Report from Dec 2021: I’m heading to the East Coast soon and it’s going to rain (lucky them!) So I am taking another look at my earlier post on keeping my suede loafers in good shape. Hopefully it will be a timely reminder for you too.
Kate and I took advantage of the Black Friday sales to pick up some new suede shoes- from M. Gemi. I guess all those instagram ads did the trick, and we both picked up a pair or two of the suede Felize driving loafers. Now that we have beautiful (and expensive- even with 20% off!) new shoes, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about how to care for suede shoes. It’s worth a bit of effort and money!
M. Gemi Feliz suede loafer for women
I have a mixed history with suede clothing. My first suede items were…green suede pants and a matching suede purse. Yes, I am brave in sharing this scary mental image, and no, I do not have any photos of this. This was, thank gosh, in 1990, and I remember feeling pretty fancy in my green suede outfit. I also remember struggling to figure out what top to wear with this get-up. I am 100% sure that I considered a suede jacket (but frankly couldn’t afford it!)
Now, my suede purchases are confined to shoes, and I want to make sure that I take care of every pair I buy. They are terrific, but a little fragile. I’ve got three lessons for how to care for suede shoes (or green suede pants, should you have them in your closet!)
Lesson #1: No rainy days!
Sadly, Kate is right when she said “it never rains in California anymore, so we can wear suede all year round!” That does seem to be (almost) the case as we enter our Xth year of drought. I guess the silver lining is that we can indeed wear suede most months of the year. And these cute loafers work with the casual wardrobes of living in California.
But if you don’t live somewhere that gets 4 days of rain a year (gulp), I’d seriously consider taking a day off from wearing suede anything on a rainy day. I’ve got a tip below for weatherproofing your shoes, but they really will never be the same after a rain storm. Trust me on this!
Lesson #2: Weatherproof your shoes before you wear them even once
It is so tempting to start wearing your new shoes- but you have to do a little care for suede shoes before you even think about taking them out. It is easy and cheap- but you will need 24 hours. Just get yourself a can of this stuff and pop it in your closet. You will be prepared!
Nikwax unbuckle and suede spray
No, this stuff will NOT protect your suede shoes or bags from a downpour. But a coffee spill or a puddle will not be a disaster if you’ve treated your shoes with this spray. It’s worth reapplying every season to freshen it up.
Lesson #3: Use your suede brush
The final thing you need to remember when preparing to care for suede shoes is a suede brush. Every time you wear your shoes, before popping them back in the box, give them a nice brushing to remove any dust and smooth them out. Your future self will thank you when you are ready to wear them again!
For less than $20, you can buy the tools to keep your beautiful suede shoes in tip top shape. And I think it’s more important than ever to take care of our nice things (along with using them!) and repairing them when possible. Nice things are more expensive than ever, and it’s worth a bit of time to coddle our possessions a bit.
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