derek guy Profile picture
Jan 8, 2024 20 tweets 8 min read Read on X
HOW TO BUY BETTER SHOES WITHOUT SPENDING MORE MONEY

Let's talk about how you can buy better shoes without spending more money. This thread is aimed at people who spend less than $200 and people who buy designer shoes. 🧵 Image
We should first talk about how shoes are made.

Shoes are made from leather, which comes from animals. And when leather arrives at a tannery, it can be marred with scars and imperfections (e.g., insect bites). Image
The best shoe producers use the best materials, but lower-end companies and designer brands (which are often making mediocre shoes) try to cut costs where they can. That means they are using lower-quality materials.

What does lower-quality material mean?
If a tannery is buying lower-quality hides with a lot of scars and imperfections, they will sand off the top layer to create a more uniform appearance and then coat the surface with a chemical. The result is something called "corrected grain leather." Image
"Corrected grain" is distinct from "full grain," which retains the full grain of the natural hide. When you see corrected grain leather shoes, they will often look a little shiny and plasticky, like this: Image
The problem with corrected grain is that it doesn't age very well. In the second photo, you can see how scuffs look like the marring you get on plastic packages. It doesn't dig into the leather because the leather is coated. This is bad.
Image
Image
In extreme cases, corrected grain leather can start to flake (pic 1). Compare this to full-grain leather (pic 2), which develops a rich patina. Corrected grain leather shoes can look OK on day one but only get worse from there. Full-grain leather gets better with age.
Image
Image
Cheaper producers don't just buy lower-quality hides—they try to save costs by maximizing their yield.

In a bespoke workshop, a shoemaker might only get a pair of shoes from each hide. But in a factory, a company will try to get many more in order to save costs.
That means laying the patterns onto the hide in such a way that it almost looks like a Tetris game. You are trying to maximize yield by minimizing the amount of space between each of the pieces. Image
In a factory, this work is typically done by someone called a boot and shoe clicker, who uses a giant machine like this. They lay out metal pieces on the hide, and the machine presses down to cut. It almost looks like a baker with cookie-cutter pieces. Image
The problem is that not every part of the hide is the same. The best part is located near the animal's spine. This is where the grain is the tightest, which will result in minimal wrinkling. As you move toward the shoulders and belly, the leather is prone to heavy wrinkling. Image
Here is a pair of shoes that were made from leather cut from the center of the hide. They are technically corrected grain because the surface has been embossed with a grain pattern, but they don't have a chemical coating. Notice that wrinkles are very fine. Image
As you get closer to the belly and shoulder, the more likely the shoes will develop "loose grain wrinkling," where the top layer separates from the bottom. This is especially pronounced in some leathers, like Chromexcel. Not a big deal on work boots, but bad in finer footwear
Image
Image
OK, so now we know that lower-quality companies:

1. Buy lower-quality hides, which are then sanded down and given a chemical coating to make the surface look more uniform.

2. Use as much of the leather as possible, even the bad parts of the hide.
Such practices are not limited to lower-end lines. It's also common in designer shoes. These Raf derbies are $1,800, but made from corrected grain. I've seen the same from Dries Van Noten, Margiela, etc. Designer shoes are often more about design than quality construction.

Image
Image
Image
So, if you're trying to get the best quality you can without spending more money, what can you do?

Buy suede.

There are two types of suede: reverse suede is full-grain leather but made with the flesh side out rather than the grain side out. This is the most durable suede. Image
The other type is split suede, where a tannery will buy a lower-quality, blemished hide and then "split off" the top-grain, leaving the velvety, uniform suede portion below. Split-suede is not as durable as reverse suede but also not as expensive. Image
As a consumer, the best way to know whether something was made from reverse or split suede is to ask the sales rep. Price and brand reputation are generally the tells. If you're buying $700 Aldens, that's prob reverse suede. $150 Clarks? Split suede. Image
But here's the thing: even lower-quality suede will not have the problems discussed above. Since there's no chemical coating, it will not flake. For whatever reason, suede will also not develop loose grain wrinkling.
Suede does age in a particular way. The nap can get compressed; the material picks up oils. Over time, suede shoes can look kind of patchy, but this is part of the charm. IMO, bad suede looks better than bad calfskin over time.

So when shopping, consider suede over calfskin.
Image
Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with derek guy

derek guy Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @dieworkwear

Oct 8
Have you ever noticed that old clothes online sometimes look better than old clothes in your closet?

Why is that? 🧵 Image
It's often said that clothes were better made in the past. This is true to some degree, although the discussion is often narrowly focused on durability.

In this thread, I'll focus on something else: how clothes age, which affects how long you enjoy wearing them. Image
Image
I'll give you some examples.

A hundred years ago, denim was mostly woven on slow shuttle looms, which produced a narrow-width fabric that was finished with a self-edge (selvedge). This fabric was taken straight off the loom and given to factories.

YouTube bluelabamsterdam8250
Image
Read 17 tweets
Oct 4
This is a great question.

How much does a handmade necktie cost? And why does it cost as much as it does? 🧵
A couple of years ago, I saw Jesse Watters on Fox News say that Otaa ties are "the best ties in the world."

So I bought one.
Otaa is an Australian neckwear company that has been showing up a lot in American politics. Along with Jesse Watters, they appear to be favored by RFK Jr. and his top deputy, Jim O’Neill. Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 25 tweets
Sep 26
Let me tell you a beautiful story about this couch. 🧵

IG msviciousdesign
Some will recognize these motifs as Mughal paintings, which flourished on the Indian subcontinent sometime between the 16th and 18th century. But menswear nerds will recognize them as something else: Drake's of London.

Left: thrifted couch
Right: Drake's of London scarf Image
Image
Drake's of London is a menswear label that started in the 1970s, initially with men's accessories, but having since grown to a full line of apparel. They are known for many things, but this print is perhaps their most famous. It appears on scarves, pocket squares, and even ties. Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 24 tweets
Sep 16
Style lessons from Robert Redford, one of the most stylish men in the last century. 🧵 Image
A tailored jacket continues to be one of the most flattering things you can wear. However, for it to look good, it has to fit right. That means a jacket that bisects you halfway from your collar to the floor when you're in heeled shoes. Also trouser + suit jacket silhouette flows Image
Image
It also helps to know how to use this visual language, especially with regard to ideas about formality. For instance, a dark business suit cries out for a tie. If you don't want to wear a tie, try a more casual garment, like a sport coat. Image
Image
Read 19 tweets
Sep 15
Someone yesterday asked me why someone would ask a tailor to make a polo coat in such a way to imitate the look of a machine-made garment.

The answer holds a beautifully little story about the difference between European and American style. 🧵
Let's start with a test. Here are two tan polo coats. One is machine-made. The other is handmade. Can you guess which is which?

Please answer before moving on. Then you can scroll through the answers to see whether most people got it right. Image
Image
Image
Image
The first coat is machine-made. It's from an American ready-to-wear company called J. Press. The second is handmade. It's from a London bespoke tailoring house called Anderson & Sheppard.

You can spot the difference by how the edges are finished. Image
Image
Read 19 tweets
Sep 15
I disagree that Obama wore "slick suits."

Let me tell you about Obama's tailoring. 🧵
I've seen people here suggest Obama was a stylish president. I couldn't disagree more. Outfits like these read better in 2025, but during the slim-fit, Euro style craze of his presidency, Obama was routinely panned for his "frumpy dad style." See Vanity Fair. Image
Image
Image
Image
His style transformation really came post-presidency. I suspect, but don't have proof, that this is partly the influence of his wife, who is quite stylish. Even his suits look better now. See clean shoulder line + shirt collar points reaching lapels + nice four-in-hand dimple. Image
Image
Image
Read 16 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(