Epaulet shop - Official Affiliate thread - Page 1130

Just a heads up, if anyone is looking for a EU48 or EU52 in this jacket, we found a couple in the Manhattan store after doing a little post-Thanksgiving cleaning.

 

Epaulet Marcello Unconstructed Sportcoat Wool Guncheck

^ EU48 snagged.

Mike: how do you care for your Carmina shell? Looks like my pair needs a light polish as they're getting kind of dried out.

I thought of you guys this afternoon as I stumbled across
an Epaulet long sleeve shirt at my local consignment
shop for $24 here in Minneapolis

Size is XL and was too tight - man are those slim!

Lay off polish man...use Saphir or Venetian creme when they start to look dry, and buff like mad with a brush before and after every wear...thats the best thing about the cordo, not much care needed aside from a good brushing and a TINY bit of moisturizing creme...

 

Agreed. Shell polish is generally wax, which doesn't moisturize much, if at all -- it just restores/evens out color and very marginally protects the shell from water/weather. Since it has that minor sealing effect, you want to make sure your shell is very well moisturized before you polish, which is what Saphir Renovateur or Venetian Creme will do. Mike sells Renovateur, which IMO is an indispensable shoe care product. I use it on all fine leathers, including Carmina dress calf. (Just not suede or nubuck of course.)

 

I think there's some Leffot/Leather Soul/Uncle Mac recommendation out there for shell that goes something like 20x applications of Renovateur per application of polish. I personally don't polish my shell at all -- Renovateur and Venetian Creme only.

Ok, so I have had to curtail spending for a bit, but I should hopefully have some disposable income this month, so I apologize for all of the questions, but I want to make sure that my bigger purchases are the right choices, and I have gradually been saving all of these questions up in my head haha!

 

First, I won a dark grey John Smedley merino V neck on ebay and it is great.  However, it is definitely on the darker side of grey and I would really like a medium grey merino sweater for it's versatility.  The one on the website looks kind of dark and I was wondering if you would consider it a medium grey or a dark grey?  

 

Second, I also scored a grey CPO jacket over the summer off of ebay.  It is my standard day to day jacket... I f#@*ing love it!  I was wondering, how does the Eisenhower compares in both warmth and length?  I am guessing it is a bit too short for my taste, but if it is at least almost as long as the CPO, it would be perfect...  If it is noticeably shorter, you should totally take some of the sweet details and qualities of the Eisenhower and throw it on a CPO next year! 

 

Also, I think that you said that you were pretty much done with restocks of the tweeds for the year, but any chance of seeing anymore grey Donegals?

 

And any cap toe danite Carmina boots coming in this year?

 

Lastly, it is a toss up with the three shawl cardigans you got in, but I can only afford one.  The navy is listed as "navy marl".  Is that a true navy or is it noticeably lighter?  Is the ivy marl more green or grey?  It definitely seems to be the more popular choice.  Which of those two do you feel is easier to integrate into a wardrobe? And you mentioned that the grey one you got in could double as outerwear to an extent.  Do you think it would be comfortable to wear it during 35-45* non windy days with a scarf and a flannel?

 

You also asked about opinions on striped shirts. I like stripes, but I feel like they need to be fairly subtle.  I think that checks can look pretty natural even when on the louder side, but stripes just seem like you are trying too hard if not done perfectly.

 

Oh, and the 12oz brushed cotton rivets are seriously warm!  They have become my favorite casual winter pant!

 

Thanks for the help!

Thanks for the advice, Rob. The Carmina shell ages very differently than my Alden's. Very interesting.

Edit: I looked up some Saphir products and there's quite a few. Which of these should I get? It will be for saddle shell.

http://www.epauletshop.com/servlet/the-1349/Saphir-Pommadier-Cream-Shoe/Detail

http://www.epauletshop.com/servlet/the-1350/Saphir-Pate-de-Luxe/Detail

http://www.epauletshop.com/servlet/the-1352/Saphir-Renovateur-Cleaner-%26/Detail

I already brush the shells. Crazy enough to have a separate brush for each hue.

Thanks in advance!

Sure thing, here's from our side:

1. The grey merino v-neck is a medium grey, it's not too dark. Computer monitors can make it look different shade, but try viewing it on a new-ish iphone. They'll typically have the brightness set at a standard level, and you can really get a feel for the exact tone on there. If you're open to a polo neck, consider the navy one. That will give you an entirely different color, it looks boss with grey trousers, and it's a really cool style. I wear mine a few times a week.

2. Good job on the CPO! I believe that the length is similar to the Eisehower, but you'll probably want to measure it out and see how it compares.

3. Grey Donegal is mostly tapped out, but I might have some more Italian fabric. The UK is definitely out of stock, save for what we have in store.

4. Got a big Carmina delivery coming next week. I didn't run any pure Dainte soles outside of the black chelsea boot, but we did quite a bit on the leather/rubber Dainite york sole.

5. Navy Marl is a pretty rich tone of blue. A bit lighter than the typical navy sweater. Ivy is definitely green and not grey. You could definitely get away with the Hardie grey cardigan with a thick flannel shirt on a non-windy cold day.

Navy has been more popular, as it's always the most popular color for sweaters. Ivy is really beautiful. If we have your size, I'd recommend that. It's a boss color that's easy to match with navy, grey, or khaki pants, works great with jeans, and is an unexpected, rare tone. I love mine.

Renovateur all the way. That's all that I've ever used on my saddle shell cordovan shoes.

And just one note: both Alden & Carmina shell cordovan comes from Horween, and it's made with the exact same tanning process. The respective makers have their own methods of dying and tweaking the final color, but that has a minimal effect on how the leather ages. There's not a real difference between Alden & Carmina shell cordovan, but there is a real difference between every individual cut of shell cordovan. Because it's such a rare leather, it's not nearly as standardized as calfskin or cowhide, and it's entirely possible to get two of the exact same shoes, from the same maker, produced at the same time, and have them age differently. This uniqueness is one of the most exciting properties of shell cordovan for me.

^So which product do you use on yours, Mike? All 3?!

Just Renovateur. All that I ever use on my cordovan shoes and boots.

This. wj4, search the Mac Method. Wipe with damp cloth to remove dirt. Then allow dry. Add Reno. Allow to haze. Buff like mad, first with brush, then with cloth.

Done.

Thanks, Mike. I'll put the order in with the Carminas.

I do follow the Mac Method except I have not needed to use any cream on the shells yet. So far, just wet damp and brushing have been sufficient (except for this pair).

Thanks for answering all of my questions... I am leaning towards the grey shawl.

And I meant York soles, so I will wait to see what you get in before I jump on my next bigger purchase.

Picked up my first pair of Epaulet trousers during the sale; butterscotch canvas in rudy fit.