Thursday 5 January 2023

One's standing.

Do you ever wear "proper" shoes - or what my father would have called proper shoes?   I am beginning to feel as though I am the only person who has never worn trainers.

Reading in today's Times I see that Kiwi are about to withdraw their Kiwi shoe polish from our shelves in this country because sales are so low - the reason being that so few people wear leather shoes.

Today the man is here cleaning my Hall and Sitting Room carpets,   Before he began we  had a coffee and we talked about shoes and shoe cleaning  and the fact that Kiwi were withdrawing from the market.  We both had similar childhood memories although we are miles apart age-wise.

On a Sunday morning my father would line up my mother's, mine and his leather shoes on a sheet of newspaper, get out the Kiwi, a big brush (about 20c long (for buffing up) and a little brush (maybe 10c long) and a clean yellow duster. He would clean all the mud, dirt etc off the shoes with soapy water and leave them to dry.   Then, using the little brush he would rub in the Kiwi using careful circular strokes and leave them to dry again.  Then came the buffing up with the big brush, buffing up until you could almost see your face in them.   Then, finally, came the yellow duster for that final  flourish.  The shoes would be lined up and admired and he would wash out the yellow duster and peg it on the line.   (Of course 'the gentry' would get theirs done by a shoe shine boy - I can remember them on the sides of the road in London- (and I have seen them still in the cities - especially in the far east) but my Dad would always say he did a proper job - much better  than they did.)

I suppose the main reason for the decline is that so few people wear leather shoes - leather being expensive (also trainers can be astronomically pricey if they are 'designer').

45 comments:

JayCee said...

I remember the shoe cleaning ritual too back when I was a child.
I do still wear "proper" shoes, although heels are out for me these days so flat, comfortable leather shoes now.
I only own one pair of trainers and those are only worn for my long walks. I wouldn't feel properly dressed if I wore them for every day use.

Sue in Suffolk said...

I've not worn trainers for about 40 years. They make my feet feel too hot.

Angela said...

We had to wear uniform for Girls' Brigade, with black leather shoes. And always we had Inspection. You lost points if shoes were not polished. I enjoyed polishing the black "best" shoes that my OH always wore for conducting weddings and funerals, aiming for a brilliant shine . I've got tins of black and tan polish - but shoe creams for my green brogues, and caramel coloured lace-ups.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I used to enjoy the shoe-cleaning ritual and I still have a couple of pairs of leather shoes, though the black ones only come out for funerals.

Melinda from Ontario said...

Interestingly enough, I came across some old shoe polish at the bottom of a drawer only a few days ago. My first thought was to throw it out because I couldn't foresee ever needing it again. My feet are loving the new freedom that retirement has brought them. (No more achy feet at the end of a day.) Now that winter is here, and I'm not outside as much, I spend a lot of my day in socks. My feet highly approve.

Derek Faulkner said...

Rarely use shoe polish because I rarely wear proper shoes. I mainly wear walking boots, which look like trainers but are wore rugged.
I do however, heavily dubbin the leather boots that I wear on the marshland nature reserve.

Hilde said...

I still wear leather shoes. I think most of the trainers, especially the expensive ones, are incredibly ugly. And they cannot be repaired, because the are onlx glued-together synthetic material.
I remember when I was in second form, we moved house and I had to walk on a dirt road for about half a kilometer. No matter how Carefully I walked, my shoes always got dirty. And when I reached school, after two more kilometers, the dirt would be dried and looked "old". And our teacher didn´t believe me when I said that I had polished my shoes like he had told me the day before.Can you imagine nowadays a teacher telling a pupil to polish her shoes?
Hilde in Germany

Ana Dunk said...

My dad and stepmother flew in to visit when my dad was just starting to show signs of his dementia. My stepmother had already told me he had developed an intense interest in polishing his shoes and in his current state of mind had created such a heavy coating of polish on his shoes that she would have to scrape it out of the crevices. She was attempting to limit his efforts to one pair of shoes which would not matter if they were overdone. His doctor had figured out that Dad was remembering his childhood when it was so important to maintain one's only pair of good shoes. My stepmother and I went shopping and left him alone in my house for about an hour. When we returned, we found he had found a bottle of Old English furniture stain/polish under my kitchen sink and with one of my good dishtowels had gotten the permanent stain all over his trousers, the floor, his shoes, and a pair of my navy blue pumps permanently ruined. It at that moment that I was faced with the shattering reality of my dad's illness.

Anonymous said...

I have only leather shoes, well, real or fake leather, for real leather can be really expensive... I enjoy taking care of real leather, shoes or bags, they can last for years and years when taken care of. My son is 17 and had leather shoes when he was little, but only trainers now. They don't last, even brands. Six months maybe. But I don't think he would consider wearing anything else ! My mother used to say that trainers were bad for your feet (maybe she said that so that my sister would wear leather shoes instead !)
Maguy

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Your father did a good job.
Early age, we used liquid shoe polish frequently. At times, I dyed my white socks black to blend in the holes with the rest of my shoes. Even our sneakers got white polish. Today, I wear leather, fabric and manmade uppers and trim.

jinxxxygirl said...

I feel as though i have always worn 'trainers' , my entire life.. Maybe a short foray into dress up heels occasionally when i was younger but never anything i had to put kiwi on until i went into the army.. Some people may still use kiwi on some work boots etc.. My husband does if he want to clean up his work boots but he does that rarely.. Hugs! deb

Rachel Phillips said...

Many people of 70+ have never worn trainers Weave, you are not alone in this.

Ellen D. said...

Haven't worn any shoes that need polish in ages! Your post brought back memories of my Dad getting the polishing kit out - the lid had a place to put your foot up on it.

Granny Sue said...

Oh yes, polishing our shoes! I don't remember my father doing ours, we did them ourselves and our mother did it for the babies. And we used petroleum jelly on the patent leather Sunday shoes.
These days I wear trainers. I think they are ugly but with a couple of foot issues they are more comfortable and actually have made a huge difference to my foot health. A big plus is that they can be washed in the washing machine.

Barbara Anne said...

I, too, remember my father polishing his shoes plus any my mother and I wanted to be polished, too. Dad seemed to get great satisfaction when he got to the buffing stage and the shoe began to shine.
When I was a nurse, I used lots of white shoe polish!
Since having some foot trouble about 20 years ago, I live in Birkinstocks and have had 3 pairs refurbished by that company.
How nice to have a good chat with the cleaning fellow before he started work!

Hugs!

the veg artist said...

I also felt quite nostalgic when I saw the article about Kiwi. My brother was shoe-cleaner-in-chief in our house. I don't often wear smart shoes, but I wouldn't call mine trainers either. Is 'walking shoes' still a term? And boots in the winter.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Lovely that many of us remember.
Thanks for the memories.

Susan said...

I have one pair of trainers, a.k.a., sneakers in the US. I wear them rarely because they make my feet sweaty. I have many pair of leather shoes and hiking boots. I use balm and polish to keep the leather looking good. The same balm and polish is used to refresh my leather bags. I also have a skilled cobbler and he restores shoe soles and leather bags as needed. The products I use are: Blackrock, Leather 'N' Rich and Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP.

Pixie said...

I remember my dad polishing his shoes on a regular basis. He was always neat and tidy and brushed his uniform every single morning before work, he was a bus driver.

I wear trainers/sneakers because my feet are so painful and I need the support and comfort that they give. I just bought a pair last weekend and my feet don't hurt. It's a miracle:)

Jennyff said...

I remember shoe cleaning, as a child I would help my doing the final buffing. We kept a wooden box in a cupboard under the stairs full of different coloured polish, brushes and cloths, I wear trainees often but also proper shoes, my cleaning box is under the sink and I continue the tradition.

Susan Heather said...

I was sad when I read that. I was also surprised to hear that it was not a New Zealand company but Australian. I well remember polishing our shoes as a child and also selling Kiwi polish in my father's shop in Surrey.

RunNRose said...

I lost my 89 year old husband last April. He was from Newfoundland, one of ten children. He had childhood memories of poverty and having no "real shoes." I alway thought that maybe that was why keeping his shoes shined was so important to him, He told me his father had said that you could tell a man's education by a look at his shoes. Whatever the reason, he always had a shoeshine plastic box with the rags, brushes and polish. When he would start to do his shoes, he would collect any of mine that needed a cleanup. He enjoyed that job. There is a company called SAS here in Texas that still makes wonderful leather shoes. They are popular with seniors. Some of mine are 25+ years old, and you'd think them nearly new. I discovered two years ago that our favorite shoe cream company was gone. Found something on Amazon that works. I had noticed that Walmart's shoe upkeep section is very tiny. The ever changing world.

RITA LOEHR said...

My grandfather had a shoeshine box by his chair, he had polish and rags and brushes in it and kept everyone’s shoes in tip top shape. I am 71, so that was a long time ago. Thanks for this sweet memory!

gz said...

We still have some leather shoes..but like others said they are so expensive now.
I can understand why Kiwi is withdrawing... the market rules?.
Even Sunlight Soap is no longer sold in Britain (guess what some of my NZ souvenirs are!!)

Heather said...

I think many of us have grown up with Kiwi shoe polish. Your father did a wonderful job of cleaning the family's shoes and I believe my father cleaned ours.
I do wear 'proper' shoes but need an extra wide fitting. Some are leather but others are a leather and stretch fabric mix. Very comfortable but definitely not pretty.

Ruta M. said...

I went to a convent boarding school at the age of six and we polished our shoes every day after school. I still have a box of Kiwi polish and brushes but not sure why as my wide feet spend their days in flip-flops or Crocs with boots (wellies, walking or sheepskin) for outside. I would wear trainers but it's hard to find them wide enough. I have a white sports pair I wear for disco aerobics once a week. Comfort over style any day.

Brenda said...

I guess trainers are tennis shoes
I have two pairs of black slip on Sketchers for daily along with slip on flip flops
If I want to upgrade I wear my Toms
I do not wear or carry leather or eat animals
These are so comfortable for my old feet…

Anonymous said...

I remember when my Dad got an electric shoeshine kit from Mom one Christmas. He used it all the time on his dress shoes and would polish shoes for the family too. Thst was decades ago. Now almost everyone wears athletic shoes/trainers unless going out someplace posh.

Debby said...

My first thought was 'what will the military do?' Then I remembered they wear suede boot now, at least in the army. I have proper shoes. I rarely wear them.

gmv said...

We had a similar routine on the morning we would attend church but our shoes were black patent leather. My mother would rub Vaseline on them and leave them set for a bit. Then each one of us girls (4) would use an old piece of soft cloth to rub off the Vaseline and buff to a wonderful mirror-like shine.I loved how they would always end up looking like brand new.

marlane said...

I am too lazy now to polish shoes and the standard has dropped also from the days when it was the thing to do. In England all the kids wore leather shoes to school and they were kept in as good condition as possible because they were expensive. Then when I rode race horses our "jodhpur" boots had to be kept immaculate as we were on show, and especially when leading a horse at the race course. There were prizes then in the 1970's for the best turned out horse and "lad" Now in California, USA a pair of canvas slip on shoes are a must because the weather is so hot in the summer. I do still wear jodhpur boots for riding but no need to polish those, just some liquid leather conditioner so that they do not dry out. Dressing is a lot more casual than it used to be.

The Furry Gnome said...

I remember polishing my shoes like that.

Joanne Noragon said...

My father polished his shoes like that, and collected up my leather shoes to polish, too. My brothers were taught to polish their own shoes. I had to polish my own black patent leather shoes with vaseline.

Red said...

I was a teacher so it was a long time before we started wearing athletic shoes to school. And then it was a while longer before we started wearing jeans to school.

Anonymous said...

No more Kiwi polish? I still use it now, but will have to see if it is still available in the US. I’m always looking for good looking shoes that are supportive and that I can walk in. I like that leather breathes, and can be repaired. Now finding a place that really knows how to repair shoes is another struggle….Olivia in the PNW

Cro Magnon said...

I really dislike 'trainers', anyway what are these people training for?

Jules said...

I have the same memory of my dad polishing our shoes, although I think he did it on a Sunday afternoon :)

Librarian said...

My shoes must be comfortable for walking at all times, since I don't drive and don't own a car and do nearly everything on foot - even when using public transport, one has to be able to walk quite a bit between platforms and from home to the station and back.
But I use both, trainers and "proper" shoes, and of course I love my hiking boots (strictly reserved for hiking). I usually keep shoes (and trainers) for as long as possible, until they nearly fall off my feet, and I clean them all the time.
I love the smell of shoe polish and the satisfaction a freshly cleaned and polished pair of shoes give! For work at the office, I dress reasonably smart, and never wear trainers there. For work from home, I wear no shoes whatsoever, but unless it is summer and really warm, I wear hand-knitted socks from my Mum over whatever socks I am wearing with the day's outfit. These hand-knitted socks are my slippers.

potty said...

Dad did the shoes on Sunday evening with the radio on. Horace Batchelor, Keynsham, spelt K E Y N S H A M, Bristol or perhaps The Ovaltinies!

Anonymous said...

Always loved the smell of Kiwi shoe polish in the distinctive tin, but now I use a cylinder squeeze device with a sponge on the end - not the same. Love polishing shoes and looking after leather accessories - important to condition them. Pam.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Potty - had completely forgotten Ovaltinies - thanks for reminder

So pleased to have stirred up memories for so many of you.

Tom Stephenson said...

Sadly, my feet are now so deformed with arthritis that I can no longer wear my beloved Crockett and Jones shoes. I used to look at everyone's shoes and make judgements about the wearer based on the quality of them. I would sneer at old people wearing trainers, but now I wear the next closest thing to them - Sketchers, as plain and black as possible. I am not sure I will ever be able to wear proper shoes again. It's sad.

Derek Faulkner said...

Also sad that you found it necessary to sneer at old people wearing trainers, says a lot about you.

angryparsnip said...

I Have to wear soft shoes mostly Toms because of the arthritis. I have not polished any shoes forever and I love the smell Kiwi Polish.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Being ale to wear anything on my feet at present is a bonus.

Thanks everyone.