l could see shell cordovan boots working o.k though.

Last edited by zebear (2010-02-22 11:20:31)

Last edited by captainpreppy (2010-02-22 14:23:46)

Way back in '03  I learned from Tony Gaziano that the fascination for cordovan is a North American phenomenon, as in England and elsewhere people don't really care about it. We both share the view that cordovan looks plasticky and cheap, and this has nothing to do with workability...  e.g.  kid suede or kudu also require a good deal of work and Tony likes working with these.
My only cordovan item is a watch band... that I actually swapped with an alligator one from Beatrice (April in Paris)... She also does not like cordovan!

Last edited by Cruz Diez (2010-02-23 14:10:00)

Aside from my ghillies and the suedes- all the rest of my shoes are shell. I like the material and have had no problems with fit. As said above, I really couldn't care less about the difficulties in working it, only in the end product.

l reckon more than ever that shell cordovan is a silly material for shoos. Sure, my shells shoos have all broken in and are comfortable, but the leather is still stiff. Who wants stiff leather for many wears to come? Some stiffer leathers also require a break-in time, that's not really a good thing when shoos are concerned, a shoo should be easy on the feet. Calf leather is much better (much softer and easy on the feet and shouldn't require any break-in time), that's why shoe makers use it for most of there shoos (less complaints).

Shell is only good because it's water proof, tough, easy to clean and warm. lt's not unusual for shell shoos to get all grindy looking after a few hours, that's because all the stuff inside the leather is coming out. lt's never neccessary to apply any leather creams or waxes because the leather is contsantly oozing out stuff and guff. Just get a warm damp rag and wipe with force, then get a rough cloth and wipe-dry with force for 2 - 3 minutes and it's done. No need to brush for 3 hours, no ned to brush for even 5 minutes. Just apply a rough drying cloth with pressure and wipe for 2 - 3 minutes and the shell will shine like a little beauty.

Avoid the shell. Use calf leather instead for most shoos, that's how it should be done.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2010-12-16 06:20:13)