Holiday Spirit is Still in the Air

Happy Holidays…now that they’re over.  Today is, in fact, a holiday and I thought I might take a few moments to write up a nice little post-Christmas update.  I’ve been on a shoe kick (hey-o!) lately and have prioritized and organized my collection and my list for future acquisitions.   I’ve also re-organized my bedroom furniture to create a better atmosphere for myself and my things.  I’m a clothes horse and needed a better stable for my accouterments (pronounced uh-koo-ter-muhnt).  So I made a big pile for the good-will box and reorganized my wardrobes and book-cases and made homes for my new Chrissie-pressies.   One of which was a Conair GS28B Clothing Steamer and it’s certainly the gift I’ve used the most.  I use it almost every day to freshen up my suits before and after wearing, and my shirts after they come out of the closet to clear any wrinkles or creases.

I have been going back and forth on finding some longwing bluchers that accomplished my mission in shoes and I hadn’t found what I’d been looking for…until now.   The mission was to find a pair or two that were well-made and wouldn’t break the bank.  Originally, I thought that when Lands End had their 30% off sale, I’d buy a pair of Allen Edmonds MacNeils since they’d be just over $225 and even though they only had black, I could live with that.  I didn’t, because Christmas was upon me and I didn’t want to spend $225 on myself.  Fair enough.  Then Christmas came and went and I decided that I would buy myself something nice with my Christmas haul.  I went to the Tanger Outlets and popped into the Johnston Murphy and found a nice pair of saddle shoes in burgundy and black, but couldn’t find any besides the single shoe on display.  Next door is the Florsheim shop and inside I was able to find two pairs of Kenmoor wingtips in smooth black and pebble cognac for $230.  There was a buy-one-get-one at 50% sale and I walked out with two lovely pairs of shoes.  I may go back for them in burgundy sometime soon, since at regular price they’re still only $155.  I bought a really great and really utilitarian shoe horn there as well.  Stamped FLORSHEIM on the front, the back reads PRO FITTER – MADE IN U.S.A.

They came with cute little fleece bags that gave me the idea that ALL of my shoes needed similar bags.  So I made a cardboard pattern and got to the sewing machine with some cheap fleece and some end-of-bolt flannel and spare shoe laces from sneakers of Christmases past.  Not bad.  I’ve got three more pair to make.

I’ve wanted a pair of dress saddle shoes for some time.  I keep looking at them when I’m at Johnston Murphy and every now-and-then I sneak a peek at these Aldens at Leather Soul.  Someday I’ll be able to swing the $600 for them, but today I’m afraid it’s too much of an extravagance.  They never seem to have them at J&M in my size, but I’m still looking.  At the outlet they’ve got them for around $125, which sounds about right.  They’re $235 at retail and I can’t bring myself to spend that much on an Indian-made shoe.  So I hit eBay and found a pair of Florsheim Saddles that were relatively nice and the last was stylish and they were pretty cheap.  After losing an auction on a pair of vintage shell cordovan Kenmoors, I decided to ease my pain with a pair of saddle shoes…and some full-last cedar shoe trees.

To help organize my life, I needed a shoe-shine kit.  I’d always just kept my supplies in a shoe-box or a shaving kit.  My lovely girlfriend got me this one for Christmas and I can’t say enough about how much I love it.  Its great and keeps everything tidy.  There’s a solid latch keeping the top closed and the box is made of quality materials.  I keep a little non-slip shelf paper on the shoe stand so I can polish my leather-soled shoes without injury.  The afghan was a gift from my mother.  She knows I love the holidays and the colors brighten up any wintry situation.

I’ve mentioned before on here that I don’t wear loafers.  But this past weekend, I spend a good hour trying on Weejuns at the Bass shop nearby.  I couldn’t find a pair that fit worth a damn and when I asked for an 8E, my request fell on deaf ears.  I’m not sure if Bass even makes a regular wide, all they seemed to have were D, EE, and EEE.  Oh well.  In my frustration I found a pair of boat shoes that were pretty cool and I thought they might ease me into wearing loafers.  I’m from New England, so I grew up wearing boat shoes and bucks, but haven’t worn a pair of “topsiders” in years.  They’re great and since I haven’t left the house in two days, I’ve been wearing them indoors.  I love them and can’t wait for warmer weather to head outdoors with them.  Another quintessential New England “trad” item checked off my list!  And for $40, they can’t be beat!

I’m a shoe-shine nut.  I polish at least one pair per week, most weeks I polish at least five.  I find it therapeutic, like sewing, cooking, ironing, or mowing the lawn.  I’m at peace when I’m with my shine-box.  So I think I’ve decided to set some time aside to do a shoe-shine blog/video post.  I’m not sure about the video part, but I’ll ask my girlfriend if she can help and maybe there will be some video.  I don’t know much about videos except that I like watching them, but she’s pretty fancy with AV stuff.   So keep checking back and see my post about shoe care…as January has become “Shoe Month” I’m fitting it all in while I still can!

Take care and enjoy yourself.

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