Well, you could try using shoe polish in brown on one and clear/neutral on the other. Or get some leather dye, the stuff they used to sell for dying the soles of oxfords (I'm dating myself here). Leatherette suggests plastic--there are spray paints especially made to adhere to plastic. Try taking two colors and spraying them at the same time to get a mottled effect. Or spray 2 colors and quickly blend with a brush or sponge to get a more natural look. Or wear them as is and if someone notices, say, "Well, they came from the skins of two different Naugas." Sharon C. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robin Netherton Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 5:51 AM To: Historical Costume Subject: [h-cost] Need help with faux leather color
Not my usual "historic," but a materials question that might be answered by you knowledgeable folks. I picked up a pair of reddish-brown fashion boots at a resale shop. Not leather, but they're a good imitation, they fit me perfectly, and they were cheap. Not till I got home did I discover -- in a better light -- that they aren't quite the same shade. One boot is noticeably lighter than the other. The store (Plato's Closet) refused to take them back, although the manager (who looked to be about age 21) agreed they were defective and said she shouldn't have bought or sold them in the first place. In any case, I'd really like to wear these, but not while their color is mismatched. So, I need a way to either lighten one, or darken the other, or color them both to match. They don't take shoe polish, and I doubt they'd take leather dye. I could, of course, spray-paint them gold or something, but that would defeat the purpose of having brown Western boots, which was my original need. No materials tag in the boots, but I found them online here (and a bunch of other places): http://www.urbanog.com/Breckelle-Outlaw-81-Buckle-Riding-Knee-High-Boot_109_ 15972.html ... and the description says "man-made leatherette," which isn't very helpful. Any suggestions? OK if they end up looking dusty or faded, but I'd like to keep them looking Western. --Robin _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
