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What's the deal with chamois? Such a comical name, what are its characteristics and differences with suede etc?

Originally Posted by John_

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What do people here think of this shoe in terms of value and the specific one here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/500-New-Hanover-...#ht_7502wt_922

Not my size but as a potential gift. TIA!

I have a pair of these, and they're great, comparable to Alden depending on production date.

Originally Posted by phantomx48

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So all this Ravello Wingtip Boot talk made me try on mine yesterday and since I have been moving down a size recently, they now feel too big. Probably going up for sale soon, so I can get the smaller size from shoemart, so if anyone is interested let me know. Size 12, from ShoeMart, worn only twice, and have the Topy on them before first wear so the sole is new, =(. . .willing to let them go cheap cheap to someone on the forum rather than dealing with eBay.

Your feet shrunk? Try some thicker socks or some sort of insole. Didn't you take heed of barrie last buying advice? I made the same mistake with some #8 captoes a couple of years back. My feet rattled in them and I had to sell them.

I wouldn't let them go too cheap. Even used Alden fetch good money.

Originally Posted by jet

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What's the deal with chamois? Such a comical name, what are its characteristics and differences with suede etc?
Smoother than suede. Closer to nubuck than suede I'd say.

Originally Posted by AR_Six

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Smoother than suede. Closer to nubuck than suede I'd say.

I agree. It's got kind of an odd texture to it, but I dig it. I wasn't sure when I ordered them that I would like them, but it worked out well. They seem to hold up in crappy east coast weather pretty nicely.

Originally Posted by winston

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Your feet shrunk? Try some thicker socks or some sort of insole. Didn't you take heed of barrie last buying advice? I made the same mistake with some #8 captoes a couple of years back. My feet rattled in them and I had to sell them. I wouldn't let them go too cheap. Even used Alden fetch good money.
Yeah, it was covered in a previous post. . .I lost weight and because of it lost volume in my feet, so I am now a 11 - 11.5 tops in the Barrie last, so a lot of my 12 Alden's are up on eBay at the moment. Just forgot about the Ravello boot since I had not put it on in a while, and of course it is too big like the others. Especially since the shell feels even bigger than most. Probably going to post it up on eBay at around $550 shipped ($100 off) if no one wants it here. It is a shame since I topy'd it, and only wore it twice. Probably just going to turn around and use the money to buy it again in a smaller size from shoemart. The color is to die for, so I definitely want to have a pair in my closet!

Originally Posted by jet

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What's the deal with chamois? Such a comical name, what are its characteristics and differences with suede etc?

Originally Posted by AR_Six

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Smoother than suede. Closer to nubuck than suede I'd say.
Also to note. . .the Leffot Greenwich boot is regular chamois, not the "reverse" chamois shown on the Indy boot. It is basically smoother, and closer to nubuck than the reverse which is a lot rougher, and feels "oily" to the touch. I own both and love both, but the Greenwich is obviously more "dressy" with the leather sole, vs. the reverse chamois Indy which is more casual and very well suited for heavy rain or rough weather and has the crepe sole.

Originally Posted by johnnyrich7

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Ya, that's what I thought. But in reality, no one even sees the speed hooks when they are being worn because they are covered by your pants.

What draw backs, apart from aesthetic looks, does anyone think all eyelets have?

I have a tendency to cross my feet under my desk or when sitting on the couch. I have noticed that the hooks mar the back of the boots. I have one pair of cordovan boots with hooks and one pair with eyelets and I much prefer the eyelets. While a little harder to put on, I generally enjoy the process.

Originally Posted by Noonan

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I have a tendency to cross my feet under my desk or when sitting on the couch. I have noticed that the hooks mar the back of the boots. I have one pair of cordovan boots with hooks and one pair with eyelets and I much prefer the eyelets. While a little harder to put on, I generally enjoy the process.

Thanks for the thoughts. Ya, I think over the long run, eyelets might be the better choice. A number of people I have spoken to say that they are actually quicker than the speed hooks.

Speed hooks might work better on a higher boot, but Alden boots aren't really that high on the ankle and probably not as useful as, say, some versions of Red Wings that are taller and harder to get into, thus making the speed hooks more useful.

Originally Posted by MickCollins1916

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I agree. It's got kind of an odd texture to it, but I dig it. I wasn't sure when I ordered them that I would like them, but it worked out well. They seem to hold up in crappy east coast weather pretty nicely.

I have a question here, and it's a total n00b one. I see a lot of Alden cordovan shoes with leather soles, and even the Alden crepe rubber has leather tips. I also hear about how cordovan is good in the rain (not torrential downpours, but "inclement weather"), and how the crepe sole is great when it's wet out. Doesn't the leather sole (or tip) wear very poorly when it's wet out? I would think shoes for wet streets would use dainite, commando, or lug soles.

So do the leather soles used on the Alden cordovan boots hold up decent when it's damp, or is the cordovan used just for the looks rather than water resistance?

Originally Posted by MaxK

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I have a question here, and it's a total n00b one. I see a lot of Alden cordovan shoes with leather soles, and even the Alden crepe rubber has leather tips. I also hear about how cordovan is good in the rain (not torrential downpours, but "inclement weather"), and how the crepe sole is great when it's wet out. Doesn't the leather sole (or tip) wear very poorly when it's wet out? I would think shoes for wet streets would use dainite, commando, or lug soles.

So do the leather soles used on the Alden cordovan boots hold up decent when it's damp, or is the cordovan used just for the looks rather than water resistance?

This is a tough one because it comes up very often in this thread, and there is about a weeks worth of reading posts to fully understand it all. The condensed version, as far as I understand it is:

1. Cordovan is the toughest leather out there. You can beat the crap out of it and it will remain indestructible. It is water tight, and was used for only the toughest work boots back in the day. Should hold up to any water mother nature can throw at it.

2. Keeping #1 in mind, since most cordovan is now used for "dress" boots/shoes, most people don't want to beat the crap out of it, so the aesthetics of the leather becomes an issue.

3. Many people claim, and there are pictures on this thread to prove it, that cordovan MAY develop "spots" due to direct water contact. Some people have been able to let their cordovan dry fully and brush most of the spots out. Others have experienced permanent spotting. Keeping that in mind, many people, (including myself) have used cordovan shoes/boots in the rain (not hours on end in a torrential rain, but just under normal circumstances) and have not experienced ANY spotting. To further complicate things, some have speculated that the spotting may be due to the finishing process of the cordovan, and may occur at random on some shoes but not others, making the whole thing a crap shoot.

4. Commando sole is the true "bad weather" sole! Crepe with leather tip is great in terms of traction, comfort, and water resistance, but as you stated, the tip can create problems. Some people have posted about premature wear of the leather tip when used in rainy conditions. Water locked leather soles may also be beneficial in rain/bad weather because the sole has been oiled and maintains a high degree of waterproofing, but traction becomes and issue and eventually they will leak sooner than the other two soles I just mentioned.

5. The welt is also fundamental in determining how water proof a pair of shoes will be, but I have a hard time keeping the different welts straight, so I won't attempt to give you any info on those, lol.

Of course I may have gotten some (or all) of the above wrong, but hopefully this is a good start to answering your question. Hopefully some of the "experts" on this thread can expand on this, or give a different perspective.

Has Alden ever done a navy suede longwing?

Did anybody see that Winn Perry has a new natural chromexel longwing up. I'm not liking the commando sole on it. But to each their own.

Also Epaulet put up their preorder for the ravello brixton boot and the natty cxl longwing.
Does anybody know if you have to pay full price on Epaulets preorders. I want to preorder but I don't think I want to pay full price up front and wait 8-10 months to get the shoe when I could buy a different shoe now and have it in a week or less.

Hi there
Is it correct that the barrie last and the true balance last are about the same in length (while the true balance last is a tad wider) ? So if i have a 10 in the barrie last it would be highly likely that i have a 10 in the true balance last also ?

I did alot of reading here but i would be happy if someone could confirm that. Anyway, thanks for this great thread.

Originally Posted by MaxK

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I have a question here, and it's a total n00b one. I see a lot of Alden cordovan shoes with leather soles, and even the Alden crepe rubber has leather tips. I also hear about how cordovan is good in the rain (not torrential downpours, but "inclement weather"), and how the crepe sole is great when it's wet out. Doesn't the leather sole (or tip) wear very poorly when it's wet out? I would think shoes for wet streets would use dainite, commando, or lug soles.

So do the leather soles used on the Alden cordovan boots hold up decent when it's damp, or is the cordovan used just for the looks rather than water resistance?

On friday, my color 8 Plaza last cap toe boots arrived from J Gilbert. They were so beautiful, I fit tested them and changed over to them immediately. Taking a chance, I wore them for 8 hours straight, in and out of mostly drizzle and an occasional downpour. Ididn't dry them off (well, once upon getting in to the car) and I had no spotting or welts. The leather part of the commando soul showed no wear either.

I just carried out the polishing/waterproofing instructions on the AOC website and they look even mor beautiful. I probably won't wear them out tomorrow, it's supposed to be pouring buckets. Pics (of my small Alden family) and more updates to follow.