Materials: Dark Brown Cordovan Leather
Lining: Brown Calf Leather
Sole: Goodyear Welt with Forrest Green Leather Sole & Beveled Waist with Metal Toe Tap
Last: Octavia - Rounded Toe for a traditional English Look
Unlike conventional cowhide leather, Cordovan is an equine leather. It’s made from horsehide or, more specifically, the fibrous shell that sits beneath the surface hide of a horse’s hind quarters.
Only a handful of the most iconic luxury mens shoe brands have a (very) limited product range made with shell cordovan —admittedly for connoisseurs only.
Cordovan leather is rare, expensive, and its production process is painfully slow.
The process to produce Cordovan is painstaking; a single shell is tanned, shaved, smoothed and dyed by hand, and then treated with vegetable oils over the course of several weeks and carefully polished before it leaves the tannery – an intensive and expensive process taking six months or more.
In contrast to Calf Leather, Shell Cordovan is completely smooth and without a grain. This gives Cordovan shoes their high-shine and luxurious finish, which suits rich dark browns or cognac colors, or the classic burgundy.
It also behaves a little differently than calf. It’s stiffer, and while it does become incredibly supple and mould to the wearer’s feet over time, it does takes longer to break in. We expect a pair of our Cordovan shoes – well cared for and resoled when required – to last for decades.
With a Beveled Waist, the waist area of the shoe is shaped. The sole is substantially thicker in the middle and then thins toward the edges, giving it a shape similar to a stretched-out U. Essentially, it appears convex when viewed from the side.
The Hand Crafting a Beveled Wait is time consuming, has to be precise in its shape and needs to match perfectly on each shoe so that one does not differ from the other. This is not easy to do, but when done well it is very much worth the effect that the detail provides for both the customer and the maker. It is a sign of pride in your craftsmanship and a sign of elegance in your shoe.
Characterised by its closed lacing style, the Oxford is an elegant, classic and timeless style suitable for any occasion. The Oxford is a staple shoe in any man’s wardrobe and can be dressed up or down.
