Leather-soled Shoes

[krawlx]

I've been searching for a pair of formal dress shoes, and after some debate decided to treat them as an investment. So, rather than laying down for a pair of shoes I might not be completely happy with and would replace after a couple years, I bought a pair of beautiful Bruno Magli's. I know the quality is top-notch, and the style is classic so I'm sure this pair can be worn for a considerable amount of time if they are properly cared for.

My question is this: should I replace the original leather soles with something a little more durable? When I bought the shoes the salesman gave me the option, and explained to me that the leather soles were slippery (which I quickly found out, almost falling down while walking downhill on a completely dry street) and should not be worn when rainy. I didn't have them replaced, as I went with the idea that I would wear them as the designer intended them to be worn. Any other opinions?

 

[Triple Beam]

I wouldn't replace them yet.....sure they are slick at first, but once you get some wear on them, they will have a little more "grip". Nice shoes have leather soles -- just the way it is. I have never found myself wondering if my Aldens or A-E's should have leather soles when I have been caught in the rain.

 

[Obsessed]

I wouldn't replace them yet.....sure they are slick at first, but once you get some wear on them, they will have a little more "grip". Nice shoes have leather soles -- just the way it is. I have never found myself wondering if my Aldens or A-E's should have leather soles when I have been caught in the rain.

Agreed.

 

[Kouros]

You can put topy over the soles.

 

[gaseousclay]

My question is this: should I replace the original leather soles with something a little more durable? When I bought the shoes the salesman gave me the option, and explained to me that the leather soles were slippery (which I quickly found out, almost falling down while walking downhill on a completely dry street) and should not be worn when rainy.

I quickly found this out when I got my pair of C&J's last week. when I tried them on and walked around on the carpet and hardwood floor, I was surprised how slippery the leathery soles were. but, I don't plan on doing anything to the soles, mainly because I doubt my C&J's will get worn all that much and thus won't have much damage.

 

[alaskamcghee]

Slippery leather soles? My oh my.

Leather soled shoes are slippery for about half a day so enjoy the sensation. Then they start getting scratched and pucked by gravel and the sidewalk. This provides great surface area traction. Not very good on wet grass but beyond that they are great. I wear leather soled shoes (Allen Edmonds, Bostonian) and Cowboy boots (Alberta Boot Co.) year round. The only time I have problems is in winter when I am standing in the snow long enough the snow melts and turn to ice on the soles of the shoes. Apart from that I am good to go. As for the rain, if you wear the shoes to the point the layers of leather are separating in the sole, water can get in there and rot your shoes. I use mink oil to protect my foot wear so I give the soles a once over when I am doing the rest of the shoe (about once a month or so)
If you are really interested in getting better traction straight away try rubbing sand paper on the soles to give it traction.

Johnny

 

[Dpflaum]

I don't have any leather soled dress shoes right now (college student) but there are the only kind I wore in high school (Culver Military Academy in Indiana). And I love my leather soled cowboy boots. They might not be quite as grippy as rubber soles, but they hold up a lot better as long as you keep them semi-dry and let them dry out between uses if they get super wet.

 

[Doc4]

You can put topy over the soles.

+1 They are much more durable than the leather, and you are not actually replacing the leather sole, but just protecting it.

 

[airplanedoc]

Just scuff the soles on concrete, or wear them out and about, they gain traction quickly.

 

[C Reed]

I wear leath soles almost every day (I only have 3 pairs of shoes with out leather soles and one only gets woren in the gym). wonce they wear in your fine for traction (unless your running on ice). I segust getting tiny rubber taps on the toe and heal if your worried about wear and tear, but really how much are you going to wear these?

I see it this way:
$600 shoes last at least 20 years, replace soles every 2-3 years as needed for $15 (with noramal wear and alot of danceing), thats $750 for 20 years of wear.

$100 shoes last me between 8 months and a year, thats $2,000 for 20 years of wear.

also should I want to change styles I can ebay or consign my $700 shoes for between 300-400, recouping a good amount of what I spent.

 

[krawlx]

Thanks for the advice. I think I am going to keep the leather soles, and will definitely start using mink oil to begin to protect the bottoms of the shoes. Hopefully these will last me far into the future.

 

[thebikingengineer]

When you resole go for the oak-tanned leather. There was a review done a little while back on one of the blogs I follow (over 100 so can't recall which one) that compared oak-tanned soles with another type (I want to say hickory but I know that's wrong). The oaks blew the others out of the water for both traction feel and durability. I've got oak-tanned leather soles on my Johnston & Murphys and have no traction problems at all.

 

[krawlx]

I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully in a couple years when it gets time to resole I'll recall that.

I'm trying to find a photo to post here of my shoes, but can't find any online. I got an email from the customer service at Bruno Magli, and they say the shoes are part of the Fall 2010 line. If I come across any I'll put them up.

 

[blantyre]

I usually break in a pair of leather soled shoes by wearing them 3 or 4 times a week for month or so. Then I have a stick on polymer sole overlaid onto the leather. This means that the original welt never wears through and the stitching holds. I can always get the rubber layer replaced. It also improves wet grip on smooth floors like railways stations.

The only catch is that you need a good cobbler to do the work - I wouldn't trust a $300-500 pair of shoes to just anyone. Some people vigorously sand the sole down before applying the rubber and can damage the structure of the shoe. The heel should also be leveled when a new sole is applied.

 

[bigstick]

When Florsheims went out of business here a decade back, I went down and bought as many pairs of leather-soled wingtips and half-boots as I could afford. The problem will come when it is time to re-sole, and I can't find a cobbler in this forsaken city.