spectre6000
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 192
I believe the briefcase to be undyed full grain vegetable tanned cow hide. The mahogany colored prototype Moleskine cover is the same, just heavily oiled and with lots of intentional UV damage/coloration. The difference between the two extends beyond just coloration, but it's tough to say without having an unoiled and UV colored sample to compare it to. Unfortunately, my hide stash is deeply buried for the next few months due to a home construction project, or I'd have another large pile of pretty much untouched leathers to analyze.
Also interesting, is that statement with the context that there's shell cordovan in the mix. Often considered the highest quality you can get, but I guess it's not the most natural looking owing to the cordovan process. The superficial similarity of the surface appearance of the cordovan and the heavily worn wallet was a big surprise to me.
Something I'm trying to contextualize in my mind in light of that particular comment... The jacket scene seems to mostly pick up in the 30s. I believe the high end leather fashion favored very pale, white leathers prior to that. That statement may have some regionality/siloing to it though. The briefcase leather is probably most representative of that. Those very pale leathers would be undyed, and not subject to UV coloration. The tanning process would also have been very mild. I imagine higher end leathers of that era would have looked more like the briefcase leather than not. Shell cordovan in that period was considered working man's boot leather, and not the prized material it is today. I wonder what it would be like to handle a high quality leather of that era compared to the high quality leathers of today.... Style to style, but also within the same style finish.
Also interesting, is that statement with the context that there's shell cordovan in the mix. Often considered the highest quality you can get, but I guess it's not the most natural looking owing to the cordovan process. The superficial similarity of the surface appearance of the cordovan and the heavily worn wallet was a big surprise to me.
Something I'm trying to contextualize in my mind in light of that particular comment... The jacket scene seems to mostly pick up in the 30s. I believe the high end leather fashion favored very pale, white leathers prior to that. That statement may have some regionality/siloing to it though. The briefcase leather is probably most representative of that. Those very pale leathers would be undyed, and not subject to UV coloration. The tanning process would also have been very mild. I imagine higher end leathers of that era would have looked more like the briefcase leather than not. Shell cordovan in that period was considered working man's boot leather, and not the prized material it is today. I wonder what it would be like to handle a high quality leather of that era compared to the high quality leathers of today.... Style to style, but also within the same style finish.
Last edited: