Vass color chart?

[william]

Can anyone with a decent Vass collection post a color chart like aportnoy did with Edward Green? I think it would be a great addition to the Shoe Pictorial Index that von Rothbart started. For example:

 

[aportnoy]

I'm going to create a John Lobb Museum color chart this weekend and see if I have any additions to the EG chart, thoguh I don't think I do. As for Vass, I have six or so different shades of calf and one shell cordovan, but that's hardly definitive.

 

[Roger]

Yes, you've caught Aportnoy a little too early in his shoe career for him to have all the Vass colors--give him another year.

In the meantime, try the following: www.vass-cipo.hu.

Click on "models," and then just run through the dozens of Vass shoes. All the Vass colors will, I believe, be represented.

 

[von Rothbart]

Bordeaux, oxblood, brown, and dark brown are quite easy to distinguish. Oil green and khaki are no longer in production. I think cognac in different shades are more confusing. There're cognac, antique cognac, 9316 cognac, 9215 dark cognac and red cognac. Cognac is the lightest, 9316 a little darker, don't know the difference between antique and 9215 may be they're one and the same. I only have cognac, antique cognac and red cognac.

Vass produces cordovan only in black, bordeaux and dark brown.

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by von Rothbart

Bordeaux, oxblood, brown, and dark brown are quite easy to distinguish. Oil green and khaki are no longer in production. I think cognac in different shades are more confusing. There're cognac, antique cognac, 9316 cognac, 9215 dark cognac and red cognac. Cognac is the lightest, 9316 a little darker, don't know the difference between antique and 9215 may be they're one and the same. I only have cognac, antique cognac and red cognac.

Vass produces cordovan only in black, bordeaux and dark brown.
Yes, the cognac shades can be a little confusing. However, here's how they look to me: the lightest is just called "Cognac"; then a little darker, there is "Antique (or "Antic") Cognac," which is fairly close to a middle brown shade with a slight hint of red; then there is "6125 Dark Cognac," which appears to be clearly darker than Antique Cognac, although not a really dark shade. It too has just a slight hint of red. The "Red Cognac" is about the same lightness/darkness as Antique Cognac, but decidedly redder. There were some Red Cognac Vass shoes displayed on this forum a while back. The 6319 Cognac is something of a mystery to me. From the pictures, it looks about the degree of lightness/darkness as Antique Cognac, but with none of the hint of red in the latter.

With respect to the burgundy (let us say) shades, Bordeaux and Oxblood, the Bordeaux is slightly browner than one might ordinarily see in a burgundy shoe, although this isn't immediately apparent from the pictures. In my opinion, the Vass Bordeaux is just spectacular. Presumably, the Oxblood is slightly redder, but I can't swear to that.

Perhaps Andrew Harris or Gabor Halmos could come on and provide some more details on the colors. At one time, Vass had an actual color chart (swatches), but this seems to have disappeared.

 

[william]

Yep. The differences in the cognac shades are what I want to see. That was the main reason for my post.

The pictures aportnoy/von Rothbart, etc. take of their shoes are usually MUCH better than the pics on company websites/catalogs.

The 6319 looks similar to EG's Edwardian. So far I think it is my favorite Vass color.

Thanks everyone for your comments so far.

 

[Cantabrigian]

From the catalogue it looks like they produce an 'antique cognac' shell cordovan. Has anyone seen this? is it more tan or brown?

Originally Posted by Vass catalogue, page3

We have a wide variety of colours of calf leather: bordeaux, oxblood, cognac, 6319 cognac, red cognac, antique cognac,
6125 dark cognac, dark brown, black, blue, green, and four types scotchgrain leather (cognac, bordeaux, dark brown, black).
We have the following variety of colours, from horsehide: antique cognac, bordeaux, dark brown and black. There is a selection
of brown and dark brown coloured antelope leather.

 

[von Rothbart]

The email I got from Eva about a month ago said Vass only produced cordovan in black, bordeaux and dark brown. I don't know which predated which, the email or the catalog. If Vass still produces that color in cordo, I'd imagine it looks pretty close to Alden cigar, a quite spectacular cordo color.

 

[Cantabrigian]

Originally Posted by von Rothbart

The email I got from Eva about a month ago said Vass only produced cordovan in black, bordeaux and dark brown. I don't know which predated which, the email or the catalog. If Vass still produces that color in cordo, I'd imagine it looks pretty close to Alden cigar, a quite spectacular cordo color.
Thanks, VR. Your info is definitely more current. I'm looking for something like Alden's Whiskey Shell but from a company who makes a nice-looking three-eyelet derby.

I imagine Carmina may be the best for that sort of thing but I have no idea how the sizing would work.

 

[Cantabrigian]

If it's still offered, I would find it hard to believe that no one on SF has tried a pair in antelope leather.

 

[von Rothbart]

Originally Posted by Cantabrigian

If it's still offered, I would find it hard to believe that no one on SFers has tried a pair in antelope leather.

Eva only mentioned calf, cordovan and scotchgrain, but not antelope in that same email.

 

[tiger02]

I'll be dropping by Vass again soon enough, see if I can nab a picture of their swatches. Will also ask about antelope--this is the first I've heard of it.

Tom

 

[william]

That would be great Tom. I'd appreciate that. Like I mentioned earlier we could put it in the shoe pictorial sticky thread.

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by von Rothbart

Eva only mentioned calf, cordovan and scotchgrain, but not antelope in that same email.
Is scotchgrain (or pebble-grain) anything other than calf finished with a pebbled texture?

 

[von Rothbart]

Originally Posted by Roger

Is scotchgrain (or pebble-grain) anything other than calf finished with a pebbled texture?

From what I saw at the store, the scotchgrain felt and looked like pebble-grained calf but a tad coarser. I didn't ask Eva to be sure, as my addiction is with U & F lasts which don't look quite right with scotch grain.