The Shell Cordovan, non-Alden Shoe and Boot Thread

[Watchman1]

What have you got left?!?

Around 26 pairs at least. Those are the ones I could see. Unfortunately, I was mis-sized early on in my sartorial footwear journey. This led to some unfortunate issues with fitting and so I had to resell them due to poor fit.

If you were to add up all the ponies which have passed through my stable...then that number above is easily doubled...

 

[Blastwice]

Horween Ivywood shell - I probably should have brushed them first, but the sun was setting.

 

[Ziqianzhu]

View attachment 1924947

Left to Right: Alden Ravello (2015) and Carmina old Cognac

This batch of Ravello was when Alden really started using the darker hides. I remember vividly because back then some of the guys sold their pairs because they were so dark.

It is worth noting the Carmina had some fairly heavy wear on them at this point.

Which last is the Carmina made on? Thanks

 

[Watchman1]

Which last is the Carmina made on? Thanks

Rain

 

[Watchman1]

^These were a MTO custom pair of whiskey Oxford boots from Enzo B. Old whiskey shade and absolutely stunning. Sadly, I had to let them go due to fit issues. Really miss these here.

 

[aj2603]

Onderhoud SVC02 in Color 8 Shell

 

[FatTuesday]

Shell cordovan Ranger mocs w/ some miles on them...

 

[FatTuesday]

More burgundy shell cordovan maintenance today...

 

[Watchman1]

^This pic showcases the difference between old and new cognac. These are CJ for RL. Same shoe but very different colorations. The one on the left represents contemporary cognac/cigar while the shoe on the right is the old version.

Now, this same variation is also present in the Alden cordovan color scheme as well. One can easily find old pics before 2013 when the shades were much lighter.

Don't get me wrong, new cigar/cognac is great. The point here is these pairs showcase the overall darkening of cordovan hides over the last decade across all makers.

The shoe on the left was made around 2013/14 while the shoe on the right was made 2010 or before. (NOTE: the "Polo" logo is present on the footbed on the pair on the right)

Cheers!

 

[Blastwice]

View attachment 1927595

^This pic showcases the difference between old and new cognac. These are CJ for RL. Same shoe but very different colorations. The one on the left represents contemporary cognac/cigar while the shoe on the right is the old version.

Now, this same variation is also present in the Alden cordovan color scheme as well. One can easily find old pics before 2013 when the shades were much lighter.

Don't get me wrong, new cigar/cognac is great. The point here is these pairs showcase the overall darkening of cordovan hides over the last decade across all makers.

The shoe on the left was made around 2013/14 while the shoe on the right was made 2010 or before. (NOTE: the "Polo" logo is present on the footbed on the pair on the right)

Cheers!

Don’t these pairs just show that Horween changed the name of one of its product SKUs?

These pairs are one maker sourcing hides from one place (Horween).

And Horween still produces natural, amaretto, ivywood, etc which are what I’d describe as very light tones.

Crust cordovan is also produced which can be painted for custom colors. By Horween and other tanneries…

 

[Watchman1]

Don’t these pairs just show that Horween changed the name of one of its product SKUs?

These pairs are one maker sourcing hides from one place (Horween).

And Horween still produces natural, amaretto, ivywood, etc which are what I’d describe as very light tones.

Crust cordovan is also produced which can be painted for custom colors. By Horween and other tanneries…

Possible. Real reason is probably because they (Horween) cannot get as good of quality hides as in the past.

Humanity is using far less horses nowadays and the hides aren’t as good. The darker dyes are needed to cover up the lower quality hides and imperfections.

And yes, they definitely changed the names of the hides as well.

 

[Blastwice]

Possible. Real reason is probably because they (Horween) cannot get as good of quality hides as in the past.

Humanity is using far less horses nowadays and the hides aren’t as good. The darker dyes are needed to cover up the lower quality hides and imperfections.

And yes, they definitely changed the names of the hides as well.

That doesn't really make sense to me. More cordovan shell is being sold now than at probably any time in human history and you can easily just look at hides and finished goods and see that the quality of shell coming out of Horween has improved, not decreased over time.

Also, one would probably argue that the horses we get hides from now are taken care of better than horses have been taken care of in the past, at the very least due to societal and technological changes. I'm not a breeder, but I would assume conditions for animals like horses aren't getting worse over time, generally.

And what does the hide quality have to do with the color(s) of the dye(s) they are using on the hide?

Also, they name the final dispatch colors (aka SKUs), not the hides...

Isn't the real reason Horween changed their lightest shell dyes was to comply with more stringent environmental regulations? (And probably due to their downstream suppliers complying with those regulations as well.)

 

[Watchman1]

Lol

IDK man, they did say the hides were less plentiful than before and lower quality when I was at the factory in 2017…

All I’m doing is showing the how the color scheme have changed. Don’t fully know how or why.

It is all very strange to me. This is a big deal because when gents go to spend 1k on footwear and they have a particular shade in mind then get something completely different…it causes some frustration and confusion

 

[stephenaf2003]

Lol

IDK man, they did say the hides were less plentiful than before and lower quality when I was at the factory in 2017…

All I’m doing is showing the how the color scheme have changed. Don’t fully know how or why.

It is all very strange to me. This is a big deal because when gents go to spend 1k on footwear and they have a particular shade in mind then get something completely different…it causes some frustration and confusion

For me, I think what your examples do is simply confirm what those of us that have been in the shell shoe game for awhile always say. Don’t buy shell shoes, if you’re not willing to accept variation. At times striking variations. For me personally, it’s a feature, not a bug.

 

[Blastwice]

Where are you ordering from that doesn't show you the leather beforehand?

Carmina has a 3D customizer that shows you the exact shoe down to stitching details, smaller workshops should snap a photo of the hide itself if you ask for it-- sure you're not getting that at say, Bonafe, but their stockist should be able to provide the exact photo or shade of what you're ordering...

Otherwise the major shell distributors have swatch samples on their website (AA Crack, etc.)

And if you're talking about 'rare shell' ie. Shoe Mart or something, even they have photos, unless you are talking about the wait list and then, well, yeah, I mean you're on a wait list requesting ANY HIDE that comes through in a specific color that Alden rarely works with so one would assume it's going to be a crapshoot...

Allen Edmonds... there are no mysteries about the color of shell they offer...