If you are looking to up your style quotient, one of the must-haves will be real leather shoes. Genuine leather shoes are a class apart, as they look elegant and immaculate and provide the utmost comfort. You might say they are pricier, to which, I would contend that there's always a price to pay for the good things in life. I would recommend real leather shoes, as the style and comfort they offer are simply unparalleled.
Benefits of real leather
Real leather offers innumerable benefits and the chief among them is their ability to accentuate your style. Whether it's the formal shoes at the office or leather boots for the Friday night party, I can assure you that real leather will always add to your style quotient. Another great benefit is that real leather shoes offer improved breathability, as they can transfer air and moisture. This will help avoid accumulation of moisture and foul air inside the shoes. Real leather shoes are also long-lasting, provided that you take proper care of your shoes.
How to spot a fake
To get the benefits of real leather, you first have to ensure that the stuff you are buying is made from real leather. I have noticed that a lot of faux leather materials have flooded the markets. These may look like real leather, but they fail to provide the benefits associated with real leather. Based on my experience, I would recommend the following methods that you can use to spot a fake.
Water drop test: Put a drop of water on the leather and wait for some time. If you notice the water droplet is absorbed by the leather, it will indicate real leather. This property is not present in fake leather since they are mostly made from synthetic materials.
Bend test: If you press or bend real leather, wrinkles will form and remain there for quite some time. On the other hand, if you press or bend fake leather, it will immediately regain its original shape.
Touch test: Real leather will have an imperfect surface whereas fake leather will have a specific pattern all throughout. You can feel this with your hands when you touch the leather. Also, real leather will be heavier, as compared to faux leather.
Smell test: Real leather will have a distinctive leathery smell, which is not there in fake leather. If you put your nose to fake leather, it will largely smell like plastic.
Fire test: While there are few circumstances where burning a good is preferable to leave it alone, this experiment works if you have a small, hard-to-see area that you can test, like the underside of a couch. Hold a flame up to the area for 5-10 seconds to test it out:
- Real leather will only char slightly, and smell a bit like burnt hair.
- Faux leather will actually catch flame and smells like burning plastic.
Overall, I can say that if it's perfect, it's not real. Genuine leather has various imperfections in color, tone, and texture, which are easily noticeable. With these tests, you can eliminate the fakes and ensure that you are buying real leather shoes.