SOLD
Allen Edmonds Benton Captoe Derby
Size: 12 US
Last: 678
My experience with these shoes was quite unusual from the beginning. I was looking for a really cheap, beat down, pair off Ebay that I could restore for a friend as a Christmas present, without spending a ton of money. When I found these for $10, I thought I struck gold. Unfortunately, the pictures showed substantial wear, but nothing like the cracking I saw in the uppers when they arrived at my doorstep. They also appeared to have been missing the original orthotics they were supposed to have - still have to replace those. Nevertheless, I proceeded with my plan and brought them to the shoe shop. I didn't tear down and rebuild the soles myself, but did spend a lot of time on the uppers.
These size 12s (US) now feature a full leather outsole, with new memory foam inserts replacing the old cork, and a full rubber heel. I tried to deglaze the uppers as best as possible so as to build the color back up and try and correct some of the irreparable leather cuts and cracks.
To try and mask some of the blemishes I applied some dark burnishing to the cap toes, the punched broguing, and the heels, with a chestnut leather dye. I then applied some cognac shoe cream to rehydrate the leather and richen the color. To finish them up, I polished the entire shoe, and mirror shined the cap toes and heels.
Although this pair seemed like a crazy deal, at the end of the day, with all the time and money spent, I’m not sure I would do it all over again if I knew what I was in for. The cracking in the leather from poor maintenance through time was hard to deal with, and still looks very worn. I know my buddy is going to appreciate them either way, but for personal use or resale purposes, you won't see another pair like this in my collection; lesson learned.
