Monday 10 March 2014

Saphir Shoe Wax: Spiffing Stuff.

During a recent sodden weekend, I finally snapped at the sight of my creased, scuffed, dirty (though still very comfy) Eccos.  After 20 daunting minutes of style forum lurking, I ordered some 'Saphir' brand waxes, and set to work with leather cleaner and conditioner till they arrived. I've got to admit they've made a tremendous difference, enough to draw comment on my 'new' shoes!

There's no 'before' shot I'm afraid, but
the take home message is 'big difference'.

I'm definitely not an authority on this sort of thing. The gist of what I've read is that it's a caddish disgrace to mirror polish the entire shoe. With that kept in mind, I gave the worst scuffs a few applications from the 'Bordeaux' tin. After that, the whole shoe was brush polished with "Neutral', then the toe box & counter spit shined. Gobbing on things does not appeal as a rule, so I used water instead of actual spit.

I still don't 'do' shoe trees - just look at the state of the creases above - but after all the unexpected flattery, might well reconsider!


Links
Many, many threads from styleforum.net and askandyaboutclothes.com
I found this chart at thehangerproject very helpful choosing from the multitude of polish colours.
Lastly, Dandy Shoe Care's captivating and disturbing YouTube clip (embedded below) serves as a great visual metaphor for the dizzying high of Saphir Neutral's mind bending turpentine fug.