Shell cordovan shoes

[gimmesomeshelte]

Hello-

I've been reading about shell cordovan shoes, and I'm wondering if they're worth the money. From what I've read, they're rare, abrasion resistant, will last a long time if you take care of them, and develop a beautiful patina over time. Did I mention that they're expensive? Allen Edmonds run $425 and Alden's run closer to $500. I went to the local Nordstrom?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s, (they carry Allen Edmonds), but all I got was a blank stare.

If anyone has any experience with this kind of material, I would appreciate your comments.

Thanks for your time.

Paul Vickerman

 

[John in Covina]

Shell leather is rare period, they used to use it sometimes to make the highest quality razor strops. I think it comes from the hind quaters of a horse and is not a type of leather process such as russian leather. It was much more prominant prior to the 1920's in strops.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

.

I recently got a pair of shell cordovan Allen Edmonds wingwips for $40 on ebay. They came in yesterday, and look nearly new. Fit is fantastic.

 

[gimmesomeshelte]

Answering my own question

All-

I found a thread that answers my question.

http://www.modernman.com/cgi-bin/forums/dcboard.cgi?az=printer_format&om=2549&forum=DCForumID3

Thanks for your time.

Paul Vickerman

 

[MK]

.

This thread is a year old, but I will contribute to it rather than start a new one for the sake of those searching for information on shell cordovan shoes.

For some time I have been hearing about the wonderful attributes of cordovan and wanting to add another pair of Aldens to my wardrobe, so while in NYC I stopped into the Alden store on Madison. Most of my shoes are AE chili. I don't care for burgundy and I don't need another pair of black shoes. I wanted a deeper brown this time. I did see a few pair of cordovans that were a dark brown color....which the salesman called "cigar". He said that is not a color in the catalog but is a special order color that they get once in a while from Alden. They didn't have many pairs left in cigar and I wear a very wide size(8 1/2 EEE). The widest they normally carry is E, so he looked for a pair in the styles of cigar cordovan that they had. No dice. It was not looking like I was going to have any luck....then he said "let me check one last thing". He returned with a rare (for them) 8 1/2 EEE cordovan shell Medallion Tip Blucher Oxford in cigar, which had been a special order that the customer hadn't gotten around to picking up yet. It looked closer to the burgundy sample than the cigar to me. He said cigar looks like that out of the box, but exposure to light changes the finish....and that if I wanted to speed up the transformation, to leave it in sunlight. Here is the shoe in Burgundy.

This shoe is in cigar:

$600 for a pair of shoes is very steep for me...but they were the right size and the right color and I knew they fit. I usually get shoes for a bargain. I suppose paying full pop for a pair once in a great while isn't too bad.

You know what they say about the iron being hot.....

 

[John in Covina]

Here is the shoe in Burgundy.

This shoe is in cigar:

$600 for a pair of shoes is very steep for me...but they were the right size and the right color and I knew they fit. I usually get shoes for a bargain. I suppose paying full pop for a pair once in a great while isn't too bad.

You know what they say about the iron being hot.....

**********

Those are really fine shoes and it sounds like it was an opportunity that should not be missed.

 

[kools]

I also just won a pair of wingtips on ebay of AE in "cordovan"...or not. Once delivered, I discovered that the seller did not know the difference between the color & the leather. I kindly tutored him in the differences in hides, which was all brand new to him. I'm not that upset as I still only paid $45 for a new pair of AE.

 

[Orgetorix]

From what I've seen, sellers who know the difference will usually list real cordovan as "shell cordovan," the correct term*. Unless it's listed that way or there are clear enough pictures to tell the difference from the creases, I wouldn't count on Ebay shoes listed as "cordovan" being the real thing.

*The term comes from the fact that the shoes are not made from a skin or hide at all, but from a subcuteaneous membrane that's under the skin of a horse's rump. One horse yields two shells, or pieces of cordovan, that can be made into shoes.

 

[kools]

Yeah, I kinda expected the dealer didn't know what he talking about before I bid. But I was hoping, nonetheless. I figured the price was right, anyway. The shoes are brand new and not factory seconds.

 

[Orgetorix]

Yeah, I kinda expected the dealer didn't know what he talking about before I bid. But I was hoping, nonetheless. I figured the price was right, anyway. The shoes are brand new and not factory seconds.

Sounds like you ended up with some nice shoes.

 

[Orgetorix]

One other thing that might be obvious, but bears repeating for newbies--if the shoes are listed as cordovan, but are not burgundy/merlot/oxblood/#8 in color, it's probably safe to assume they're the real deal.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

From the 1930s:

 

[MK]

follow up

I really love this color because it very different that my other shoes. I have been getting conflicting information about cordovan leather regarding moister and how to care for them. I am doing some research to find out the truth. It will be reported in Classic Style's feature on shoes in an upcoming issue.

Regardless, this pair is probably the nicest shoes I have ever owned. I bit on the hook hard and bought the Alden shoe trees and thier metal shoe horn.

I am glad Alden still provides cloth bags. I hear Allen Edmonds bags now have to be bought separately.

 

[Flying Scotsman]

My "special-makeup" AE's came with bags. Don't know if an "off-the-rack" pair would...

 

[Tomasso]

Horween is the top provider of shell cordovan in the U.S. (it's the only one ) and quite possibly the world.

 

[Jovan]

I'd be really interested if Indy Magnoli had shell cordovan shoes.

 

[Feraud]

My AE shoes came with a large cloth to wrap the shoes.
The Magnoli shoes come with a bag.

 

[Jovan]

I think it's pretty necessary for any well made shoe, really. A lot of them come with shoe trees too, which is especially nice when they are a more exotic last that store bought trees aren't designed for.

 

[Teacher]

My "special-makeup" AE's came with bags. Don't know if an "off-the-rack" pair would...

Yes, all AE's come with felt shoe bags. But that doesn't make yours any less special, so enjoy them!

 

[Teacher]

I really love this color because it very different that my other shoes.

And they'll continue to deepen with exposure to light. They'll become browner and richer, and you will absolutely love them.

I am glad Alden still provides cloth bags. I hear Allen Edmonds bags now have to be bought separately.

Huh...must be something pretty new, because the last I heard AE still provided the felt bags. It would be a shame if they didn't, but then again, I suppose a good number of people just throw them away anyway.