Who should buy Crockett & Jones. But after five or six hours of being out and about in town, they start to hurt. i find the low vamp a bit unsuitable for the winters though. The tanning process takes at least six months. Very interesting the combination of loafers and selvedge denim. Great article. I have wanted a pair of cordovan tassel loafers for decades. worsteds) compared with denim, cord or chinos (where I imagine the more comfortable home for cordovan, but not necessarily black shoes)? Have you seen the hudson loafer? Thanks for another wonderful article! Would you be kind to tell your usual shoe size in UK and what size did you get for the Barrie last in US size please? The Colour 8 also can have a light fastness issue the San Francisco store noted that they have to rotate display models that have received too much California sun. Too little product and you just need to catch up with the next conditioning session. Its puzzling really why they dont step it up in this area. Shoesofstefan at Instagram. You can see this on some full horserump/horse breech hides, which has the whole grain and the shell left. I do like the fact that its all eyelets and I like that in my boots. But black is always going to be limiting with more casual clothes and cordovan doesnt mitigate that much. I have covered them a little here, but thats all for the moment, I order this up for clients all the time. Thanks. Thanks for the reply and advice.Its so nice of you. What is Shell Cordovan? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Your email address will not be published. I am inclined to pick black having looked at your black cordovan which one would you pick if you were me? See above. You make a very good case of cordovan loafers with dark denim . Any comments on these issues? @Ross Its now been two years since I woke up with Color 8 Shell Cordovan Penny Loafers from Alden on my feet. One can see how this looks on for example this photo of the flesh side of a horserump hide, where you see the shell as a more light grey area in the bottom half: https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*Sn-Siz4wX_IDteTp. How much did they stretch out if you have? Unless I want to go the MTO route, Ive got 1 rubber soled option from 6 offerings at Edward Green and 0 from 11 offerings at C&J, which I find puzzling! Or do you stay away from cordovan? Yes, Van is wider so theres a lot more room in there, though I didnt find going a half size down worked for me that made the loafer too short on the toes. Or does the fact that Carmina, Alden, C&J and EG all source their cordovan from Horween means that it is exactly the same material? Why the Hell Do All These Workboot Makers Call Their Derbies Oxfords? (Worn w/ nice jeans/slacks/sports jacket.) Have a look at my loafers here. Either way, dont take out word for it. Hi Simon, I just bought a pair of Alden Plain Toe Blucher in Color 8 when in New York. On the waviness, are you keeping shoe trees in them after wear? Cordovan possesses a natural shine, even without additional products. Who should not buy Crockett & Jones. My interest in good shoes started when I bought some Santoni black cordovan chukka boots in an outlet shop in Kitzbuhel for about a hundred quid. Simon Crompton However, the purpose for using colored cream on shell is usually different. Hi simon thanks. Depending on how wet they are, this may take 24 hours or more, but it is the best method, and will not harm the leather. But they look like a fairly smart pair of derbys, but one which will be pretty robust in that make and in the cordovan. Particularly, the Alden 986 loafer. I bought some cordovan (Horween) derby from Churchs some time ago thinking that they were going to get that kind of patina that Aldens colour 8 gets and, unfortunately, it never happened. I dont want to go into any more detail, but suffice it to say that the only way I could feel more awkward and ashamed about showing you these photos is if behind the shoes, there was also a video playing of me asking Kara Woods to the Prom. Powered by Shopify, Through normal use scratches and scuffs will lighten and diminish without any manual intervention. No need to apply any. I would say in terms of versatility. () I finally ordered the PS watch cap in red, and the rapid despatch and sweetly worded confirmation message already have me convinced it was a great decision to do so. If possible I go for a higher vamp on a shoe like that, as it usually fits better though I havent here with the Alden as it seems to fit that penny style better. I think its up to him. How much is too much? For more information, please see our In my experience, Alden shell cordovan shoes can be rather smart (or not). As there is no chance to try on any of these shoes in calf, I thought I ask here Thanks in advance! These were mostly from vintage shops and eBay. Compared to other leather shoes Ive owned (a pair of Wolverine 1000 Mile shoes in brown Chromexcel leather, another pair of Alden penny loafers in snuff suede, a pair of Herms calfskin leather boots, among others), breaking in this pair of loafers was difficult. Learn more through here. I recommend doing so - with a cloth - before you wear them or when you want them to look particularly good. I put a tiny bit of Saphir Renovateur on scratches and buff them out. Interesting albeit a little farfetched that you need deer bone for this because it is oily thank you for pointing me towards this article I will give it a try! Not trying to be a snob! Thank you! Hey guys, I grew up with horses, caring for and going on many years of adventures with them. On the contrary, I found Carminas work to be much cleaner in the pairs Ive checked. They were the kind of thing a flash salesman would wear. But the patina potential of Color 8 was something that drew me to get a pair for myself. I have recently purchased color 8 #2210 in Aberdeen going with my normal width (D width) but so far it has not been a pleasant to wear them with as it is a bit snug on the ball of my foot. Do you have any recommendations for successfully pairing brown pants with black shoes? Wear them lightly, then add another layer of protective cream or conditioner, and then let it absorb overnight. (Excluding the price difference/personal preference.) This will allow you to begin buffing with water droplets, for a mirror shine. And its a shade I prefer - you can see the difference in my Vass pair above. I guess one factor in the generalisation is that outside the US, we mostly see the more casual models. I belief you own shoes in both models. Their lasts are generally pretty wide and accommodating. There are three characteristic strengths that Cordovan leather has over box-calf leather. , this colour 8 makes up about 65% of their cordovan production. Gents! Hot spoon and burn it back as I did with army boots decades ago? But they do have particular ties to the US Northeast, just because they became popular there, and were worn more in that community. Im a little particular about a belt being similar i colour to the shoe colour. Have you got them stretched by cobbler? Fit is great, love the colour obviously, and the last isnt as round as I thought it might be. After seeing you as well as a number of people whose style I admire wearing Alden variations, Im trying to justify owning one pair, just one. And if that doesnt work, try a little cream. But then that might also mean your heel slips more. It was a long, sunny period and I didnt look at them again for a few weeks until we had some unexpected rain. Thank you for the high quality of your columns. Any thought / insight would be much appreciated (and justified by the title of this article;). Hard to tell from the image, but yes I would have thought there would be more black/purple in there. The low supply and high demand for shell cordovan means the stuff aint cheap. Do they stretch after the break in period? They do a lot of boots, Red Wings etc. But I prefer the styles from Alden. Thanks Simon, that is a very important point you make and something Ill need to research, while my mind is still conflicted, that would be the starting point. Yes, definitely. Thanks! There are post forwarding companies, if the extra cost and hustle are worth it (cheaper than travelling, and currently available). This is a personal preference. Wouldnt you say that a black cordovan loafer is more casual than a black calf one, and perhaps comparable to a black suede one? All of them stand out a lot, and you wouldnt get anything like that on a smart shoe. I dont have an email for them handy, but the owner has an insane shell collection and the store sells Alden including special makeups. Enjoy. Ignoring any particular gaps in ones collection, what shoes types do you think are most versatile when made from cordovan? On very large or very tall men, there might be issues. As always, versatility is paramount. The cordovan doesnt break down due to it, but other parts of the shoe can. Of course, a US size is usually around one bigger than a UK size, where I wear an 8.5, sometimes an 8. (I do brush them from time to time.). READ!!!! As mentioned in the article, I think its that versatility that enables it to bridge formal and casual a bit. In general Id take the same size in those shoes/boots. It is my preferred leather for watch straps. Certainly, very comfortable and quite capable of surviving a downpour or two, although I still have my old habit of stuffing with newspaper if they are very wet(military habits die hard). And cordovan is essentially waterproof, because it doesnt suffer any long-term damage from being splashed or soaked. Hi simon, a few questions about cordovan shoes: The problem is, I cannot think of another leather that fills the void that cordovan, colour 8 (the darkest variation) specifically, does. It is definitely a breakdown of the surface. In the winter, I will wipe my shoes with a damp cloth at the end of the day to remove any salt, a Chicago-type climate concern. Yes, water spotting is common with shell cordovan. For a more detailed breakdown of these steps, with illustrations, Jesper has a good guide here. At the very least, if you think that on leather for shoes, you should be a vegetarian. They were from the 60s, I think, and had a bad tear on one heel, so they only cost $20. Both fir similarly, though, being quite roomy! Hi, 8 by any chance? 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