Hey guys - Here's a couple of photos of my go-to (actually only) pair of brown casual shoes that I occasionally wear to the office. I'm primarily a jeans and sneakers guy (my workplace is VERY casual, to the point that these shoes are semi-formal compared to the footwear that most guys in my office wear) but like to wear these once or twice a week when I want to dress up just a tad bit more than I usually do. I plan to eventually add to my casual-but-nice footwear by getting a pair of Clark's desert boots (probably brown suede) when the fall rolls around. Again, suits, ties, blazers...NONE of those items are EVER worn in my line of work (wildlife biologist for environmental consulting firm) so dressing up for me is tucking in a nice sport shirt with a dark blue pair of jeans (still need to get some Levi 501s), putting on a black belt, and wearing brown "casual" shoes like these.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. As you can see, these have been scuffed up quite a bit since I first bought them in 2002 at REI (they're Born but I can't recall what they're called), especially on the outer collar (is that what it's called) of the left shoe (see bottom photo). Given that these will remain casual for the most part, should I bother trying to find a shoe repair shop that can polish these with the right color, or should I just let 'em go and occasionally clean them with a clear polish (which I just had done a few weeks ago)? Any other suggestions for improving these? I've thought about trying different laces but I don't want to go too flashy. Or, do any of you not like them at all for casual office wear? I kind of like the fact that they look like bowling shoes, gives them kind of a retro look. They are indeed really comfortable and I've walked a lot in them (when I bought them they were marketed as walking shoes). Any thoughts or advice are much welcomed.


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