Types of Leather Shoes
Leather has been used since ages as a popular footwear material. Leather shoes are equally popular amongst men, women and children and make an excellent choice in being durable, comfortable and classy footwear. Leather shoes range from casual to formal footwear and from ballroom shoes to athletic shoes offering a wide range of footwear to suit every occasion and purpose. Though costly, the high cost is justified for the number of years a pair of leather shoes usually lasts.
Leather shoes may be categorized on basis more than one. These include:
- Type of Leather Used
- Type of Shoes
Type of Leather: Leather shoes are manufactured from one of the three basic forms in which leather is sold.
- Full Grain Leather: This is the most popular and widely used form of leather for shoemaking. As it is not stained it is durable and improves with the passage of time. Full grain leather shoes are always the top priority of leather shoes lovers.
- Corrected Grain Leather: Sometimes full grain or top-grain leather surface is flawed by the insects or scars. It is then that leather is sanded to hide these imperfections. The process is accompanied by artificial grain application and pigmentation. Corrected grain leather is usually made up of low quality hides.
- Suede Leather: Suede leather is another popular category in leather shoes. This form of leather is soft but neither durable nor washable. Still this is popular for its appearance which accounts for the fashionable shoes in leather category.
Besides the above mentioned forms of leather that are used in shoemaking, there are two other types; Top-grain leather and Patent leather.
Top-grain leather is usually cheap and utilized in making less expensive leather shoes that though, feel like that of full-gain leather on outer side yet are very rough on the inner side.
Patent leather is the leather that is altered to give it a glossy appearance. This form of leather shoes is more popular amongst women than men.
Type of Shoes: Leather shoes are available in market in all shoe formats both for men and women. Apart from this athlete and casual leather shoes form an important category of leather shoes.
- 1. Leather Shoes for Men: Leather is the favorite most footwear material for most of the men. Popular leather shoe categories for men include oxfords, balmorals, saddles and wingtips.
- 2. Leather Shoes for Women: Leather shoes for women include moccasins, sneakers, pumps and high heel shoes. Patent and pigmented leather shoes are especially popular amongst women.
- 3. Athletic Leather Shoes: Leather is excessively used in athletic shoes that accounts for the durability, flexibility and comfort it offers. Athletic leather shoes are a must have for almost every man and woman involved in some physical activity even if it is walk.
- 4. Casual Leather footwear: Leather forms an excellent material for casual shoes for the softness and ease it provides with when molded in the form of a casual pair of shoes.
