Proper leather shoes

Pretty sure we discussed this with someone a year or so ago. You can’t un-dye leather.

Dyes used to tan leather are permanent or else they would just drip off in the rain or with sweaty feet. You must use a solvent if you want to try to lighten a shoe, because you’re trying to strip as much colour as possible.

Acetone, or Isopropyl alcohol, you can strip off the whole finish, then re-apply creams and oils into the leather, and polish again, but in reality this only works for a single shade. You can go dark brown to brown, but it may not be consistent.

Generally where you see fashion shoes with the sunburst or burnished toes, they started light and darker was applied.

If you apply light polish to a dark shoe, it’ll just look messy, or it won’t look any different. I once tried using white polish on a very pale cream-grey shoe as the difference in tone was small... it just looked awful and I had to clean all the polish off and start again.

I actually have a pair of nice black boots where the dye is sort of a thin layer on top which slowly rubs off on the toes and heels. It looks real cool. But I've never seen it anywhere else.

For that boy band scuffed leather boot look?

On boots that can happen where it is a thinner, cheaper leather that is layered (as opposed to the top layers of hide for fancy dress shoes). It will be a blue colour underneath, where the dye isn’t in very deep, no?

No, it's tan/undyed colour underneath. It's not like a lyer peeling off.

Exactly that.

I'm certainly no expert but I am pretty sure many people around use different colors of creams to create depth and shades to shoes, with for example dark blue cream on black leather shoes, or even red/burgundy on brown shoes, which is why I was curious to see if anyone had advice or so around here.
The goal is to create nice tones, shades, and depth with color-ish reflects on the very dark brown, and as said not to change completely the color or try to re-color entirely the shoes, but I might have not explained so clearly

Weird, that just sounds like they weren’t dyed very deep. I suppose they were veg tanned rather than chrome? Do you wear them with ripped jeans and silver bracelets?

Definitely 18 months ago I showed a bunch of pics of the mid tan Cheaney shoes I applied oxblood to, to give a nicer deeper colour. If you use acetone or alcohol you will have much more luck in breaking off the old colour and getting depth to whatever polishes you add on top.

I think it will be incredibly subtle, and hardly noticeable if you try to get a depth of shades on a dark brown shoe without doing this. If you are lucky, under one particular lighting scenario, you may just see your handiwork, but it won’t be like the photos in the magazines. You really need to strip back the polish, and start from a lighter base.

Edit: https://www.lfgss.com/comments/13614524/
I also have a pair of chocolate-red Loakes that I did similar but that was from new on a very light tan, with a mix of brown and oxblood.

Yep you can achieve something a bit like Carlos Santos Patina Range by doing that but it might not work as well light on dark. Give it a go

these are the ones:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/paul-smith-red-ear-motorcycle-boots-171672643
I wear them with faded raw jeans. No bracelets tho.

Single CZ stud earring at least, no?

Did you watch that video about how to make a cheap pair of shoes look expensive as well?

I'm sorry, but my earring is a simple gold ring.

I don't know if it is sarcasm or a real advice on a video that could interest me, but I will reply as if it was the latter.
I did not want to make my shoes"look expensive" or whatever, it is nothing price or value-related.
I just like shoes with light shades and subtle color tones, and I find that their current color which is plain dark brown could be really nice with subtle lighter brown reflections

Seriously. Get some IPA and strip off the finish and save yourself hours of time wasted caking your shoes with polish hoping for the impossible.

Don’t let me down now. Make it happen.

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Both (but it was mainly meant to be factious, sorry).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_a0e7XpSqk

As said, you can't really lighten dark leather. To the extent you can, you run a high risk of it looking shit.

Depending on how visible the tongue is, wash it with moisturising hand soap, then go at it hard with acetone and see if it lightens. If it does have a crack all over.

Your best bet is to sell them and buy some that are a more suitable for the project.

They’ve never shied away from admitting that the shoes are partially constructed in China and finished in Spain. If you want made in Mallorca than Carmina or some of the Lottusse range is your answer.

https://www.theshoesnobblog.com/2012/11/meermin-mallorca-review-appreciation.html

If there is anything on their website about it, it’s very well hidden

Honestly thought/think it is/was common knowledge.
http://shoegazing.se/english/2015/10/11/review-meermin-101482-tan-country-calf/

Anyone have any advice on how Grenson boots size? Little large? Little small? 🤷‍♂️👍🏻

Room for a thick sock or half a size bigger than normal I'd say

Cheers... these are going to be too big for me so I’m not going to bid but perhaps someone on here fancies the project?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F303028286131