Alden 36630 Cigar Shell Cordovan Tassel Loafer

Alden Tassel Loafers in Horween Cigar Exotic Shell Cordovan - 10 B/D - USA Excellent Preowned Condition Rare, Exotic, & definitely not your average dress shoes… So Ivy, it hurts. Yalie and J. Press customer, George Bush, once said Bill Clinton was supported by "every lawyer that ever wore a tasseled loafer." (nota bene: GHWB also wore them.) According to John Vinocur, the former executive editor of The International Herald Tribune, French politicos in the 1980s adopted them because "It helped them get tables in the better restaurants." The New York Times wrote, "in the 60's, when preppy style ran amok, many a tasseled loafer sat at the end of a leg covered with loud madras pants or...trousers with little embroidered whales." While we can't guarantee you'll get a better table, wearing these will give you membership in the honored, long line of madras and whale-sporting Ivy stylists. Features: - Alden Shell Cordovan Tassel Moccasin - Model 36630 - Aberdeen Last - Style: Tassel Loafer - Cigar Shell Cordovan - Full Glove Leather Lining and Vegetable Tanned Insoles - Steel Shank - Goodyear Welt - Antique Welt & Edge w/ Matching Welt Stitching - Double Leather Sole - Made in USA - No Box Included - Shoe Bags Included - Shoe Trees included at Listing Price The original tassel moccasin often copied, never equaled. Available here in Horween EXOTIC Cigar Shell Cordovan leather. Using the centuries-old method of pure vegetable tanning and hand finishing, the single tannery still producing genuine shell cordovan today is indeed practicing a rare art. The final patina is also a lengthy finishing procedure achieved by years of know how at the Alden factory in handling this very special material. The more understated version of the classic “Wall Street shoe” — wear these to close any deal, ever. Alden created arguably the original tassel loafer in 1950 and set the standard for businessmen everywhere. Shell cordovan is one of the most wonderful, unusual skins on the planet, which makes these much less expected than horsebits. Vegetable tanned leather insoles provide comfort and long wear; it assumes over time the contours of your foot shape giving a truly custom quality to the fit. Beneath the insole is a layer of cork, providing additional resilience and insulation. Every Alden New England shoe carries a tempered steel shank, precisely contoured and triple ribbed for extra strength. Truly the backbone of a fine welt shoe or boot, the shank provides the proper support and shape required to give comfort throughout the day. Oak tanned leather bends are cut into outsoles at factory for maximum control of quality, crafted not only with good looks, but with the integrity of fine shoemaking, a special addition to your wardrobe. This preppy pair is made on the Aberdeen last in rare & exotic Horween Cigar Shell Cordovan with double leather soles. They’re light as a feather and look great with jeans and khakis, as well as gray or navy slacks. Tassel Loafers are a staple of Preppy, Ivy, & Trad enthusiasts worldwide, especially in this exotic Horween Cigar Shell Cordovan makeup. Founded in Massachusetts by Charles H.Alden in 1884, the Alden Shoe Company is now in its fourth generation, making it the oldest shoemaker in New England. This handsome loafer is handcrafted in the USA from exotic genuine Horween Cigar shell cordovan leather (known for its shiny finish, durability and flexibility) and leather-lined insoles, which are flexible and will mold to your foot over time. Each pair is constructed with a Goodyear welt, which means you can resole them again and again for a lifetime of wear. Leather upper, lining and sole. Made in the USA. Alden shoes are handcrafted with attention to detail in their Massachusetts factory. All Alden Shoes and Boots are crafted using a Goodyear Welt construction, and feature a tempered steel shank under the arch of the foot. The steel shank provides superior support and comfort throughout the day. 142 Years of Custom Bootmaking The Alden Shoe Company was founded in 1884 by Charles H. Alden in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Alden is now the only original New England shoe and bootmaker remaining of the hundreds who began so long ago. In 1970 a new factory was constructed in Middleborough, Massachusetts where production continues today. Still a family owned business, still carrying forward a tradition of quality genuine-welted shoemaking that is exceptional in every way. HORWEEN GENUINE SHELL CORDOVAN® Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan® is the art of tanning at its finest. More than just a color, it is a very specific leather, from a particular part of a horsehide. The irregular oval shaped shells are tanned, stuffed, shaved, and then polished – a process taking at least six months. When people speak of cordovan shoes today they typically mean those made by the Alden Shoe Company in Middleboro, Massachusetts, founded in 1884. HORWEEN GENUINE SHELL CORDOVAN® Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan® is the art of tanning at its finest. More than just a color, it is a very specific leather, from a particular part of a horsehide. The irregular oval shaped shells are tanned, stuffed, shaved, and then polished – a process taking at least six months. The term “cordovan” is somewhat misleading, as it historically meant the leather came from the Spanish town of Cordoba. Today cordovan means horsehide, or more specifically it’s the subcutaneous membrane within the hindquarters of the horse, which provides exactly two round pieces of leather sufficient to make one or two pairs of shoes. In the U.S. the tanning of horsehides has become the exclusive preserve of the Horween Leather Company. Horween’s tannery has produced its world-famous shell cordovan leather in Chicago since their founding in 1905. Originally the leather was marketed as strops for honing straight razors, but with the advent of the disposable safety razor demand for cordovan strops soon diminished. Horween then found a market for their shell in the footwear industry supplying a variety of shoemakers. Today Horween’s shell is widely regarded as being the world’s best, not only for its overall appearance, but also for its resistance to water spotting and its firm but forgiving temper. The tanning of cordovan is incredibly complex. Six months and more than a hundred processes are required to produce a useable hide. Horween sources horsehides from countries such as Canada or France, where horse meat is produced for food and the hides are a leftover byproduct. When the horsehides arrive at the tannery they still have a layer of hair and are covered in salt which preserves the hide and keeps it from spoiling. The hides are given an initial inspection for quality before getting trimmed down to a usable area. Next, hair is chemically removed from the hides and the horse fronts are separated from the horse butts. They then spend 24 hours in a pickling bath being turned over and over by wooden paddles, to prepare the butts to accept the penetration of the vegetable tannins that will turn the hides into leather, followed by a two-week rest. The magic truly begins when the butts are tacked onto wooden slats and lowered into pits. This pit-tanning process takes about two months, and during this time the butts are lightly agitated as they slowly absorb Horween’s signature blend of tree bark extracts. Pit-tanning for Horween’s cordovan happens in two stages. First is a thirty-day stint in the tanning pits with a mild, lightly astringent tanning solution. After that the butts are removed from the pits for trimming and a light shave to expose the shell layer, before going back into the pits for another thirty days, this time in a tanning solution with a heavier concentration of bark extracts. After leaving the tanning pits the butts rotate inside Horween’s stuffing drums where they’re impregnated with a mixture of tallows and waxes. Then the butts are hand-smeared with a layer of oil, before resting for an additional 3 months to allow all these oils and greases to fully permeate the butts. The butts are then completely shaved and trimmed down to oval-shaped membranes - the shell cordovan itself - and here the finishing begins. Dyes are applied to the shells, they get hand-slicked to even out the staining, and they’re hung to dry. Once dried each piece gets an application of Venetian Shoe Cream, and a large glazing jack with a glass rod rolls and smooths out the fibers, before a set of giant rollers completely flattens the shell for the final plating process. After a final inspection Horween’s shell cordovan is ready to be sent out into the world. Caring for Your Shell Cordovan Footwear The beauty of shell cordovan footwear is that it ages minimally and elegantly. Because of its extremely tight grain structure it does not develop the deep wrinkles and creases typically found on calfskin shoes, but instead produces more subtle “rolls”. Also, while calfskin shoes slowly dry out over time (hence the need to frequently apply conditioners and polishes), shell cordovan has ample fat infused into the leather during the tanning process which slowly releases itself onto the leather surface, so that later it merely needs to be shined up with some brushing and buffing. Polish should be applied seldomly and sparingly. Horween’s suggestion for shell cordovan care: 1. Clean with a soft, damp cloth. Allow to dry completely away from heat and moving air. 2. Brush vigorously, for several minutes using a horsehair brush. 3. Every 10-15 wearings, apply a light haze of neutral Crème Cordovan or Venetian Cream sparingly. 4. Allow to sit at least 10 minutes, or as long as overnight. 5. Brush again, as long as you can stand it. 6. Buff with a clean soft, dry cloth

The Alden Cigar Cordovan 36630 Tassel Loafer is a stylish and sophisticated men's dress shoe, perfect for adding a touch of elegance to any outfit. Made from high-quality leather with a rich cigar color, this loafer features tasseled accents and a comfortable leather lining and insole. With a classic Alden brand and a timeless loafer style, this shoe is a versatile and timeless addition to any man's wardrobe.

Alden Tassel Loafer - Cigar Shell Cordovan Upper. A very nice shell on this pair, excellent greenish hues in sunlight (see the top down photo). Tons of wear left. Model 36630. Shoe trees not included. 

Alden Cigar Cordovan Tassel Loafer - Very rare and highly desired cordovan leather color. The leather, as expected with Alden cordovan shoes, has held up beautifully and been treated with Saphir products over the years. Soles have been redone and note that the one heel (see last pic) will need to be replaced due to a crack. Aberdeen last, size 9.5D

Aberdeen last 270 flat welt Shoe tree included Bootmaker edition Very good condition Check photos for best description Scratch on outside toe of right shoe