Carmina shell or C & J handgrade? Discuss.

[ncdobson]

I've been gearing up to buy a pair of Carmina navy blue shell wholecuts, but I'm also tempted by various C & J handgrade models (Weymouth, Grenville, etc.) to buy my 1st pair of C & J. I believe that their prices would be pretty similar in $US, probably slightly higher for the C & J. Which brand would you pick & why?

 

[NORE]

You're asking about shell vs calf between two brands. Personally I dislike shell but I would go with Carmina over C&J having owned several pairs of C&J shoes and now owning 2 pairs of Carmina. Carminas are a great value and I hear their shell offerings are levels above their calf stuff.

 

[Gdot]

These two shoes are so very different in my mind that it is hard to say.

The C&J Handgrades are sleek and dressy and appropriate for wear with suits, and other slick/sleek business attire. They are among those shoes that say 'English elegance and taste'.

The Carminas in shell are more robust, a bit less sleek and more appropriate for odd jackets, trousers, khaki and perhaps even denim. They are a bit more adventurous and casual.

I think that the 'formality' of the shoe is big difference between the two and to choose you need to decide how you are going to wear them.

As for price I believe once you do the currency conversions and deduct VAT etc. etc. the Carminas will be less expensive. And they will probably be the more durable of the two shoes.

 

[Gdot]



You're asking about shell vs calf between two brands. Personally I dislike shell but I would go with Carmina over C&J having owned several pairs of C&J shoes and now owning 2 pairs of Carmina. Carminas are a great value and I hear their shell offerings are levels above their calf stuff.

Carmina in shell definitely has a more substantial sole. The sole edge and welt on my two pairs in shell are more finely done than on my one pair of calf.

 

[PhiloVance]

I'd tend to agree with most of what's been posted above. C&J Handgrade is very well done but just does not feel as substantive as the Carmina shell.

Handgrades on the 337 are very sleek/elongated. I'm not sure Carmina has a comparable last for shell. But I find the forest last to be quite sleek as far as shell goes.

http://uptowndandy.blogspot.com/2012/03/carmina-shell-cordovan-artisans.html

I'm not sure C&J still uses the 330 last for handgrade offerings, but its rounded and stubby - more like EG's 202 in my mind:

http://uptowndandy.blogspot.com/2012/07/yin-yang-black-brown-hand-grades-from.html

When comparing comparable cordovan offerings from C&J and Carmina, the Carmina shoes had more weight, finer stitching, and less dullness to the leather:

http://uptowndandy.blogspot.com/2012/04/got-shell-comparing-cordovan-offerings.html

 

[ncdobson]

Thanks for all of the input. I'm a college professor, so I definitely don't need dressy shoes. The C&Js are just so aesthetically appealing, but I suspect that I'll end up ordering the Carminas.