Blastwice
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@Blastwice
Thanks so much for posting...I was literally about to order and then I saw these "Bourbon" colored shell Cordovan ...now I can't decide which one I want...and I can't tell if the extra $225 for the Bourbon ones are making them more or less desirable
They are here: https://tinyurl.com/yd3s3spn
Did these just get posted as I didn't see them yesterday?
Those look like they're from their finished MTO section, which means you can order them, but there's an additional one-off upcharge ($225?). I think that in terms of difference between Bourbon and Natural, Bourbon is a more yellow brown, whereas Natural Shell eventually darkens towards orange/red brown. Natural shell is more likely to have discoloration or marks on it, but Carmina tends to work these into appropriate parts of the shoe so they look great regardless. Both will likely darken slightly as they age.
I'm actually a bit surprised at that bourbon as it's darker than I'd expect for a "bourbon" shell. My personal choice in this instance would be the Natural Shell, both from a price point standard and via aging natural shell turns a pretty nice red that's almost comparable to Color4 in some lights.
I think it really boils down to the way you want it to age. The natural shell will take longer to look aged, but will look fantastic, whereas Bourbon is probably the nicer out of the box color, but won't change as much as the natural shell will over time. YMMV