It's a Sunday, a little earlier in the morning. I'm getting ready to leave the house for a little errand. One last look before closing the door. Everything is off, the cat is sleeping peacefully in its corner. I have my keys, my papers, and even an umbrella for the sake of it. Everything is fine.
That's not going to stop me from going around the apartment again just to check that everything is really in order. I'm always afraid of forgetting something important – like closing the door properly, for example.
A few minutes before, I was quickly putting together a outfit: white t-shirt, vintage military overshirt , camel velvet pants and cordovan moccasins. The colors go well together, no fuss.
On top of it all: my trusty lightweight Cadot parka in Ventile . She accompanies me absolutely everywhere, like a comfort blanket.
Yes, you read correctly: I mix Ventile and umbrella. It's possibly useless, a bit like using the belt and suspenders simultaneously, but it's one of my little quirks.
Note that I only take an umbrella out of habit, without any real logic. And above all I love my parka for its style. In reality, I don't worry that much about the weather. But that was before. Let's close the parenthesis and get back to the heart of the action.
I turn on the light on the stairs and so I go down happily. Life is beautiful in moccasins . Three floors. It's not an easy task, even for my legs. I cross a first corridor.
Here I am, arriving in the small courtyard which leads to the main building. Surprise: it’s raining heavily. I stop, I hesitate for a moment. Only a few meters separate me from the door of the building.
It's never more than a little downpour, I told myself then. A little courage, damn it. So I accelerate the movement and continue my way to the front door. Seemingly nothing, a minute has just passed and the suspense is at its height: have I really chosen my shoes well ?
It's then that I open the door to my building and a hint of lucidity suddenly comes back to me: it's really pouring rain. Sorry guys, but cordovan moccasins aren't going to be possible today.
Some doubt. Others invoke tales and legends of shoes or even stories of varying quality depending on the brand. The rain would in any case cause stains or blisters on the leather. At the price of a pair of cordovan shoes, I would like to tell you that I don't really want to go any further with the demonstration.
This type of leather has the reputation of not liking the rain and that's enough for me to decide to go back home to make a few small changes. I love my shoes and their little story . But there is something that bothers me: I have two pairs of cordovan leather shoes and I would like to be able to wear them more often, without worrying about the weather. Impossible mission ?
I never really looked for shoes like this. It's more linked to chance, or more precisely to opportunities that presented themselves to me. David would call it a good deal or a good deal and you know, he's an expert on the subject.
Crockett & Jones boots, Norse Projects wool pants
First there is a pair of Crockett & Jones boots found on the web. I can admit to a rather inexplicable joy during the first interview : they needed it. But it is clear that when well maintained, they do not move a bit.
The Harlech model is rather dressy. The cordovan comes from Horween and the finishes are quite exceptional . You have to see the pair up close to understand that it is a pair of shoes like no other:
Fun fact: you can combine shoes of this type with a pretty BonneGueule fatigue pant and be questioned in the street for the pants rather than for the shoes. So, the price of the exception is not everything . It’s always a useful reminder.
But it's a pair for fall/winter. That is to say, in terms of seasonality, it is rather limited. Added to this is the small inconvenience linked to this leather in particular: its complicated relationship with rain. So they didn't come out much last season.
Brooks Brothers x Alden loafers, Margaret Howell pants
My second pair in cordovan is more all-season. Here again, this is an opportunity found for a few dozen euros on the web. It's a pair of Brooks Brothers moccasins made by Alden .
These shoes have been worn but are clean and still in good condition. My shoemaker gave them a new lease of life - new runners, a little refresh of the sole.
We don't always think about it, but when it comes to shoes, the shoemaker will always be your best ally and will often have relevant solutions to your little shoe problems.
The previous owner of these moccasins was Italian. He kept them for about ten years and used to ride motorcycles with them. Calm. From there, a small tear on the side, neither too serious nor too visible, which adds to the natural patina of the leather. You will notice that after 10 years, they still look great.
These moccasins can be worn all year round, even in winter . This is information that will not surprise Jordan. However, mine are made of cordovan. So I regularly hesitate to take them out in bad weather.
The conclusion is inevitable: style is not just a story of materials, cuts, colors and harmony. Knowing how to dress taking into account external elements is really useful for comfort but also for the clothes themselves.
However, I don't want to fall into panic fear of rain. And to tell you everything about shoes in particular, among the somewhat inaccessible models that I often look at with envy, there is this one:
So if I want to be able to enjoy these shoes more often and more peacefully, I'm going to have to be a little less careless and study the weather a lot more closely . This is a real novelty for me.
This is what Benoit has been doing for a long time on a daily basis via tools like Weather Pro or Rain Today . It shouldn't be long before I follow suit.
As for cordovan, you can learn a lot more about it here. Its potential for patina and its very particular color deserve some curbs on our desire for carefreeness and spontaneity. It’s also a particularly sustainable purchase. And you, what is your story with cordovan?
