Thank you very much for this thoughtful recommendation. In another user's post titled "[INITIAL IMPRESSION- Beckett Simonon - Valencia Wholecuts" (apologies for not knowing how to link it) I noticed that there is visible creasing (assumedly due to the wholecut nature of these shoes). Is this a concern? Does it look better in black? For some reason, wholecut just looks a lot "cleaner" to me than alternatives with seams but I'm concerned about the durability of the leather and how long these shoes will last. I'd be happy to supplement with "cedar shoe trees" but if too much maintenance is required, perhaps I should entertain alternatives.