Corrected grain - tell from a photo?

[Booshwah]

My dears,

is there any way to find out beforhand whether shoes are made from corrected grain leather or better stuff just from the looks?

I tend to buy shoes on the internet, due to a geographical handicap, so it would be good to know.

(I read what Andy said about Barker, a maker I kind of respect; even a cheap pair Iown aren't CG. Without ever having seen a par of Barkers, Andy seems to be able to see what leathers they use. Where do I learn that skill?

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/f...shoe%20pyramid

 

[patrickBOOTH]

It really just comes down to the maker, or the finish on a particular shoe and just being able to look at it and tell the difference. While corrected grains are used on most lower end shoes you can still have better tanned corrected shoes. Church's uses a finish called "polished binder" which is corrected grain. Of course it isn't the same as is being used on Kenneth Coles, but some people like the look and ease of care. Just looking at a shoe if you can see pores up close it is generally not corrected, or minimally corrected, mostly overly shiny shoes are corrected because these pores are sanded down, and sometimes, especially the cheap stuff there is some sort of topcoat applied to make them shiny. If you are buying online look for terms like "top-grain" for "full-aniline", or just do some research and find out from people who have the shoe.

 

[Booshwah]

Thanks for the reply!

So corrected grain doesn't necessarily mean a nasty plastic film, even sanding or polishing counts?

The only thing I'd really want to avoid is the film. I've seen how bad it can get. Shudder. Less corrected leather I think I can accept.

 

[zerostyle]

Interesting. I'm looking for an alternative to Allen Edmonds for a good budget shoe that can be resoled. Mostly considering Johnson & Murphy and Florsheim Canfield in the $110 range. I got this feedback from Florsheim when I asked if they used corrected leather:

Hi, 1.) The uppers are made with a full calfskin upper and aniline dyed. I do not believe they are made with a corrected grain leather. 2.) Yes. They are made with goodyear welt construction, and can be resoled.

"aniline dyed" - when you mention "top-grain"/"full-aniline" above - does that indicate corrected grain or not?

 

[zerostyle]

One more comment:

When it comes to corrected grain, I feel like for black shoes it hardly matters at all. However, for brown shoes, corrected grain looks very plastic-y and cheap.

Does anyone else agree?

 

[Booshwah]

Sounds like a good price if that's correct. Aniline dyed leather is supposedly the good stuff.

 

[pebblegrain]

The shoe photographed in this pic appears to be full grain leather

Originally Posted by zerostyle

One more comment:

When it comes to corrected grain, I feel like for black shoes it hardly matters at all. However, for brown shoes, corrected grain looks very plastic-y and cheap.

Does anyone else agree?

Nah, most CG shoes are black (see Aldo and Kenneth). They look like crap, especially when worn out.

You might make an argument for CG over patent leather for a special occasion shoe, but they would have to be the same design.

Originally Posted by Booshwah

Sounds like a good price if that's correct. Aniline dyed leather is supposedly the good stuff.

CG vs full grain is only one of many factors in the quality of a shoe. You can find full grain leather on $50 shoes.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by zerostyle

One more comment:

When it comes to corrected grain, I feel like for black shoes it hardly matters at all. However, for brown shoes, corrected grain looks very plastic-y and cheap.

Does anyone else agree?

Not true at all.

Johnston Murphy shoes are mostly corrected. I wore them when I was in college, I gave some pairs a real good beating and got them resoled many times. "Top-grain" is what you want to look for. You really need to look at the shoes though. That is your best bet.

Like I said corrected grain isn't an indicator of quality in itself. It is the tannery and the process it comes from. Corrected grain is just a "look" really, however like I said a lot of cheaper leathers are in fact corrected to hide scarring and such from less appealing hides. Regardless if a $100 shoe is corrected or not, there is a good reason why it is only $100 and that is because of where it is made and the quality of the materials and construction.

 

[Master-Classter]

it's sort of like the fused suits argument... it's the bad fusing that gives all fusing a bad name. but there are plenty of fused suits that are really just fine for everyday use and most of the horror stories are because of the bad jobs.

 

[zerostyle]

Out of curiosity, I stopped by Johnson & Murphy after work today. They had 3 basic levels of black captoes: Melton - $165 - http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...1215&pid=38301 Hyde Park - $265 - http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...1215&pid=22178 Georgetown II - $329 - http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...4&search=crown I was told that all 3 were goodyear welted. The Melton, unfortunately, looked awful. The leather was super shiny, like plastic. The Hyde Park and Georgetown looked the same to me - less shiny, but still not fantastic. Considerably better than the Melton. All three had different support systems (only the Georgetown had a cork support that would form to your foot). Oddly, I thought even the highest-end Georgetown model had leather that looked similar to my 2-year old Rockport captoes that I paid $60 for. (The Melton looked way worse). So, overall, I'm not too sold that corrected grain is necessarily that bad for black - I think it just depends how well they do it.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Originally Posted by zerostyle

Out of curiosity, I stopped by Johnson & Murphy after work today.

They had 3 basic levels of black captoes:

Melton - $165 - http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...1215&pid=38301
Hyde Park - $265 - http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...1215&pid=22178
Georgetown II - $329 - http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...4&search=crown

I was told that all 3 were goodyear welted.

The Melton, unfortunately, looked awful. The leather was super shiny, like plastic.

The Hyde Park and Georgetown looked the same to me - less shiny, but still not fantastic. Considerably better than the Melton.

All three had different support systems (only the Georgetown had a cork support that would form to your foot).

Oddly, I thought even the highest-end Georgetown model had leather that looked similar to my 2-year old Rockport captoes that I paid $60 for. (The Melton looked way worse).

So, overall, I'm not too sold that corrected grain is necessarily that bad for black - I think it just depends how well they do it.

I still don't agree with this. I don't think color has anything to do with it. Bad leather and finish looks terrible regardless of color. Honestly, if I had to choose I think corrected looks worse on black. The film put over most of it contrasts against the black so much it looks horrid.

 

[MyOtherLife]