# Church's Polished Leather



## [email protected] (Mar 14, 2008)

I've come across this shoe by Church sold by Herring which interests me greatly. However, I've noticed that the leather is polished leather.

Correct if I'm wrong, is this corrected-grain leather??? If so, is this suppose to represent some kind of cop-out by Church??

https://www.herringshoes.co.uk/prod...&shoeID=1988&selectedSizeID=0&selectedFitID=0


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## ToryBoy (Oct 13, 2008)

Since Prada have been involved with Church's, they have taken some short-cuts. I hate to say this because I like both brands.


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## Scoundrel (Oct 30, 2007)

I understand corrected grain leather to be a technological advancement in footwear. Take that as you will, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's like perfected leather. Don't you want your city shoes and boots made of perfect leather? Or, perhaps you enjoy imperfections in your city footwear and prefer your work shoes/boots made of artificially perfected leather.


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## Duke of Welingotn (Apr 19, 2008)

Many in the forum have criticized the quality of Church's shoes. However, my experience has been very positive. There is a difference between polished leather and their regular leather line. Crockett and Jones also use corrected leather in some of their models (called cavalry calf). I would purchase the regular line (about the same price). Hope that helps.

https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?t=81885

https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?t=82712


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## Tonyp (May 8, 2007)

Church makes very good shoes. If that is the style you desire I think the price is very fair. I like the shoes myself and have seen them for as much as $735. Now w/ the english pound at a low point you should grab them.


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## habitué (Dec 10, 2007)

My first "better" shoe was also a polished binder shoe from Church's. In black however. Polished binder looks very nice at first but you have almosts no chance to remove scratches with polish later and it does not look good, unless you spit polish the entire shoe.

At that price go for a normal leather.

Or buy a very similar, cheaper shoe:

https://www.herringshoes.co.uk/prod...54&selectedSizeID=7&selectedFitID=2&seconds=1


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## Hector Freemantle (Aug 2, 2008)

It's interesting that you have had a negative experience with Church polished shoes. I had an exchange on the topic of the merits of more expensive shoes a couple of weeks ago and someone reported that they had had a good experience with Church polished which merited their price compared to Loake. My experience with 'polished' shoes (neither Loake nor Church) has been that after some years they take on a greyness where the polished finish has worn away. This cannot be completely disguised
with shoe polish.


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## Leather man (Mar 11, 2007)

ToryBoy said:


> Since Prada have been involved with Church's, they have taken some short-cuts. I hate to say this because I like both brands.


Maybe you know something I don't - quite likely. However if what you are saying is based on the use of corrected grain leather then please allow me to disabuse you sir - and everyone else on the forum. Love it or hate it - Church's have used corrected grain leather all my life ( 45 years old). My father's business shoes were black corrected grain. The use of this leather has nothing to do with Prada. Once called Bookbinder, now Polished Binder, this shiny leather has been a staple of the Church wardrobe for decades.

I have some but most of my collection of Church's is full grain calf.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Church use of "binder" predates the U.S. Bicentennial. It was featured in the old N.Y. store's bicentennial themed catalogue of which one vaults a copy. Perchance Leather Man exhibits bronzed baby bookbinder brogues atop the familial hearth? 

(Apropos of nothing, Allen Edmonds at one time made extensive use of a more egregious version, Corfamesque.)


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## Leather man (Mar 11, 2007)

jamgood said:


> Church use of "binder" predates the U.S. Bicentennial. It was featured in the old N.Y. store's bicentennial themed catalogue of which one vaults a copy. Perchance Leather Man exhibits bronzed baby bookbinder brogues atop the familial hearth?
> 
> (Apropos of nothing, Allen Edmonds at one time made extensive use of a more egregious version, Corfamesque.)


Indeed I do old bean!


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## [email protected] (Mar 14, 2008)

Leather man said:


> Maybe you know something I don't - quite likely. However if what you are saying is based on the use of corrected grain leather then please allow me to disabuse you sir - and everyone else on the forum. Love it or hate it - Church's have used corrected grain leather all my life ( 45 years old). My father's business shoes were black corrected grain. The use of this leather has nothing to do with Prada. Once called Bookbinder, now Polished Binder, this shiny leather has been a staple of the Church wardrobe for decades.
> 
> I have some but most of my collection of Church's is full grain calf.


Do you happen to own any of their shoes in Burgundy Appalorse then?


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## Leather man (Mar 11, 2007)

Yes - three pairs


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## Rich (Jul 10, 2005)

Three pairs ? (splutter). The Grafton, the Stratton AND the Lancaster ?


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