I can’t believe it took me over a year to get these boots. The market for shell cordovan, if you haven’t heard, has gotten crazy. Leather is a by-product of the meat trade, which means the decline in equine meat consumption has made it harder and harder for tanneries to get horsehides. Combine that with an increase in demand and the fact that it takes six times longer to tan shell than calf, and you have an increasingly rare leather.
Horween – the Chicago tannery that makes most of the shell cordovan used for footwear – has responded by focusing on dark colors, such as their famous #8 (a deep brown with hues of purple and red). That’s because light colors are trickier to tan and require completely unblemished hides (which make up only a small fraction of what Horween gets in). As a result, you can still get color #8 pretty easily, but almost nothing else.
There are some exceptions. Vass sometimes gets unusual colors in, and they’re happy to make things on a made-to-order basis (if you’re in the US, you’ll have to order through No Man Walks Alone). Carmina is another good source, and Viberg is slated to produce mahogany shell service boots later this year. Meermin has also switched to Japanese shell cordovan, which is slightly lighter and thinner than the Horween stuff, but just as beautiful and hard-wearing.
My boots are from Alden of DC, who will take shell cordovan orders in a variety of colors. Usual models include longwings, plain toe bluchers, and a number of boots. These cap toes, for example, are built on Alden’s Grant last and made from Horween’s cigar shell. The Commando soles make these great for rainy days, while the speed hooks allow for easy lacing. To order a pair, you just have to call Alden of DC and put your name on a wait list. Doing so doesn’t guarantee anything, as you still have to wait for the leather to be produced. In my case, that took over a year, but hot damn – once you get that cigar shell in your hand, it feels worth it.
* Incidentally, I almost headlined this post with “Area Blogger Waits Over a Year to Get Ass,” but I consider this a family-friendly site.
