What else are dress shoes made of???

[rebel222]

So I picked up a pair of vintage longwings that I think are shell cordovan. The are labeled "Strathmore by Verde," and the sole and insole are stamped Made in England. They are definitely not calfskin, because there are no creases. There are a few reasons I am not sure that they are shell. The squeak when I walk. The surface has the shine of shell, and when it rubs against itself it squeaks. They are a very consistent color. There is no variation in the dye at all. Finally, I have never heard of the brand. They are definitely old, so it is possible that the company is no longer in business. The shoes are well constructed with a v-cleat and double stacked heel.

My questions is, what else could they be made of, if not shell?

I will try to provide better pics, if requested, after I get off work.

 

[Hanseat]

Judging from the picture I'd say its corrected grain leather. Do a search on the forum.

 

[j]

They look like they could be shell to me, but it's hard to tell from just that picture. If you wear them a while and waxy stuff appears in the creases, they are definitely shell. If it doesn't, it seems unlikely. That seems to happen to all the shell shoes I've seen or had.

 

[rebel222]

Originally Posted by Hanseat

Judging from the picture I'd say its corrected grain leather. Do a search on the forum.

I know what corrected grain is. Like I said, they do not crease. Corrected grain creases. Do a search.

 

[Josef Seibel]

looks like shell to me. my alden longwings show nearly identically creasing.

 

[rebel222]

Have dress shoes ever been made of synthetic materials?

 

[DocHolliday]

Yes, they have.

 

[toby203]

I recently picked up the exact pair of shoes shown in your photo.

The soles are are double oak with a goodyear welt and are stamped "made in England". The heals have a v-cleat with nails, have the inside front corner angled and appear are nearly identical to vintage Florsheim Imperial Kenmors. The only difference is that these do not have the 6 nails in the arch of the sole.

I can say without a doubt that these are shell cordovan and the leather is of the same quality as found on Alden.

I have been told that Strathmore by Verde is/was a sub of Crockett & Jones, but I have not been able to confirm this. Again, they look more like vintage Florsheim workmanship.

 

[JayJay]

I feel certain they are shell.

 

[kalice]

Originally Posted by rebel222

Have dress shoes ever been made of synthetic materials?

check out Aldo

 

[Tarmac]

take a lighter to them. see if they shrivel up into a melted ball of plastic

 

[rebel222]

I have bought and sold probably 30 pairs of shell cordovan shoes. I have 4 pairs in my current line up. I am highly suspicious of the shoes I had. The shoes I had would not scratch. Normally, shell will scratch easily. I don't mean tear the leather scratches, but indentions. The "material" these shoes were made of was indestructible.

I returned the Strathmores I purchased to the seller for a couple of reasons.
1.They were really poorly made. Absolute Garbage. Not even close to the construction of Vintage Florsheims.

2. They squeeked with I walked. It sounded like a synthetic material rubbing against itself. This is what made me doubt their make up. It was so loud that I just sat at my desk. I wouldn't even get up to get water.

 

[toby203]

You may have made a rush to judgement.

Again, I have the same shoes. I was at my local shoe maker (craftsman from the old country) picking a pair of my Vintage Cordvan Florsheim Kemoors that were in for repair. I Asked him to look at my Strathmores and questioned their qaulity and whether they were shell. He confirmed without doubt that they are shell and are of better quality (both the uppers and soles) than the vintage Florsheims. He explained that this cordovan is pit tanned and may stay in the tanning solution for up to 1 year. The pores in the shell and in the leather used on the soles is much tighter than that on other shell cordovan are are much more water reisstent.

Mine squeek a bit as well. It is from the laces rubbing through the eyelets as I walk. I have Alden, Florsheim and Allen Edmund laced corcovans and all squeek to some degree.
Try new laces or a bit of wax shoe polish on the laces.