The Shell Cordovan, non-Alden Shoe and Boot Thread

[mdubs]

I had both for a while. Both are nice. Tough choice. Really comes down to your tendencies and needs!

-Mike

 

[kbuzz]

Hi all. Excuse this Cross post since I got nothing in the Meermin thread ...

Anyone have any experience with the recent shell meermin uses. My wingtip boots from the last GTMO which I think are Japanese she'll are very very flat despite thorough brushing and buffing. A touch of renovtauer help a tiny bit but they look nothing like other shell I have seen. (Mostly horween)

Is it possible there may be too much polish from the factory ?

Thanks in advance for any assistance

 

[grizzlygiant]

Gave my Gaziano & Girling a quick bone today. Love these shoes.

 

[Beach Bum]

Hey Guys, could use some advice as I'm new to Shell. Bought the Santoni pair I posted several weeks back in the post below. They are a bit large, and was/am leaning to selling but just holding out to see if I can make them work. They are beautiful, absolutely one of a kind from Santoni as it's extremely rare to see a shell offering from them.

My issue is length. The instep is fine, width wise they are good. Length however seems a bit long, with just a minor amount of heel sleep. You can see I did a rough sketch of where my toes go in the toe box attached below.

So the two questions I have are:

1) Will these break in, loosen up, and end up even larger fitting after so many wears? If so I'm hesitant to keep.

2) Will I develop bad creasing on the vamp, or any worse than normal I should say given this length.

Thanks ahead of times. For any of you guys with Shell oxfords I appreciate the advice! Here's the pic:

This is a duplicate post of pics from the Santoni thread. Just bought (found) these super rare Santoni shell oxfords. They are several years old and only one of one or two Shell Cordovan runs by Santoni, that I know of.

They may be a bit large, unfortunately, but I'm assessing if I can make them work. These would be my first pair of shoes in shell. I'm a big fan of Santoni particularly their goodyear line. These are built like tanks. Check them out! Also, depending on lighting they appear more burgundy with flash compared to the more brown shown here. I assume this is typical for burgundy shell shoes?

 

[smfdoc]

Hey Guys, could use some advice as I'm new to Shell. Bought the Santoni pair I posted several weeks back in the post below. They are a bit large, and was/am leaning to selling but just holding out to see if I can make them work. They are beautiful, absolutely one of a kind from Santoni as it's extremely rare to see a shell offering from them.

My issue is length. The instep is fine, width wise they are good. Length however seems a bit long, with just a minor amount of heel sleep. You can see I did a rough sketch of where my toes go in the toe box attached below.

So the two questions I have are:

1) Will these break in, loosen up, and end up even larger fitting after so many wears? If so I'm hesitant to keep.

2) Will I develop bad creasing on the vamp, or any worse than normal I should say given this length.

Thanks ahead of times. For any of you guys with Shell oxfords I appreciate the advice! Here's the pic:

I have not personally found shell to stretch a great deal with wearing. For me, most of the change has come from the shoe adjusting to my foot with the cork bed getting pushed in and adapting to my foot. YMMV.

As for the vamp, they will crease. All shoes crease, with the exception of shoes owned by mdubs. As long as the widest part of your foot is in the correct place on the shoe, you should be ok. The heel slip may resolve as the cork adapts to your feet. If not, you can try heel pads or pads under the tongue.

 

[BackInTheJox]

Natural shell Rancourt loafers.

 

[Churchill W]

Hey Guys, could use some advice as I'm new to Shell. Bought the Santoni pair I posted several weeks back in the post below. They are a bit large, and was/am leaning to selling but just holding out to see if I can make them work. They are beautiful, absolutely one of a kind from Santoni as it's extremely rare to see a shell offering from them.

My issue is length. The instep is fine, width wise they are good. Length however seems a bit long, with just a minor amount of heel sleep. You can see I did a rough sketch of where my toes go in the toe box attached below.

So the two questions I have are:

1) Will these break in, loosen up, and end up even larger fitting after so many wears? If so I'm hesitant to keep.

2) Will I develop bad creasing on the vamp, or any worse than normal I should say given this length.

Thanks ahead of times. For any of you guys with Shell oxfords I appreciate the advice! Here's the pic:

I think the wrong type of creasing/rolling happens more often if a shoe is too short. I think if it is too long it will happen closer to the back of the shoe rather then when it is short it will happen closer/in front of the cap toe line. If the shoes fit at the all of your feet, it's likely the best fit you are going to get in that last, unless you go down in length and up in width.

 

[smfdoc]

Happy Wednesday forum pals. Natty shell MacNeils.

 

[coolarrow]

Unlined espresso Rancourt pinch pennys got the call today due to the heat:

 

[BackInTheJox]

Unlined espresso Rancourt pinch pennys got the call today due to the heat:

Twins today. I posted mine over on the Rancourt thread, and even used the same wording as you.

 

[BackInTheJox]

 

[coolarrow]

View attachment 783590 View attachment 783591

Great minds...
I need to get some more unlined shell into my rotation. I only have these and a pair of alden pennys. So great when it's hot out.

 

[florent]

Carmina black shell

 

[Skelnik]

Yes, there's definitely too much polish from the Meermin factory. I tried using Renovateur a couple of times and the polish kept coming off. I ultimately had to use RenoMat a couple of times with Renovateur before, in between and after to re-moisturize the shell and a ton of brushing and wiping with damp cloths as well. Once I was able to us Renovateur without any coloring getting on the cloth the shell looked great. It had a great depth to it. The shell was not from Japan, but was from Italy in my case. The RenoMat didn't effect the shell negatively at all.

 

[Skelnik]

Maiden voyage of Brunello Cucinelli brown shell cordovan PTBs.

I normally only purchase shoes with leather soles, but these have a Vibram sole. I was a bit hesitant at first, but wanted to try something that might be more comfortable to wear occasionally. They feel super comfortable right out of the box. The lining appears to be lambskin as it is very soft, similar to AE's Independence line. They are made in Italy and the attention to detail and finishing is very clean and amazing! More so like Carmina than Crockett & Jones and Alden.