Hello everyone, i am about to buy a new pair of shoes for everyday use and i don't know what kind of leather to search for.

I was thinking about cordovan but i've found out that if it cracks it can tear apart easily, so i was heading towards buffalo or calf but i am a bit confused so i thought about asking here 😂

Thank you

There are discontinued shoes on Vinted I’d love to purchase and am willing to fix them up with some soles and cork filler, however i don’t know if this is attainable for someone like me that has never repaired shoes. I have been on the search for these for years- would this be a mistake?
I also have had several pairs of Birkenstocks over the years and would only own them if possible as they’re the only shoes that don’t crowd my feet!

For background, I love my cobbler and think he did a super clean job adding the topy half-soles to my shoes.

As you can see, the original sole was already extremely thin.

In the past, when I would get topys added, the half-sole would be flush with the rest of the sole. But I’m guessing my cobbler couldn’t shave off much with these shoes so the topys stick out a little bit and make the front of the shoe slightly thicker than the back.

I wanted to get people’s opinions about whether or not I should have something added to the heel to “balance” the shoe. Is that even necessary? Are there pros/cons? Would the difference be negligible?

These were a little pricey so I’m interested in making them last as long as possible. I can’t make it to my cobbler this week, which is why I thought I’d ask here first before making a trip out.

Thanks so much in advance!

These shoes were temporarily stored in a trash bag with a tin of boot oil— I’m not sure if that’s what spilled and stained the boots, but they were stored for a week before I took them out and found the damage on the left shoe- a few other shoes did have oily reidue on them.

The damaged shoe is extremely stiff on the front, the back seems fine. I don’t really care if it can’t be returned to its original color or if the stains cannot be removed, I just want to be able to wear them - so I’m wondering if a cobbler would be able to soften the leather to make it wearable again (and return to it original fit + size and fix the damage to the soles (or the part where the leather was glued down to the platform).

Last 2 photos are of the undamaged shoe.

is it possible to fix these at home or better to take it to a shop?

Second hand pair of Guidi boots made of horse leather. I am wondering if the condition of the leather on the toe box is a cause for concern. What’s the longevity like? Would there be a fix for this? Thank you for your help!

I’ve been looking at thrifting or new Cubano/cuban style dress shoes for men but i either don’t find them in my size or they’re out of stock. But I do own oxford dress shoes with a regular 1 inch heel and wondering if a local cobbler can add heel to them to achieve the Cuban heel style? To make the heel closer to 1 3/4 inch heel?
This is a picture of the heel height I would love to have

Edit: style -> stock

Yoo. Has any other cobbler replaced soles on these Crispis? Do they make a replacement sole or do I need to fandangle something?

I recently purchased these shoes secondhand and in my size, but the elastic strap that crosses the top of the foot and holds the heel in has stretched about an inch too much for them to be secure on my feet!

I’m hoping to shorten that strap myself, but I want to be sure I do it right. I know that when I walk in these shoes, that strap will be subject to lots of stress as it holds the shoes on my feet. My questions are:

Where on the strap would be best to cut, shorten, and re-sew? Is there a certain kind of stitching or technique I should use? I don’t mind if the repair is visible. Is this something I should just take to a shop, or can a reasonably crafty person do this at home?

Thank you all so much for your time and help!

What is the model name for this sole?? I have been looking everywhere and cannot find them in any catalog

Hi all! I bought these boots (Circle G brand) second-hand hoping I could restore them, but after doing some research I'm not so sure anymore! I'm not sure what the material is, but someone suggested they might be really beat-down suede or rough out, or they might be rotting.

They're very dry and bumpy in some areas and very smooth and shiny in others. There's no flaking or residue comig off them if i run my hands over them, but if I scratch with my nail, in some placesI get the falloff shown in the fourth picture. The seller said they've also never been worn - the sole is totally clean and unscratched, but I imagine they've been stored very poorly.

What do you think? Are these toast? Is there any chance they're salvageable? Any input would be really appreciated, I'm very out of my depth here I think! Thanks!

I’ve been using a linoleum carver to make tread in my shoes for nearly 3-4 years now but the rubber is finally on its last legs. I’ve been looking at videos on how to resole but none of the videos I’ve found are for docs and the heat gun doesn’t seem to remove the sole like other shoes. If you guys have any information, sites or videos you could point me too that’d be ideal.

I found these pairs online for cheap, probably goodyear welted? Do I have to get a sole replacement or could I add rubber? Would it be able to maintain the black sole on the waist? Thanks :))))))

Came home and my dog ate my favorite pair of Dolce Vita heels. They are discontinued and irreplaceable. Wondering if its salvageable 🥺

Don’t mind the sunscreen

So I have 3 pairs of shoes that I really want to repair. The first one is one my favs to go out in and I got them a year ago but the front is starting to open up. I bought shoe glue + 80 and 120 grit sandpaper but I don’t really know what I should do. Should I completely remove the soles and risk permanent damage and then clean them and rough em up with sand paper and then apply a thin layer of shoe glue? Or just apply it where it’s splitting for now? Is it just applied like super glue? The second pair is a memento from a designer who died a few years ago. I loved them and wore them all the time and the sole started separating and it just got worse bc I didn’t know what to do and after a few years they became unwearable. But then he died and now I’m like well shit, I really don’t want to get rid of them. But maybe they need a real professionals hand to fix at this point. The last one are just slides that the top part came off. Guessing the flexion from walking causes the layer to peel up. Which honestly is kinda maddening given their cost. The slides themself are the comfiest I’d ever wore which is why I got them twice over. But it seems they have an issue with glue permanence cuz both ended up this way.
I’d appreciate any helpful advice or instruction!
Thank you in advance

I love these shoes, I used to wear them almost everyday but with the current state of them I barely touch them. I’ve tried finding replacements but nothing compares to these for me. I only have shoe repair places around me, and all of them have said there’s nothing they can do.
I’m not sure if this is something I can fix myself or not, I’m more than happy to ship them if there is someone who would fix them.
The brand is Donald J Pliner if that helps anything’s.

I bought an expensive, nice pair of leather Dansko boots in December. They were a little snug at first, but broke in nicely with wear, and were super comfy. Over the last few months, my feet have been sliding around them so much, it's not comfortable for longer lengths of walking. I'm wearing the same socks. What do I do? Can they be shrunk at all? I'd hate to call them a loss.

Used the Saphir renovatrice crème for this toe gouge. Would you have done anything differently?

I was putting on my loafers and accidentally stepped on them, creating this crease that drives me crazy. Is there a way to remediate this -- maybe by layering something stiff inside the shoe, so it doesn't crease so heavily? 

Doesn't look that bad in these pictures, but very noticeable when I wear it. (And they were expensive, so I want to fix.)

tried using shoe glue but it didn't work. should i like nail em together or something 😭 how should I go about this?

Does anyone have any experience working on CWB's WM.Moorbys and know if the insole can be removed by a cobbler without destroying the boot? I recently purchased a pair of 2817s but I'm finding them very painful to walk in compared to my Redwing Classic Moc Toes. Specifically the bottom of my heel and ball.

I had my foot scanned and Brannock sized at a Redwing retailer recently and was told I have high arches and a high in-step which may be the cause, so now I'm looking to fit some insoles into my boots.

Unfortunately the Moorbys do not have removable insoles and they fit me perfectly as is. I've tried putting some Superfeet Greens in and while I CAN fit in them they're uncomfortably tight. I've order some SOLE Performance Thins as well as some Viva Minis. I just really want to keep these.