Shoe polish: thoughts, fun facts, questions

[Tobus]

Stopping in the airport for a shine between flights is a particular luxury that I enjoy.

I tried that once, and won't do it again. They looked great for about 30 minutes, but after that it was just a mess. Those shoe-shine guys at the airport use some kind of liquid stuff that lets them get a mirror shine in about 3 minutes without any of the work, and it nearly ruined my shoes. It took me a long time to get them back to where I wanted them.

Any direct correlations to unkempt shoes is probably neither fair nor scientific, so I try not to presume.

Agreed, I wouldn't make any value judgments about anyone based on whether they shine their silly shoes or not. There are a lot more important things in life for people to focus on, and the condition of their shoes has nothing to do with character or anything. I just wonder about the reasons, though, for it dying off as part of the traditional look for a well-dressed man. Apparently socks are optional nowadays too, and I can't figure that one out. Grown men wearing business suits and leather shoes with no socks ...that would drive me nuts.