Shoes that look better with age...

[onehundy]

ed how come wesco don't do a double stitched welt for 1010 sole?

[demonator]

cause the outer sole is glued on. the 2nd stitching is for the outsole.

[Crat]

I'm not the biggest fan of dubmonks, especially with the whole menswear hype going on the last few years but these deserve a place in this thread.

 

Edward Green

Edited June 4, 2013 by Crat

[ThinFinn]

can anyone give me any more info about shell cordovan and why it is so special? thanks...

[Planetarium]

Shell cordovan is made from a membrane under the butt of a horse. It's not very large, so you only get about one pair of shoes per horse; it is thusly quite pricey. As a leather it doesn't stretch, is highly abrasion-resistant, and needs little care other than brushing. Wax is occasionally applied locally to a large scratch or gash, but otherwise only about once a year if the boots are well-used. Some people like to use a deer bone to reapply natural animal fats as well.

 

Shell doesn't crease like ordinary leather; you don't get the microcreases of calf, just a clean bend at each point of stress. Sometimes wax/fat can build up in these creases, but it brushes away easily.

 

Contact with water can result in some spotting (water + oil, you do the math), but again this brushes away quite easily.

 

Hope that helps!

[Crat]

 As Planetarium sait it is highly abrasion resistant. The microcreases that form on calf eventually always will tear. Cordovan doesn't have these microcreses and therefore is much less likely to tear. As far as i know you are unlikely to find a stronger leather to make a pair of shoes from.

The way cordovan reacts to water is very much dependent on the skin itself, some shells 'spot' and others dont. All (Horween) shell is highly water resistant and therefore also not very breathable. 

 

This is a horse's butt. You can see how the structure changes where the 'normal' hide turns to cordovan. 

 

 

 

 

Here's a nice video on Cordovan.

[garden gnomes in space]

those viberg service boots in shell that riff has (and I believe you posted on IHUK, Finn) are probably my dream boot.  The fact that someone in another thread made a comment about how Viberg would want $1K, maybe closer to $2K for HH (not shell) guts me.  

Edited June 4, 2013 by garden gnomes in space

[ThinFinn]

thanks a lot for the info, pics and the video gentlemen...really helped a lot.

now also i do understand the prices shell cordovan boots go for, so thanks for that! 1 pair of shell cordovan boots per horse just has to be expensive...also i like the facts, that the leather itself doesn´t need too much care, just wear and tear!

sounds good to me!

 

 

those viberg service boots in shell that riff has (and I believe you posted on IHUK, Finn) are probably my dream boot.  The fact that someone in another thread made a comment about how Viberg would want $1K, maybe closer to $2K for HH (not shell) guts me.

now i´m even happier, that i was able to grab a pair of viberg HH 1940 service boots for a great price a few weeks ago!

 

too bad i wasn´t able to cop those badass shell cordovan boots!

 

here they are btw.:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2013 by ThinFinn

[inquire]

here are my custom viberg cordovan, at about 10 months

 

 

 

 

when new:

http://supertalk.superfuture.com/index.php/topic/140583-shoes-that-look-better-with-age-2012/page-10#entry2792314

Edited June 5, 2013 by inquire

[garden gnomes in space]

you guys are killing me.  

[itsbenhere]

The finish on that cordovan is amazing.  god damn.

[demonator]

[ThinFinn]

since i couldn´t get the shell cordovan boots i´ve posted above, i went for these.

 

 

- Service Boot, olive nubuck, gunmetal eyelets, dainite sole, false toe cap, 2040 last, no box toe

 

 

 

 

[rayw44]

Is that navy CXL Ed? Looking good.

[demonator]

theyre just black oil smooth regular leather

[Crat]

Just for the sake of comparison, here are two shoes in horween leather. One in cordovan and the other in... eeh... something Horween.  

The point is the very noticeable difference in the way the 'normal' leather develops the sharp microcreases that eventually lead to tearing whereas the cordovan creases in 'big waves'. 

[rungo]

Recently acquired a pair of Yuketen Maine guide boots from Barney's Warehouse at well...substantial discount. Needed some new dog walking boots, and I have a rather fond spot for my dress mocs, but they weren't too hot for walking long distances in, as I can slip them on and off without touching the lacing, so blisters are possible. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but they are my style, and definitely meet the highest standards of comfort.

Olive rough out, with a vibram EVA type sole. I'm not totally convinced on the sole durability, but I'll just get a kletterlift thrown on when these wear out anyway. The only thing I'm not sure about is what I'll do to them when winter comes around, either dub them, or oil them, which will have different effects on the texture.

Quick fit pic. They don't stand out as much as you might think.

They do have some nifty shoe bags.

[garden gnomes in space]

those soles last longer than you would think, but the traction on anything other than concrete sucks.  In fact, they become a liability once you step off the pavement

Edited June 6, 2013 by garden gnomes in space

[k4727]

Recent pickups

White's oxford

 

 

Tricker's Grasmere

 

 

 

Rancourt & co natural CXL

 

 

 

Finally retiring my thousand miles (black CXL)

 

Edited June 7, 2013 by a.khan12390

[ThinFinn]

take´em out into the daylight mate...all i see are black boots everywhere! still repped you though

[baldy]

how you like those oxfords a.khan? they fit similar to semi-dress? thinking about picking a pair up

[Megatron1505]

I have some of the oxfords on black CXL, they have barely left my feet for the last year, most comfortable footwear I have ever owned.

[baldy]

hmm pretty big statement coming from you mega... now i def gotta get them.. they size the same as other white's? thanks and much appreciated

[Megatron1505]

It's true man, they're like sneakers in terms of comfort. I would say they size slightly bigger than SD's.

[garden gnomes in space]

id say my oxfords fit about the same as my bounty hunters.  they are not boots, so the heel area fits differently, so dont be surprised if they dont "hug" the ankle/heel.  with time, they loosen up, but when new it can a bit of a bummer having all that heel slip.  I think Mega's are CXL, so Im not surprised that they are super comfy. My cxl bounty hunters were pretty much broken in out of the box. My oxfords are rough out, so while extremely comfortable once broken in, they proved to be quite stubborn in terms of loosening up and flexing.  The leather is just much stiffer than the cxl.  

[baldy]

so do you think I should size down from my BH/Semi-Dress size? I usually take a 9.5 in everything. I'm thinking I should stick with the same size because I'm terrified of getting shoes that are too small.

[garden gnomes in space]

i would size the same.  Thats how I measured up and thats what Kyle at Bakers suggested.  

[Megatron1505]

I agree, the fit is very slightly looser but not loose enough to go up a size.

[marineabilly]

Updated photos of my favorite 1950's style Engineers (both my MF RC's remain my favorite early century style)

 

The black pair is getting the most use and aging well and the toe box has flattened nicely.  These boots are unreal and definitely in a league of their own.

 

 

 

 

My Cognac's fresh out of the box while I was on vacation.  Unfortunately I wanted to travel light without having to check a bag, so I made the call to have them sent to me at a later date.

 

Here they are a bit darker after some sun bathing and about two weeks of wear

[Double 0 Soul]

^Stunning Boots!