What colour cordovan is this?

[robin]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

Alden stock numbers designate color+model, so any Alden rep should be able to tell what the original color of 2156 was. there was only one color
That would be the easiest way to check them. You can email [email protected] and you'll probably get a response back within 1-2 business days.

 

[well-kept]

There is indeed a color called Ravello but it does not look like the color in the OP. It is paler and less red - more of a medium tan with quite a bit of yellow. The Leathersoul web site has a lineup of Alden shell chukkas in the whole range.

 

[c3cubed]

Originally Posted by triniboy27

Can someone help me identify what colour Alden cordovan this is? The ebay listing I'm looking at doesn't say...

Thanks in advance...
I'd call it Chestnut. Not red enough to be a true Oxblood.

 

[distinctive]

well-kept is correct on all

 

[Tarmac]

he might be correct but they aren't #8s. #8s are 2160

 

[yachtie]

The color is Mahogany, now sadly discontinued. Ravello is somewhat lighter.

 

[kolecho]

It is hard to judge from the internet. On my screen, these look like ravello.

 

[JBZ]

Originally Posted by yachtie

The color is Mahogany, now sadly discontinued. Ravello is somewhat lighter.

This is my guess, also, but I've only ever seen pictures of shoes in mahogany shell. I have a pair in Ravello, and it doesn't appear as red.

Of course, all of this assumes the picture is an accurate representation of the color.

 

[riveroaks]

Originally Posted by well-kept

They may be old #8s. The color designated as #8 has changed drastically over the years and in previous decades it was lighter, warmer and more consistent than it is today, Alden especially, which coats theirs in an almost black over-stain to conceal flaws.

So the "richer and deeper" color and shine of Alden is actually concealing flaws that A-E and others leave? Very interesting!

 

[riveroaks]

Originally Posted by triniboy27

Can someone help me identify what colour Alden cordovan this is? The ebay listing I'm looking at doesn't say...

Thanks in advance...

I'll let you know when I win it

just kidding.

 

[distinctive]

Originally Posted by riveroaks

I'll let you know when I win it

just kidding.

You will most likely be fighting off tons of Japanese bidders

 

[robin]

Originally Posted by riveroaks

So the "richer and deeper" color and shine of Alden is actually concealing flaws that A-E and others leave? Very interesting!
Mostly yes. The reason we're seeing less and less of the brown shades is because Alden has been getting a decreasing amount of hides that are "clean" and suitable enough to use for it.

 

[well-kept]

Originally Posted by robin

Alden has been getting a decreasing amount of hides that are "clean" and suitable enough to use for it.

True, but I wonder why. A horse is a horse is a horse of course. Why were older hides less flawed than new ones? Perhaps there were simply more to choose from.

Last summer I exposed a new pair of Aldens in #8 to months of direct sunlight. The eggplant-colored over-dye burned away revealing a brown color quite like that offered by C&J/Polo, yet full of spots, streaks and so on that the dark finish was intended to conceal. My older Alden and AE shells are quite free of these marks. The premium charged by Polo for their shells must reflect, in part, their selection of 'cleaner' hides. Similarly the scarcity and slightly higher price, when available, of cigar, ravello and whiskey shells from Alden.

The shoes in the OP are a beautiful color in my eyes, by the way, no matter what they are named.

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by riveroaks

So the "richer and deeper" color and shine of Alden is actually concealing flaws that A-E and others leave? Very interesting!

Not so much hiding flaws as they are altering the color. Alden shells are redder simply because they swab on a redder dye after the shoe has been lasted. AE and the European makers (Vass, Abeldejo [sp?], etc.) leave the color as-is.

 

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by well-kept

True, but I wonder why. A horse is a horse is a horse of course. Why were older hides less flawed than new ones? Perhaps there were simply more to choose from.

Last summer I exposed a new pair of Aldens in #8 to months of direct sunlight. The eggplant-colored over-dye burned away revealing a brown color quite like that offered by C&J/Polo, yet full of spots, streaks and so on that the dark finish was intended to conceal. My older Alden and AE shells are quite free of these marks. The premium charged by Polo for their shells must reflect, in part, their selection of 'cleaner' hides. Similarly the scarcity and slightly higher price, when available, of cigar, ravello and whiskey shells from Alden.

The shoes in the OP are a beautiful color in my eyes, by the way, no matter what they are named.

Hmm, I didn't see this before. That's odd, and it's the first I've ever heard of it. I'd suspect that if these flaws -- whatever they are -- are not in the hides themselves, but have something to do with the tanning/coloration process. I don't see how the raw materials could be substancially different, but it's entirely possible that one or more of the ingredients Horween uses in the process is unavailable and they now have to reformulate. Of course, this is pure speculation.