blue shoe bags

So, I made some shoe bags.

Why?

I want to protect my nice shoes from dust and cat hair when I’m not wearing them. I also want to protect clean clothes from dirty shoe soles when packing my shoes in a suitcase.

Shouldn’t nice shoes come with shoe bags from the manufacturer?

Some companies include them, some don’t. Plus, sometimes I buy used shoes, and used shoes don’t always come with bags.

Aren’t used shoes gross?

When they are taken care of properly and in good condition, I don’t think so. I would rather have a really nice pair of used shoes than a crummy pair of new shoes for the same money. Full-grain leather shoes with the type of construction that allows for soles to be replaced can be expensive, and shoes don’t grow on trees. Really nice shoes can be found at a fraction of the full retail price at thrift stores and eBay. Do some research, figure out your size, and be ready when a good deal comes along.

shoe bags with shoes inside

If they don’t grow on trees, where do shoes come from?

Many shoes “grow” on cows, and the animal lover in me isn’t quite sure what to think about this. I know, humans have been wearing animal skin for eons, and at certain points in human history, our lives probably depended on using animal skin for protection.

But, we live in a modern world with alternatives and synthetic leather, wouldn’t those be better than using real leather?

Synthetic materials seem (I don’t know for certain) as if they would be bad for the environment to produce (I do recognize that large scale livestock production probably isn’t so good for the environment either). But, synthetic materials don’t break in or wear like nice leather. Leather may crease, but synthetics crack, and peel, and look awful…meh….first world problems…but at least we wouldn’t be killing animals for their skin. Like I said, I’m not sure what to think about this. I guess if we are killing the cows for food, we might as well use the hides for shoes…?

shoe bags closed with shoes inside

Isn’t this a blog about sewing menswear, why so much shoe talk?

Because I like shoes. And if I’m spending all this time making clothes for myself, my shoe game had better be decent. Part of dressing like a grown up is wearing grown up shoes.

Why don’t you make shoes too?

Because my wife won’t let me. The machines are too big and expensive. The learning curve would be huge, and I don’t have time.

If you buy decent quality shoes to begin with and take good care of them, they will last a long time. You will probably save money in the long run. Put them in shoe bags and use shoe trees when you aren’t wearing them. Also, give your shoes a proper cleaning/conditioning when they need it. Nobody likes stinky feet or stinky shoes.