Saphir Medaille d’Or Bordeaux Pommadier Shoe Cream 08 – 75ml

Description

Saphir Medaille d’Or Bordeaux Pommadier Shoe Cream 08 – 75ml — the finest cream there is, in a proper deep burgundy

Bordeaux is a wonderful colour on a shoe and a difficult one to keep looking its best. It is a deep, slightly purple burgundy, and it fades in a way that darker colours do not: the toe goes dusty, the flex creases turn pale and pink, and by the second winter the shoe reads brown rather than burgundy. Ordinary polish will shine it, but it will not put the depth back.

The Pommadier line, sold as Creme 1925, is the cream I would put up against anything else on the market. It is built from seven natural waxes, beeswax, carnauba and montan among them, with mink oil and shea butter oil to feed the fibres, and it contains no silicones and no resins at all. That matters, because silicone seals leather rather than nourishing it, and over years that is the difference between a shoe that softens and one that hardens.

This bordeaux pommadier shoe cream carries enough pigment to restore the shade without covering the grain, so a faded burgundy comes back to life rather than being painted over. The 75ml glass jar will outlast a good many pairs of shoes.

Why choose the Saphir bordeaux Pommadier cream?

• Seven natural waxes in one jar. Beeswax, carnauba and montan among them, each doing a different job. That blend is why the shine has depth rather than sitting flat on the surface.
• Mink oil and shea butter oil. These are the feeding half of the formula. They keep the fibres flexible so the leather creases softly instead of cracking along the vamp.
• No silicones and no resins. Silicone seals a hide shut and looks impressive for a fortnight. This cream feeds instead, which is what a good pair of shoes actually needs over years.
• Pigmented but not opaque. It restores a faded bordeaux without hiding the grain, so the shoe still looks like leather rather than something that has been coated.
• A true, deep burgundy. Shade 08 leans purple rather than cherry, which is the tone most British bordeaux brogues and loafers are actually finished in.
• The gold medal, Paris 1925. The Medaille d Or name comes from that award and Avel have been making the line in France ever since. It remains the benchmark.

How to use the Saphir bordeaux Pommadier cream

Set aside half an hour, most of it resting time, and use far less cream than instinct suggests.

1. Take the laces out and brush the shoes with a dirt brush so sand and grit are gone before anything is rubbed into the leather.
2. Clean the uppers with a leather cleaner if they are marked, then let them dry completely at room temperature.
3. Take a small amount of cream on a cloth wrapped round two fingers, or on a dauber brush for the welt and the stitching.
4. Work it into the leather in small circles, panel by panel, making sure the flex creases and the heel counter get their share.
5. Leave the shoes to rest for fifteen to twenty minutes so the oils and waxes are drawn in properly.
6. Buff with a horsehair brush and finish with a soft cloth, adding a second thin coat on the toe cap if you want more depth.

My tip from behind the counter

Work the cream into the creases while the shoe is on a tree or stuffed with paper. Burgundy always fades first along the vamp crease, and if you polish a slack shoe the cream simply bridges the fold and never reaches the leather inside it. Tension the upper, open the crease and the pigment goes where the colour has actually gone. Ten seconds per shoe, and it is the single most useful habit I can pass on for a bordeaux pair.

Specifications

• Volume: 75ml glass jar
• Shade: 08 Bordeaux, a deep burgundy with a purple lean
• Type: Pigmented nourishing cream, the Pommadier line known as Creme 1925
• Key ingredients: Seven natural waxes including beeswax, carnauba and montan, plus mink oil and shea butter oil
• Free from: Silicones and resins
• Suitable for: Smooth leather shoes, boots, bags and small leather goods
• Not suitable for: Suede, nubuck and patent leather
• Brand: Saphir Medaille d Or, made in France by Avel
• Article code: SM-08-Bordeaux
• Price: £18.99

Frequently asked questions

How is Pommadier different from a wax polish?

A wax polish builds a hard shine on the surface and a cream feeds the leather underneath. Pommadier is a cream, so it carries oils and pigment into the hide and leaves a softer, deeper lustre. Many people use both, cream first for nourishment and colour, wax afterwards on the toe cap for a high shine.

Will it match my bordeaux shoes exactly?

Bordeaux varies a good deal between tanneries, so test on the inside of the heel first. Shade 08 is a purple-leaning burgundy and it blends with the majority of British bordeaux footwear. Because the cream is pigmented rather than opaque, small differences settle down after a coat or two.

How often should I use it?

Every four to six weeks for shoes in regular rotation is about right, and rather more often for a pair worn through a wet winter. Cream feeds and colours, so it is not something to apply daily; between times a brush and a cloth will keep the shine up perfectly well. Watch the flex creases, because they will always tell you first when the leather is dry. A 75ml jar used at that rhythm lasts years rather than months.

Where can I buy Saphir Medaille d’Or Bordeaux Pommadier Shoe Cream 08 in the UK?

You can order Saphir Medaille d’Or Bordeaux Pommadier Shoe Cream 08 directly from Shoespecialist.co.uk. We offer free delivery on orders over £50, same-day dispatch when you order before 5pm, and a 60-day return policy.