Why don't Irish men look after their shoes?

eviltimeban · 20-01-2014 06:13PM #1

More often than not, when I see Irish men wearing shoes with suits, the shoes are unpolished, scuffed, and generally in rag order. The number one thing you have to have is clean polished shoes!

Twee. · 20-01-2014 09:58PM

Are you trying to start a discussion or just ranting? Have you any shoe care tips to share?

freshpopcorn · 20-01-2014 10:00PM

Have you any stat's to back this up?

sawdoubters · 20-01-2014 10:02PM

my mummy does it for me

Balaclava1991 · 20-01-2014 10:04PM

Kintarō Hattori · 21-01-2014 12:24AM

As an Irish man I'm shocked and appalled OP. I own both Polish as well as leather protector and apply both!

Howard Juneau · 21-01-2014 12:27AM

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

As an Irish man I'm shocked and appalled OP. I own both Polish as well as leather protector and apply both!

21-01-2014 10:13AM

I sat down on my back step a few days ago to polish all my boots, and it did occur to me "I can't imagine that any of my friends bother to do this".

Anyone any mad tips? I knew someone once who used to swear that he rubbed the inside of a banana skin on his shoes as a final layer of shine

eviltimeban · 21-01-2014 11:27AM

OK OK I wasn't having a rant, I was just observing. Most older guys I know (let's say, 35+) look after their shoes. Young guys tend not to. I don't have any stats, only personal opinion formed from observation - guys on the train, guys in town, guys in shops, etc. I keep an eye out for these kinds of things you see. Tie knots, shirt collars, trouser lengths, shoe care - its the little details.

And tips? Polish your shoes every day! Its all about building up a wax - layer upon layer, to protect the leather. My dad used a product called Dale's Dubbin, but I just use a regular polish, applied with a soft cloth and removed with a brush. That's all. Easy peasy. A friend of mine swears by shoe trees, I haven't got any but its something I'm going to look into.

Balaclava1991 · 21-01-2014 11:45AM

eviltimeban wrote: »

OK OK I wasn't having a rant, I was just observing. Most older guys I know (let's say, 35+) look after their shoes. Young guys tend not to. I don't have any stats, only personal opinion formed from observation - guys on the train, guys in town, guys in shops, etc. I keep an eye out for these kinds of things you see. Tie knots, shirt collars, trouser lengths, shoe care - its the little details.

And tips? Polish your shoes every day! Its all about building up a wax - layer upon layer, to protect the leather. My dad used a product called Dale's Dubbin, but I just use a regular polish, applied with a soft cloth and removed with a brush. That's all. Easy peasy. A friend of mine swears by shoe trees, I haven't got any but its something I'm going to look into.

I use one brush to apply the polish, another brush to smooth it out and a cloth to bring out the shine.

In regard to tie knots there is nothing worse than the school boy knot when men are wearing an expensive suit, shirt and tie. They look like ruffians.
Most men nowadays do not know how to tie a half windsor or a full windsor or other knots. A proper tie knot can actually make a cheap tie, cheap shirt and cheap suit look elegant while a poor knot no matter how expensive the suit, shirt and tie will look awful.

dudara · 21-01-2014 12:25PM

It's not just men to be honest, some women have very scruffy looking shoes (and bags) too.

It's important to look after leather items.

eviltimeban · 21-01-2014 12:30PM

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

I use one brush to apply the polish, another brush to smooth it out and a cloth to bring out the shine.

In regard to tie knots there is nothing worse than the school boy knot when men are wearing an expensive suit, shirt and tie. They look like ruffians.
Most men nowadays do not know how to tie a half windsor or a full windsor or other knots. A proper tie knot can actually make a cheap tie, cheap shirt and cheap suit look elegant while a poor knot no matter how expensive the suit, shirt and tie will look awful.

By school boy knot, are you using a casual term or are you referring to the 4 in the hand knot, also known as the school boy knot? This is the knot I use and it looks great!

GreeBo · 21-01-2014 12:33PM

Use an old pair of tights to shine your shoes after you have buffed them with the polishing brush, amazing shine.
If you buy expensive shoes, buy shoe trees!
I use them in all my golf shoes and it keeps them perfect for far longer.

Toast4532 · 21-01-2014 01:38PM

What are shoe trees?

Balaclava1991 · 21-01-2014 01:43PM

eviltimeban wrote: »

By school boy knot, are you using a casual term or are you referring to the 4 in the hand knot, also known as the school boy knot? This is the knot I use and it looks great!

No offence but that knot looks awful and extremely sloppy.

This is a full Windsor knot. It looks far neater and classy and it feels more comfortable than the school boy knot.

Here is how to tie the simpler half-Windsor

how-to-tie-the-half-windsor-knot-tying-instructions.png

And this is how to tie the full-Windsor.

I get a pain in the face when I see a guy who had gone to the trouble of buying a good suit and shirt and tie and doesn't know how to tie a good knot.

The most important elements to how a man dresses and stands out are his tie knot, how he shines his shoes and his cuff links.

Invest in all three and even if you are a low budget dresser you will look classy.

Shiny shoes are always a must.

omb0wyn5ehpij9 · 21-01-2014 01:44PM

Toast4532 wrote: »

What are shoe trees?

They are something you put in your shoes to keep the shape when you aren't wearing them. These are shoe trees:

eviltimeban · 21-01-2014 01:53PM

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

No offence but that knot looks awful and extremely sloppy.

OK you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not offended, I just can't respect your opinion.

The picture you posted, the knot is far too big for the collars. And its an awful tie. It looks like something Donald Trump wore in the 90s.

eviltimeban · 21-01-2014 02:00PM

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

The most important elements to how a man dresses and stands out are his tie knot, how he shines his shoes and his cuff links.

This is a bit of a facile approach to judging the elements. What you really should be looking at is:

- quality of cloth / material
- cut of the suit / trousers
- balance of colours / textures

and then everything else. It goes without saying that a man who has the above three things right will naturally have polished shoes. Cufflinks? No. Not all shirts are double cuff.

And getting back to the ties, see here for more excellent examples of four in the hand knots: http://www.styleforum.net/t/275666/getting-the-four-in-hand-knot-right

Didn't this thread start off being about shoes?

Balaclava1991 · 21-01-2014 02:16PM

eviltimeban wrote: »

OK you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not offended, I just can't respect your opinion.

The picture you posted, the knot is far too big for the collars. And its an awful tie. It looks like something Donald Trump wore in the 90s.

The half windsor can be used for a smaller collar while the full windsor is suited for a bigger collar.
It doesn't matter about the color of the tie. The picture I used was just illustrative of the knot.
The school boy knot looks like the type of knot a guy who habitually wears shell suits would put on when he goes to court.
There are hundreds of other variations on the tie knot so you can pick your own.
The school buy knot is the perfect way to ruin the look of expensive clothes.
Combined with buffed up shoes and cuff links you can't go wrong.

There is nothing worse than shoes that are scuffed and dirty. It looks awful.

At the moment there seems to be a godawful fashion of dressing sloppily.

Balaclava1991 · 21-01-2014 02:19PM

eviltimeban wrote: »

This is a bit of a facile approach to judging the elements. What you really should be looking at is:

- quality of cloth / material
- cut of the suit / trousers
- balance of colours / textures

and then everything else. It goes without saying that a man who has the above three things right will naturally have polished shoes. Cufflinks? No. Not all shirts are double cuff.

And getting back to the ties, see here for more excellent examples of four in the hand knots: http://www.styleforum.net/t/275666/getting-the-four-in-hand-knot-right

Didn't this thread start off being about shoes?

Yes it did start about shoes but shining your shoes is only part of a full effect.

I wouldn't buy a shirt that is not suitable for cuff links. End of. What's the point?

In the same if I was a smoker I would smoke a pipe rather than a rolled cigarettes or if I was force to eat fast food I would go to Subway or Burger King rather than Supermacs.

My point was that if you are cannot afford expensive tailoring you can make yourself look better by taking care of your tie knot and your shoes together.

I've seen guys who clearly have a good income and good jobs looking like complete gurriers because they have dirty shoes and can't tie a knot.

If you are wearing shoes than can be polished you should polish them.

If I could order men who dress sloppily to be shot by firing squad I would do it!:)

househero · 21-01-2014 02:30PM

I recently came back from Milan. I couldn't believe that most men were wearing formal shoes, with casual clothes. The youngsters were all wearing beige timberlands.

I like to look like a man, I won't wear a man bag, scarf or shoes with a heel. I do wear very expensive smart clothes, a £1200 Armani coat, with £90 trainers because I have yet to find smart casual shoes that don't rape my feet. If you feel like judging me, or make presumptions about me, that's fine with me, I will live my good life and you are free to get upset about what I wear on my feet. Each to their own.

Monkeybonkers · 21-01-2014 02:48PM

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

If I could order men who dress sloppily to be shot by firing squad I would do it!:)

You think people should be murdered because they don't conform to your standards? Maybe you should look at your own Hitleresque opinions before you start judging others by what they wear.

People can wear what they want, they don't need Nazi-like commentators like you wishing death upon them because they haven't polished their shoes!!

eviltimeban · 21-01-2014 03:06PM

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

Yes it did start about shoes but shining your shoes is only part of a full effect.

I wouldn't buy a shirt that is not suitable for cuff links. End of. What's the point?

In the same if I was a smoker I would smoke a pipe rather than a rolled cigarettes or if I was force to eat fast food I would go to Subway or Burger King rather than Supermacs.

My point was that if you are cannot afford expensive tailoring you can make yourself look better by taking care of your tie knot and your shoes together.

I've seen guys who clearly have a good income and good jobs looking like complete gurriers because they have dirty shoes and can't tie a knot.

If you are wearing shoes than can be polished you should polish them.

If I could order men who dress sloppily to be shot by firing squad I would do it!:)

Again, you are completely and utterly wrong on many points, and on your approach.

Double cuff / French cuff shirts are not the only cuff types to wear. Look around Italian / European style, in many cases the shirts are single cuffs. I wear single cuffs in the summer, as the cuff is lighter in warmer weather.

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

The school boy knot looks like the type of knot a guy who habitually wears shell suits would put on when he goes to court.

Again, you obviously haven't seen many guys going to court. What you get there is a massive tie knot, too short tie, and hung loosely from the neck. Like what footballers wear.

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

The school buy knot is the perfect way to ruin the look of expensive clothes.

Your vehemence towards a tie knot which is clearly a perfectly stylish, popular and accepted knot (when done properly - did you look at that link in my last post?) is somewhat odd. Again, I cannot argue with you as I just plain don't respect your opinion.

Don't feed the trolls, methinks.

JOSman · 21-01-2014 03:08PM

sawdoubters wrote: »

my mummy does it for me

That's the reason why!

househero · 21-01-2014 03:15PM

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

If you are wearing shoes than can be polished you should polish them.

If I could order men who dress sloppily to be shot by firing squad I would do it!:)

You should probably worry about something else. I would expect an uprising from the fashion police would would be quickly beaten in to submission by men who couldn't care less about what they wear on their feet. A pair of work boots to the head would swiftly stop cries of 'oooo those shoes are scuffed' hahahahaha

I suspect your declaration of 'ordering' men who dress sloppily to be shot by firing squad, is quite telling about your undisclosed public displeasure.

Maybe a man wearing bad shoes is making a statement about his sexual preference. Blame societies unwritten rules not the man. You might like to move to Italy if shoes are really that important.

Balaclava1991 · 21-01-2014 03:20PM

househero wrote: »

I recently came back from Milan. I couldn't believe that most men were wearing formal shoes, with casual clothes. The youngsters were all wearing beige timberlands.

I like to look like a man, I won't wear a man bag, scarf or shoes with a heel. I do wear very expensive smart clothes, a £1200 Armani coat, with £90 trainers because I have yet to find smart casual shoes that don't rape my feet. If you feel like judging me, or make presumptions about me, that's fine with me, I will live my good life and you are free to get upset about what I wear on my feet. Each to their own.

Nobody is saying you can't wear casual shoes.

But if someone is wearing polishable shoes they should polish them. That's all.

It looks bad if they are scuffed.

eviltimeban · 21-01-2014 03:22PM

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

Nobody is saying you can't wear casual shoes.

But if someone is wearing polishable shoes they should polish them. That's all.

It looks bad if they are scuffed.

That, I agree with.

Balaclava1991 · 21-01-2014 03:25PM

househero wrote: »

You should probably worry about something else. I would expect an uprising from the fashion police would would be quickly beaten in to submission by men who couldn't care less about what they wear on their feet. A pair of work boots to the head would swiftly stop cries of 'oooo those shoes are scuffed' hahahahaha

I suspect your declaration of 'ordering' men who dress sloppily to be shot by firing squad, is quite telling about your undisclosed public displeasure.

Maybe a man wearing bad shoes is making a statement about his sexual preference. Blame societies unwritten rules not the man. You might like to move to Italy if shoes are really that important.

Polishing your shoes is civilized.

Similarly if you are eating in a fancy restaurant you do not eat with your hands, wolf your food and speak when your mouth is full or if you are at a classical music concert you don't rip open a giant packet of crisps and distract everyone with crunching noises.

househero · 21-01-2014 03:31PM

Balaclava1991 wrote: »

Nobody is saying you can't wear casual shoes.

But if someone is wearing polishable shoes they should polish them. That's all.

It looks bad if they are scuffed.

Its true. But, what you must realise, is they don't give a shot. (I'm not swearing on here) They probably wouldn't be wearing formal attire if they didn't have to.

Spending too much time in airports I get to see how the majority if people from other countries dress (or at least how people flying to those countries dress as a whole), Irish men are quite smart in comparison, American designer brands are quite common. Much better looking than sports clothes loving countries. Of which there are many. Next time you are in an airport take a look at the boarding q for a few countries and you will see what I mean.

And actually in some countries eating with your hands in a 'fancy' restaurant is quite the norm. Maybe a little bit of travel will open your mind and change your expectations and priorities in life. There are so many more important things to worry about in life. Such as being more tolerant of other people and their decisions in life.

Its best not to judge on appearances as it often leads to embarrassing incorrect assumptions.

An Riabhach · 21-01-2014 03:36PM

eviltimeban wrote: »

More often than not, when I see Irish men wearing shoes with suits, the shoes are unpolished, scuffed, and generally in rag order. The number one thing you have to have is clean polished shoes!

And this is a problem with Irish men only,is it?
Strangely enough I don't look at anybody elses suits or shoes unless they ask me to.

eviltimeban · 21-01-2014 03:41PM

Seasan wrote: »

And this is a problem with Irish men only,is it?
Strangely enough I don't look at anybody elses suits or shoes unless they ask me to.

Well... I live in Ireland... I see men in Ireland... hence... etc. You see where I'm going. I apologise if I've included other nationalities by mistake.

Well I just guess no one has asked me either, but hey, we're on a Fashion and Appearance forum here, I was making an observation, one I still hold as true. I think that MEN IN IRELAND (then) could make a better effort of looking after their shoes when they are wearing a suit / going to work (I couldn't give a fiddlers what they wear casually).

Why don't Irish men look after their shoes?

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