Ever since I have been in London (a little over a year now..) I have noticed that there are many functions/events where people need to buy specific outfits in order to attend, or at least in order to ‘fit in.’ It makes me wonder about how much the average person spends on event specific wardrobes? Probably a good amount…. However, in a sense it’s quite nice, because having to dress in a certain way can sometimes give you a feeling of pride, especially when you find yourself sticking out (in a good way) from the sea of conforming outfits. This is where I believe that a bit of rebellion in your footwear can produce a positive outcome.
Most of us –at bare minimum– own some sort of black dress shoe, whether it has a straight cap, wing cap or plain toe at the front of it. With the exception of the wing cap, there is the possibility of making your shoe a bit more formal than it already is. And to do so, all one needs is a proper shine put on. You may doubt this, but I will have you know that when you see military gentleman with boots so shiny they could blind you if the sun were to shine in the wrong way, that this was a process created with polish and water (or spit). If done properly the shoe could become shinier than its patent counterpart. And while everyone else would be wearing a patent shoe, you would be the one with a normal shoe that has a brilliant shine that makes everyone else appear lackluster.
Let’s be honest….how many times in your life will you truly need a patent shoe? Probably not many….I won’t lie though, I do own a pair, but that’s because I am a shoe addict. But I have never actually worn them for a proper event, only to work. I can imagine that in the average man’s life, there may be one…two….or let’s just say three (to be safe) events that he might actually need to use a pair of patent shoes. Well, it that is the case, it does not actually present a good argument for owning a pair simply for those occasions that is of course unless buying a pair of £300 shoes for you is like pulling out a 5P coin for me….? But if not, I think that for most of us, a shine that looks as if your shoe magically turned patent would suffice in the utmost way.
This is where I step in. While I won’t claim to be a magician who can magically turn your leather shoes into patent, I will say that it is possible to at least make them look close to patent, by giving them a mirror shine….That being, if you are ever in a pinch and desperately need a bit of help in the shoe department (for a certain event or something of the likes), then look no further than No.1 Savile Row and I will sort you out….!
