Gift Ideas for Father’s Day
Father’s Day falls on 18 June 2017 this year, but it is still not too late to bring your Dad out for a family meal or to purchase a meaningful gift for him to give thanks and show your appreciation to your wonderful Dad. They play an important role in the family as they are often the breadwinner of the family who works hard to support the family.
Selecting a suitable for Dads is extraordinarily difficult. It’s easy to please a woman with beauty products or fashionable accessories but not for a man. They often choose comfort and practicality over anything else. Instead of getting him a new leather watch, shoes or bags, why not go eco-friendly and get him some useful shoe accessories or tools which would make his life easier?
Shoe Trees and Shoe Horns
Other than shoe polishes, I didn’t know that there are other shoe accessories like shoe trees and shoehorn which might be useful for those who wear leather shoes. If you or your dad owns a pair of leather shoes, a shoe tree is a valuable tool to get in maintaining the shape of the shoe and preventing any creases on the leather itself.
ShoeTree Singapore
This pair of Twin-tube split-toe American shoe tree is from ShoeTree Singapore, a company that specialises in selling leather care products and shoe accessories online. Their shoe trees are made from cedar wood, the American Red Cedar (Juniperus Virginiana), and it has a pleasant natural cedar scent which I believe it could neutralise any odours and absorbs moisture from the leather lining to prevent the shoes from turning mouldy.
What’s a Shoe Tree?
They are adjustable, but it would be best to purchase the shoe tree according to your actual shoe size. I was very intrigued by the design and mechanism of the shoe tree, so I decided to try it out for myself.
The small golden knob you see at the end of the shoe tree allows you to grip onto it to remove or insert the shoe tree easily into your pair of shoes. And the twin-tube that forms the backbone of the shoe tree helps to unfurl the sole which would reduce any creasing of the leather. It also helps to expand the tough leather shoes slightly so that you would feel more comfortable in wearing them. The split-toe at the tip of the shoe tree helps to maintain the shoe shape and prevents the leather from creasing as well as the leather tends to wrinkle more at the toe box.
If the shoe tree helps to maintain the integrity of the leather and extends the shoe’s life, I would think it is an excellent sustainable product to invest in. And your Dad could be wearing an old pair of leather shoes that require such tools to extend its shoe life and to carry your Dad to further places which he has not been before. Even a good shoe polish or wax might make the shoes look brand spanking new. ShoeTree Singapore offers good quality cream and wax shoe polishes as well.
Shoe Horns
Shoehorns are handy for those who wear leather shoes. My brother, for instance, often uses the shoehorn to put on his leather shoes to work. I got him to try out the Varnished Japanese Oakwood shoe horn from ShoeTree Singapore. It saves him the trouble from having to bend or bow down just to fit his feet into the leather shoes. With the shoe horn, he was able to slip his foot into the shoe easily. The length of the shoehorn is 40 cm, and it is a comfortable length for him to slot the shoehorn into his shoes without bending down.
This wooden shoehorn is made from Japanese oak (Lithocarpus glaber). It aged beautifully over the years and thus it is one product where you or your Dad could be using for a lifetime.
These items make meaningful gifts on Father’s Day, but at the end of the day, genuine love and care surpass all.
To all fathers and fathers-to-be out there, wishing you and your family a Happy Father’s Day!
