Today is a regular office day, as I take my daughter to school and pick her up after her extracurriculars. As it finishes after the buses stop running, it is just easier and quicker to get her from the office, which is two-thirds of the trip from home and takes only 10 minutes, rather than the 3-40 minutes from home, depending on the traffic. Todays outfit consists of; M.J. Bale Aston Suit, crafted from 100% New England Merino wool in a Charcoal Super 120’s cloth, with a subtle Navy POW check used to add texture while remaining suitable for business. OTAA Winthrop’s Gray Weave Lucious Shirt (that was on the Automatic Iron last night) OTAA Gibraltar Graphite Blue Stripe Tie OTAA Silver Onyx Tie Bar TrendHim Naxos Obsidian Snowflake Bracelet Monterey Black Bead Bracelet CNES MTO Goodyear welted Oxford, crafted from Italian crust leather with a hand finished dye. Dune London Diamond Socks in Black and Grey Republic Of Florence Boston Black White Laptop Bag SOTD - Versace Eros Flame WOTD - Casio Duro

For me, shoe restoration has never been about simply making an old pair look presentable again. It is about preserving craftsmanship from an era when shoes were built with integrity, recraftability, and character. In a world increasingly driven by disposable fashion, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for restoring legacy footwear — shoes that still possess exceptional leather quality, strong structural foundations, and the unmistakable soul that only time and wear can create. Much of my work has centered around heritage American and European footwear, including vintage Allen Edmonds wingtips, bicycle toes, and custom patina projects, along with refined European styles from Mezlan, including woven oxfords and other classic dress silhouettes. Many of these pairs arrived heavily neglected: dried and oxidized uppers, uneven factory finishes, deep creasing, dulled welts, faded color transitions, and years of embedded contamination that muted the natural beauty of the leather. Beneath all of that wear, though, there was still life in the shoes — and that is what I’m always trying to uncover. My restoration process begins with deep leather cleaning and decontamination using saddle soap, leather cleansers, and controlled stripping agents such as acetone or professional deglazers to remove failing finishes, wax buildup, silicones, and surface contaminants. I approach this carefully because the goal is never to aggressively strip the leather, but to reveal its natural character while preserving its integrity. Once stripped, the leather is slowly rehydrated and nourished using products such as Saphir Renovateur, Venetian Shoe Cream, and penetrating conditioners designed to restore flexibility, richness, and depth back into tired calfskin. I allow the leather time to absorb and stabilize before moving into color work. Leather responds best when it’s treated patiently. The artistic process begins with custom patina development. Rather than applying flat, uniform color, I build depth through layered dye applications using alcohol-based dyes, creams, and tonal blending techniques that create movement and transparency across the upper. My work consistently gravitates toward rich cognacs, museum browns, tobacco undertones, espresso burnishing, and antiqued transitions that give the shoes an old-world European character without looking artificial or overdone.