TAKING GOOD CARE: SHELL CORDOVAN

Welcome to Taking Good Care. A new series of videos on WiShoeguy where we explore how to take care of your shoes. Let me be clear. I do NOT sell any shoe care products, and i'm not going to say that Saphir is better than Lincoln or Kiwi (well let's not get crazy) but I will share what i'm doing to care for my shoes and special care where it's required. This will not be released on a regular basis, it will be on an as needed basis (but i'll probably do a few in short order because i'm quite behind on cleaning up a few shoes).

Today's episode is geared towards a very special shoe making material, shell cordovan. While i explain briefly in the video what shell cordovan is, it's a type of horse hide, but not the skin. it's a membrane under the rump. Each horse produces 2 shells (right and left). Each shell produces about 1 pair of shoes (unless they're small).

My history with shell cordovan dates back to 2004, when i picked up my first pair of Allen Edmonds Leeds. This was before my exposure to any shoe care products outside of direct from Allen Edmonds and i found their cordovan cream very sticky and difficult to use. In retrospect i simply used way too much! Unfortunately i figured i didn't really like shell and while i included those #8 PTBs (#8 is Horween's color name for burgundy & PTB is a plain toe blucher, usually referring to a wholecut blucher like the Alden 990 in the video). It was 2010 before I approached shell again and it was after i had learned that i was using too much product. I bought a pair of semi brogues and loafers and i was hooked. For 6 years i had 3 pairs of shell in regular rotation. In 2017 I learned about Saphir, Colonil and VSC. Over the last couple years I also learned about using Pure Polish for shell. There is another option out there as well, Tanner's Blend, by the folks at Ashland Leather. It's one I've never tried.

Today we're looking at using colored and neutral saphir cordovan cream, using Pure Polish cleaner / conditioner, and using VSC (Venetian Shoe Cream). I actually share in the video testing a new product on a shoe to see if it works (and FAIL). I then use a different treatment on each shoe and use Pure Polish WRC on the three shoes to finish off.

******************************

Here is my overall sizing guide, inspired by the Skoaktiebolaget sizing guide.

@wishoeguy Sizing Chart


Maison Corthay Pullman 11D (narrow)

Gordon JimJun Soft Sq Toe WS 9.5UK

Bodileys BOD205 9.5UK
Cheaney 205 9.5 UK
Cheaney 12508 9.5 UK


Cru NonPareil 10.5EE per feetszr app.

The Armoury Haijime 9.5UK

Altan Senzo 10.5
Altan summer loafer with strap 9 (yes really)

Skolyx Adelaide Hector 10
Skolyx LWB Ben 9.5

Hephaestus L25 46
Hephaestus A1 45

Fugashin 9.5UK

CNES 44

John Lobb 10UK

Stefano Bemer TX 44.5 PdP

Bontoni 202 44 PdP

Vass new Peter 44 PdP
Vass u 44 PdP

Meermin Rui UK10
Meermin Hiro UK10
Meermin HOK UK9.5
Meermin Elton UK10

Allen Edmonds 65 US11D
Allen Edmonds 511 US11D
Allen Edmonds 108 US11D
Allen Edmonds 64 US11D
Allen Edmonds 606 US11D
Allen Edmonds 1757 US11D
Allen Edmonds 1943 US11D
Allen Edmonds 97 US11D

Alden Barrie 11D US
Alden Aberdeen 11E US

Crockett and Jones 336 UK 10E
Crockett and Jones 325 UK10E
Crockett and Jones 378 UK10E
Crockett and Jones 348 UK10E
Crockett and Jones 341 UK10E

Loake Capital UK9.5F
Loake Tower UK9.5F
Loake River UK9.5F
Loake Bullet UK9.5F

Vass U UK10 / 44 (a little tight)
Vass New Peter UK10 / 44

Heinrich Dinkelacker Buda UK9.5G
Heinrich Dinkelacker Luzern UK9.5G

TLB Mallorca Picasso UK10
TLB Mallorca Goya UK10
TLB Oliver UK10
TLB Bryan UK10

Carmina Rain UK10
Carmina Oscar UK10
Carmina Forest UK10
Carmina Simpson UK10.5

Löf and Tung T UK10

Enzo Bonafe 74945 UK10
Enzo Bonafe 946 UK 10
Alden Barrie US11D
Alden Aberdeen US11E

Barker 464 UK9.5F

Alfred Sargent 109 UK10
Alfred Sargent 724 UK9.5

Carlos Santos 57 UK9.5
Carlos Santos 234 UK9.5
Carlos Santos CS2 UK9.5

Amblier AM18 UK10

Paolo Scafora R UK10
Paolo Scafora Door UK10

Yeossal Branca UK10
Yeossal BX7 UK10

Cobbler Union 312 9.5UK

TLB Picasso 10UK
TLB Bryan 10UK
TLB Goya 10UK
TLB Oliver 10UK

Edward Green 389 10UK
Edward Green 202 10UK


Gaziano & Girling TG73 10 UK
Gaziano & Girling MH71 10 UK

Foster &Son ALM 10FUK
Foster & Son 83 10EUK

George Cleverley 348 10UK

Oct Tenth Huang 10UK (has high instep. Asked for thicker sole which wasn’t enough).

Paraboot Griff UK10

Mezlan 110 US11M

Church’s Natural UK10G
Church’s Castoro UK10F

J Fitzpatrick NGT UK10.5E (will size down to 10 in future)
J Fitzpatrick LPB UK9.5E

Barbanerra Gaucho UK10 too loose

Sons of Henrey Contemporary Almond 10F

Trickers 2298 UK10F
Trickers 6143 UK9.5F

Bruno Magli 92B UK10/44/US11

Eve’s and Gray UK10 (no last listed)

A Meccariellio Hawksbill UK10.5 / 44.5 roomy
A Meccariello B 03 UK9.5 too tight
A Meccariello Chisel 2 9.5F perfect
A Meccariello soft square 9.5E perfect.


Herring Lakenhurst 10F