# Aging of Color #8 Shell Cordovan



## LeatherSOUL (May 8, 2005)

My first pair of Alden shell cordovan shoes...NST in #8 circa 2001.


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## welldressedfellow (May 28, 2008)

I love the patina shell cordo develops.My #8's and I are nearing our one year anniversary.


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## CrackedCrab (Sep 23, 2008)

Tom, great pictures, here are mine, purchased in 1999 or 2000, resoled once:


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## Crownship (Mar 17, 2008)

LeatherSOUL said:


> My first pair of Alden shell cordovan shoes...NST in #8 circa 2001.


Hey man! I see you post on this thread but you're too good for the
*What Footwear Are You Wearing Today* thread lately.

Nice shoes, by the way.

One quick question.
Did they stlll turn that brownish color using burgundy polish over the years?
Or did you mainly brush them when necessary like the Mac Method?

Just thought it would be interesting if burgundy cordovan still fades brown regardless if burgundy polish is applied.


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## LeatherSOUL (May 8, 2005)

Crownship said:


> Hey man! I see you post on this thread but you're too good for the
> *What Footwear Are You Wearing Today* thread lately.
> 
> Nice shoes, by the way.
> ...


I haven't posted much lately on WFAYWT since I've been wearing a lot of EG and G&G recently and didn't want to offend the ASC lovers. 

On these particular shoes, I can't even remember polishing them at all. That's the reason for fading. Also, I left them out in indirect sunlight at my house for a while in 2007.


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## srivats (Jul 29, 2008)

Tom, amazing shoes ... I love the patina. You should post your EG/Lobbs in the WFAYWT thread, I am sure they will be well lusted after :icon_smile_big:


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## Ron_A (Jun 5, 2007)

This is a great thread, and I also like the (fairly recent) thread started by Got Shell?. (A link to this thread should appear at the bottom of the page.) The photos in Got Shell?'s thread are simply amazing.


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## Crownship (Mar 17, 2008)

LeatherSOUL said:


> I haven't posted much lately on WFAYWT since I've been wearing a lot of EG and G&G recently and didn't want to offend the ASC lovers.
> 
> On these particular shoes, I can't even remember polishing them at all. That's the reason for fading. Also, I left them out in indirect sunlight at my house for a while in 2007.


Aww come on. Your EG and G&G can't be as offensive as my AE sharkskin duds.
And the WFAYWT needs variety anyway. 
Calfskin, cowhide, alligator, crocodile, eelskin, stingray, ostritch and snake from various makes have a place on that thread.
See ya there.


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## amlai (Jan 31, 2007)

Just ran across this thread... figured I should add some pictures here.



Cigar on the left, #8 on the right:


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## AAF-8AF (Feb 24, 2009)

amlai said:


> Just ran across this thread... figured I should add some pictures here.


Outstanding! I recall seeing these photos a while back. And then, didn't you send them in for recrafting and the uppers were back to like new again?
.
.


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## amlai (Jan 31, 2007)

Yeah, I couldn't remember if I had posted the photos here or not, but now I realize that I had and it was just in a different thread. Sorry for the cross post. Much to my disappointment, they did look like new coming back from Alden restoration. However after some sun exposure, they're starting to fade again. Might be about time to add newer pictures to the thread.


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## Reds & Tops (Feb 20, 2009)

Amlai - great thread to revive! Do you have pictures of what they look like post-restoration?


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## amlai (Jan 31, 2007)

Yep... here they are post-restoration. As you can see, they are almost like new again:


I will try to take a new picture soon as they've begun to fade again.


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## well-kept (May 6, 2006)

Quick question - did you ask Alden NOT to re-dye them, to preserve their patina?


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## smujd (Mar 18, 2008)

well-kept said:


> Quick question - did you ask Alden NOT to re-dye them, to preserve their patina?


Good luck with that.


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## amlai (Jan 31, 2007)

Yes, I did write a note asking them not to change the color. They came back re-dyed as you can see.


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## well-kept (May 6, 2006)

And that is why I don't send my shells back to Alden for "restoration". I can't believe they don't get this.


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## AlanC (Oct 28, 2003)

^When I sent my MacNeils to AE for recraft they actually followed my instructions on not re-dying. If AE can (not) do it, then Alden can, too (if they want).


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## 127.72 MHz (Feb 16, 2007)

This is a very informative thread with some great images.

Perhaps attaching something to the shoes in the way of a tag stating it's to be removed by the individual who begins the recrafting process. It can go on to ask them *not* to put dye on the shoes,....A beautiful patina takes awhile to build.

I cant' wear a D width so I have to special order Whiskey and it's so rarely available.

Someday I'll own a pair of Whiskey's,...


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## ds23pallas (Aug 22, 2006)

I had my LHS re-soled locally with an Alden flex-welt replacement sole. I wanted to ensure that the mellow brown colour of the uppers would not be lost.


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## LeatherSOUL (May 8, 2005)

ds23pallas said:


> I had my LHS re-soled locally with an Alden flex-welt replacement sole. I wanted to ensure that the mellow brown colour of the uppers would not be lost.


Awesome! 10x better than cigar, ravello, or whiskey!


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## AdamsSutherland (Jan 22, 2008)

^ Those look great! How long have you had them?


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## Got Shell? (Jul 30, 2008)

Those look good, and with OEM soles, that's hard to beat!


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## Speas (Mar 11, 2004)

I've always liked the flex welt sole. Does Alden sell it to cobblers or is it just from the original supplier? Either way I'd be interested in getting a resole with flex welt in NYC. Any ideas?

Regarding the faded cordovan. I have a number of older cordovan shoes and none have faded anywhere near those of the pics above. Do you guys leave them in the sun to fade?


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## ds23pallas (Aug 22, 2006)

AdamsSutherland said:


> ^ Those look great! How long have you had them?


Thank you. I bought them new about 6 or so years ago and they are worn at least two or three times per week. I walk to and from my office (about 20 mins each way) so they get a lot of use.


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## amlai (Jan 31, 2007)

Speas said:


> Regarding the faded cordovan. I have a number of older cordovan shoes and none have faded anywhere near those of the pics above. Do you guys leave them in the sun to fade?


It started as an experiment for me. I was trying to figure out why some older cordovan shoes looked less purple and more brown. My hypothesis was that sunlight was the primary cause of the color change. I left my boots in the sun for a number of weeks before the color change became readily apparent. I remember Nick Horween has confirmed this effect somewhere. I recently begun to leave my Indy boots where it can receive sunlight again to try to get it back to the condition they were in before Alden restoration dyed them back. The color fade seems to have been much more rapid the second time around.

That pair of LHS have got to be my favorite "aged" pair of shoes I've ever seen.


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## Speas (Mar 11, 2004)

^thanks. I may try it with my Indy boots. I'm not sure I want my dress shoes to lighten unnaturally but the boots would be better a little more aged looking.


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## ds23pallas (Aug 22, 2006)

Speas said:


> I've always liked the flex welt sole. Does Alden sell it to cobblers or is it just from the original supplier? Either way I'd be interested in getting a resole with flex welt in NYC. Any ideas?
> 
> Regarding the faded cordovan. I have a number of older cordovan shoes and none have faded anywhere near those of the pics above. Do you guys leave them in the sun to fade?


Speas,

I took my LHS to my local Alden dealer (the only "real" one in Canada) and they had a supply of flex-welt soles. They forwarded the shoes to an off-site cobbler who then re-soled them and repaired two holes in the lining.

Regarding the colour change, for a time when the shoes were new they were stored in a bay window. Some fading did occur (curiously, neither my monk straps nor my longwings faded in quite the same manner) but use and to some degree, benign neglect has played a role. I wear these shoes _alot - _in good weather and some not so good weather.


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