Shell cordovan is a loved material by many, with its special characteristics and durability. However, there’s a few downsides of cordovan that some might not know about, which can be good to be aware of if you are an aspiring cordovan shoe buyer.
Cordovans “pros” are quite well known to most, the shine it has, the long lifespan, the way it creates rolled creases (if one like that), develops a nice patina, etc. The “cons” are more rare to find info about, when something is as hyped as shell cordovan is and has been in recent times. Well, Shoegazing is here to serve you. Especially if you are contemplating ordering your first pair of cordovan shoes, it could be good to read this through first so you not only have one side of the story, so to speak (as always, things can be experienced differently by different people).
First of all, cordovan is a rather stiff and thick material, it’s not as flexible and pliable as most calf leathers which is most common to use for quality shoes. Some like that sturdiness, while some dislike it and have a hard time breaking in corodovan shoes and getting them comfortable due to this, a bit depending on how sensitive your feet are.
Unlined cordovan loafers. Picture: Alden of San Diego
Secondly, cordovan is very dense, it doesn’t breath much at all and doesn’t absorb moisture in the same way as regular leather. Especially if unlined, this can be noticeable. Which makes it a bit confusing that unlined cordovan loafers is quite common, a model that also some of its buyer’s can’t wear during warmer days at all. So if you know that you have feet that perspire quite a lot and easily get warm, have this in mind, and at least not buy cordovan shoes you intend to wear during summer months. Not only can it become uncomfortable, I’ve read about people who have had insoles cracking rather quickly due to the bad breathability of the cordovan shoes and their perspiration breaking down the insole leather. The cordovan doesn’t break down due to it, but other parts of the shoe can.
Finally, it’s worth noting that cordovan differs a lot depending on from who you purchase the shoes, and of course from which tannery the cordovan comes from. To not complicate things too much, I’ll only talk about the main producer Horween here. What’s good to know is that the cordovan that is delivered from Horween with its natural surface, is very sensitive to water, and easily gets stained and bad looking. Some brands makes the shoes with this natural cordovan, some doesn’t.
Natural cordovan on a pair of Saint Crispin’s shoes, after a rainy day. This is extreme, but show how it can be. Picture: PatrickBOOTH / StyleForum
Those who don’t – which includes most of the big shoe brands when it comes to offering Horween Shell Cordovan shoes, like Alden, Allen Edmonds, Crockett & Jones, Carmina etc – treats the cordovan hides themselves to make it withstand moisture and dirt better. How do they do that? Well, with a coating consisting of among other things shellac. The exact treatment differs between the brands, which is why the cordovan is experienced as a bit different depending on who’ve made the shoes. The purpose of the coating and shellac is the same for all though, and it varies if people find it problematic with this treatment or not. Also coating treated cordovan quite easily gets water stains and that type of thing, though not to the same extent as natural shell, and usually a bit easier to get back to a good looking state. But, if you don’t want to treat your shoes after every encounter with rain, cordovan might not be for you.
Spanish Carmina is one of the brands who treat the cordovan to make it withstand rain better. Picture: Carmina (Top picture: Vcleat)
A guide on how to care for cordovan shoes can be found here.
Great article. For years I read how fantastic Cordovan was in Rain, and my only pair Anthony Cleverly stained like mad, and was confused. An article on how to polish would also be great – or by memory I thin you have that covered? You may be the only person on the net with good information on Cordovan! Bravo. BTW, Shellac is like a lacquer, used in felt hat making too. Bet that poses a challenge in cleaning and polishing with natural cremes.
Well, I’d heard a lot about the ‘pros’ of shell Cordovan; not so much the ‘cons’ – so I was interested to read the article. Given the price of shell cordovan shoes, and the issues with water uncoated/untreated, I’m not sure I am gong to rush to get a pair….That said, many shoe aficionados love the material…I remain intrigued…
Many thanks
Tony
A Shoeshine friend says that piss stain’s is a huge problem with Cordovan, I know its sounds nasty but it can happen to us all I guess.
Cordoba: Thanks! Yeah done a cordovan care guide, can be found here: https://shoegazing.com/2017/04/02/guide-care-of-cordovan/
Don’t think I’m the only good source about cordovan though 🙂
Anthony Jones: As long as you are aware of the cons, but still think the pros weigh over, give it a try. You might like it as much as some other folks do.
Allan Donnely: Hehe haven’t happened to me, but sounds like it makes sense 🙂
Hi Jesper,
Interesting read. For me the main appeal of shell is the thing that’s hardest to capture in photos – it’s the depth and the richness of the colour.
Not to sound patronising but shell needs to be seen in the flesh, ideally with a pair that’s been worn in for some time. Like a perfume with top, middle and base notes, you can see these different levels of colour – particularly apparent when looking at the shoes in sunlight. It’s just really hard for calfskin to compare to.
Sam: Cheers! Yes, that’s one of the better pros.
Additional “finish” definitely matters I suppose. My CJ shell bloom to no end, while my friend’s Alden seems fine, whatever additional layer Alden put on seem to work…
Hi Jesper,
I am interested in your opinion on Cordovan as a material for monkstrap shoes. Is this material superior for avoiding creasing of the straps?
Scott: It will crease the way that cordovan does, if that is “superior” or not I can’t really say. It’s different.
Do you own any cordovan shoes Jesper? Or do you “stay away” from cordovan?
Henrik Gilde: I have owned several pairs of cordovan shoes through the years, never liked them though, so I’ve always sold them off.
Hi,
I have a pair of shell cordovan shoes from Silvano Lattanzi that are made from a single piece of shell cordovan with a Norwegian weld. They have a full leather lining. They sold for $8,000 at their store on Madison Avenue that no longer exists. I purchased them at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco during a close-out at a substantial discount about 10 years ago. They remain perfect. My shoe repair person told me “You will be buried in these shoes”.
I have inherited a pair of Church cordovan brogues. It states Cordovan on the insole.
Beautiful shoes and a perfect fit. Grandat bought them in the early 90s.
Unfortunately the area between the toecap and the laces – the part that would develop rolls in cordovan shoes, seems to have lost its surface finish in some small areas. It now slightly resembles suede rather than a leather finish. This means it will not polish. (This is not a feature of the shoe – a sort of suede and cordovan shoe. It is definitely a breakdown of the surface.
Any thoughts? Send them to a cobbler who know Church or Cordovan? Hot spoon and burn it back as I did with army boots decades ago? A lot of cordovan polish?
Any ideas?
Ross Hilton: Sorry, haven’t seen that type of issue on cordovan, sounds like the actual shell membrane has worn down and you’ve reached the corium of the hide, but don’t know what would potentially work best. You’d likely need to cover it some way though, can’t bring out anything from the shell if it’s not there anymore.
@Ross
Take them into a good cobbler and it may not all be lost. Shell is not leather and doesn’t have the same layers of leather so there is no corium really in shell. It is all essentially corium. A decent page on this is here https://stridewise.com/is-cordovan-leather/
Either way, don’t take out word for it. Find a good cobbler and get to know them a bit. Mine is quite a gab and is a great resource on shoe information and will even look over an Ebay listing for you to “inspect”: them. If they can be saved, you should do so if you like them.
Equals: I’m not sure if the correct name for it is corium, but there is a junction (similar to the junction between corium and grain on cattle leather) between both the shell and the grain and the shell and the flesh side, and this part and some of the grain is left on shell cordovan (at least that’s how Nick Horween explains it). You can see this on some full horserump/horse breech hides, which has the whole grain and the shell left. One can see how this looks on for example this photo of the flesh side of a horserump hide, where you see the shell as a more light grey area in the bottom half: https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*Sn-Siz4wX_IDteTp
Hi – what are those abrasions in the crease of the St Crispins? My alden loafers have a slightly lesser version of that in the roll. Is it anything to worry about? Can it be fixed? Thanks.
Sam: It’s due to the material sort of rubbing against itself when creasing, which breaks the surface of the shell. Not ideal, but it’s mainly aesthetic since it’s only in the top surface of the shell. Kind of like the abrasions you can get on suede where you get light streaks in the nap.
Hi Jesper. Why didn’t you like your own cordovan shoes? I mean, I see cons, but what exact reasons of yours? Not elegant enough? Or other reason? Trying to figure out, do I actually need a pair of cordovan shoes. Thanks!
Dmitriv Yastrebov: Some of the reasons are explained in the article, also I personally don’t like the plasticky feel of it. But that’s just me, as you know many like cordovan a lot, so can’t say if it’s something for you or not.
Thank you Jesper! I got it, the best way to learn whether it for you or not is to actually test it by yourself 🙂
I think I will acquire one pair of Alden boots.
All good points, but I love my Crockett & Jones brown cordovan shoes. I’ve worn this one pair regularly for at least 12 years. What I appreciate most is how well the material lasts. With calf, at some point you need polish to cover worn bits. By contrast, cordovan is just indestructible and keeps a very nice shine with little care.
Interesting article thanks! As someone who now owns a pair of C&J Harlechs, a pair of Crown Northampton sneakers and a pair of Grant Stone Edwards, all made from shell, I think I can speak about the upsides and downsides. Firstly, I generally do not wear them in any kind of wet weather, I wear them only in dry or ‘forecast to be dry’ situation. For wet rain or snow weather I have leather boots (for example C&J Islays) and I advise anyone to have both materials in their shoe collection if you live in a country that has varied seasonal weather conditions.
In terms of comfort, shell cordovan is generally good and confirms to the foot very easily. Both my C&J Harlechs and Crown Northamptons are very comfortable after the initial break-in. However, my Grant Stone Maduro shells are HORRIBLE and still bite into my lower leg above the ankles because the (also horween) shell has been treated in a different way that has turned it into a very stiff and cardboard-esque leather and it digs into my lower leg. I would never buy Grant Stone shells again. In contrast, the C&J Harlechs are supple and like velvet on my feet and ankles. The Crown Northamptons are also comfortable once they break in and the shell stops digging into the ankle.
In terms of maintenance, I find it pretty easy and the Harlechs only get some treatment once every couple of months. In between that I brush them to a shine pretty easily with minimal effort. You do get some fading of colour in the folds of the shell due to the constant abrasion which is easier to see on darker colours and less visible on lighter colours and which disappears for a while with some Saphir cream in a matching colour and a good brush.
You do get scratches quite easily on shell, but these are pretty easily buffed out and adds to the character of your shoes. Put simply, shells are beautiful and ‘different’ looking shoes that everyone will notice something different about when they see them. They have a richness and ‘3D’ depth to the colour that leather simply does not have due to the different properties that make it look far more ‘2D’. I have seen people online compare the shine to plastic, but they do not look plasticky, and while people may not be able to articulate what they are made from, they will know they are in some way exotic.
In short, shell is an amazing, durable and comfortable material with ‘some’ but not a great amount of maintenance involved. Add a couple of pairs of leather boots to your shell collection to cover bad weather days and you will have a well balanced set of shoes that will likely last a lifetime. My next pair will likely be from Carmina. 🙂
PS. I forgot to add some rationale for not wearing the Cordovan boots in wet or snowy weather conditions. It is only because I don’t want the additional maintenance it would bring, not because I think they cannot ‘handle’ it. Cordovan is very durable water-resistant material so I have no fears there. I guess I am just being a little lazy in that regard. 🙂
I’ll second Rich’s observations about the water-resistance and durability of cordovan. Though it’s a fact that rain or snow leaves ugly watermarks on cordovan, I’ve found that these are quickly removed with no more than a brisk brushing, which also imparts the desired shine in the process. I’ve had a harder time resuscitating some of my calf-leather shoes after a downpour. For this reason, I had a pair of black cordovan Balmoral boots made by Carmina, which I wear on snowy winter days in Canada. These have Carmina’s “Tramuntana” hiking sole so I don’t have to worry as much about slipping, but still look dressy enough to wear with suits.