old ones) from a friend of mine who had never worn them and was looking to get rid of them. Talk about a win-win situation: new shoes + Edward Green's + 75 GBP + shoes for patina = amazing deal & timing! And thus you can see the transformation below....

It's an amazing service that Paulus has created here, as it truly can give you a new pair of shoes. I had been dying for a nice pair of burgundy loafers and never see one that I like or that cost less than 700 GBP, so I was at a loss, until I came across Paulus and his service and he was able to make my shoes not only burgundy, but customized too, by keeping the strap the original color and giving the shoe a bit of character. Since the first time that I put up this service, I know that several of my readers have been to see him or have posted their shoes to him in order to utilize the service and from what I know have thoroughly enjoyed it (pics below). The service starts at about 70 euros and goes up from their depending on what you would like done. But, as Paulus is clearly magical with the patina, you can see that it is well worth it.

To contact him directly you can email him at paulbolten@free.fr

Let me know if you do and send me pictures of the before and after so that I can put it up on the blog!

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Aged Burgundy Berluti's

I don't think that any color of shoe ages more beautifully than that of burgundy/oxblood/cordovan. The natural patina that a burgundy shoe creates over the years, due to wear & tear, the sunlight, dirt, practically everything really, brings out the most unique coloring effects on the leather. So when a customer brought me these lovely Berluti wholecuts, that looked about 10-15 years old, I knew that I was going to have to share them with all of you, just to show you what the industry is missing: More Burgundy Wholecuts!! Even with all of the creases in the leather, this might have been one of the most beautiful shoes that I have ever seen. Granted, they were Berlutis, so there must have been a patina applied when they were first made, but I could tell that what had remained after all these years, was built out of natural aging. With the pictures, I have put how they looked in the beginning (which was not bad to begin with) and then added the pics of how they looked after I shined them. As always, you will see that in some they look way lighter and in others they were quite reddish/burgundy, when in fact, the most accurate of them all is the very top picture.

Today's Favorites - Blog Reader's Shoes from Septieme Largeur

One of the biggest reasons that I started this blog, was because I have a long term goal to see men wearing better shoes, in the sense that they actually appreciate what they are wearing on their feet. It does not have to be what I like, but it has to be evident that they actually care about what they are wearing. Too many men just don't care and it shows, and to me it's a great let down. Men back in the day, used to be worse than women in their attire and appearance. They took great pride in how they looked. And it was not feminine to do so, it was masculine. Caring about your appearance does not have to be about ego, but rather can be about appreciation and respect.

Part of that goal of seeing men caring more about their shoes, was for me to be a major influence into that. Starting this blog, was a way for me to give people knowledge, awareness and an appreciation for their footwear. So you understand when I tell you that it gives me great pleasure when any of you write me up and tell me about a pair of shoes that you either want to get or have already purchased, because of what you saw or read on my blog. And you can see here that one of my readers did so. He happened to go to Paris, visit Septieme Largeur, splurged a little and had two very beautiful shoes made up for him. Simply beautiful.....

Shoes Of The Week - Alexandre Portejoie

As much as you don't see burgundy shoes as often as I would like to, I can tell you that burgundy boots are even far less common, yet to me are ever so more appealing than what you do actually see on the shelves. This model here is by a French shoe designer/maker, named Alexandre Portejoie, who is quite known for his out-of-this-world creations. This boot, while being still a bit on the 'forward' side with its pointy toe and decoration, is one of his tamest creations, believe it or not. And what drives me to it, aside from the lovely color created from the patina, is the big, heavy duty sole that it has been made with. You see, while I don't like bulky shoes (or bulky soles for that matter), I much less like the idea of it being snowy or real rainy out and having to wear some Red Wing boot to save my shoes from being destroyed. That being, a beautiful boot like this with a nice, heavy sole on it (still cut to look dressy) allows one to not only face that awful weather but be able to do so in smart clothing without having to look like a hiker in his rugged boots....

Today's Favorites: Customer's Berluti Shoes

I never seem to tire of old Berluti shoes. Every time I have to shine them, even though they are not my favorite shoe, I seem to enjoy them more than anything else. Partly because the leather shines so easily and therefore makes my job a lot more pleasurable, but mainly because of the fact that even when they come to me all beat up and knackered beyond belief, after a bit of polish and elbow grease, they become like pieces of antiquity art. And while I am sure they look stunning when a customer just purchases them, I can't help but feel that their true beauty lies within a few years of them aging. The patina seems to become much more intricate and can even be intensified or taken down a notch with a bit of polish. Being the glutton that I am for unique coloring, I always do my best to bring out the undertones in the leather......which only makes beautiful shoes like this, look even better!