I really wanted to love these – Returned!
I really wanted to love these shoes. They were a gift to celebrate a promotion. I chose the green version, and I’m a big fan of green. Alas, it would not be. The shipping was relatively quick. I didn’t have to wait 4 weeks for them to be shipped, as I guess I have a somewhat-standard size (10.5 E)
My biggest issue was that the color didn’t match the photos in the website. The loafers were much darker – almost black. It took a strong LED flashlight or holding them outside under the sun to see any semblance of green. So that was a bummer. The inside of the tongue did show a good green, but it would never be seen.
Secondly, the photos on the website aren’t accurate in the heel construction on the sole. The entire heel was covered in rubber – not the “notched” appearance of rubber fitting into leather like a jigsaw puzzle piece as depicted in the photos.
Lastly, the interior had two defects. The left shoe had several splotches – looked like green dye or ink. Perhaps they tried dyeing black leather? Doubt it, but it would explain matters. Also on the left, there was also some sort of digital code in inch-high letters on the leather on the inside of the upper that was disconcerting.
I had used the measuring system, and it worked well. Other than being too-dark, my RIGHT shoe felt great. My left shoe had the above defects and was a half-size too small – if there’s a next time I’ll order two different sizes for my feet. If you have one foot slightly larger, explore Rancourt’s…
Rancourt & Co.
Andrew,
I'm sorry that you were not happy with the loafers you received. I'd like to explain a few things so you can better understand our process.
- The loafers you ordered are unlined, meaning there is no additional interior leather lining added to the uppers. We make shoes in both lined and unlined options - unlined is typically lighter, more breathable, more comfortable as they are less stiff. While lined shoes have more structure and support but the lining will also cover any marks or imperfections on the inside of the uppers. The "digital" mark you see inside the shoes comes directly from the Tannery, Horween Leather. This is a stamp they use to signify the size of the shell cordovan skin and the batch number. Many people find this characteristic desirable, it reflects the provenance and process of the leather.
- We make many of our shell cordovan colors by dyeing them in-house. We buy natural, undyed, unglazed shell directly from Horween and then use non-pigmented, aniline dyes to make colors like Dark Green and Navy. This is all done by hand and is an art, not a science. It's nearly impossible for us to exactly match the color you see on the website. As you noted, the color looks different in different lighting conditions, so keep in mind the photos were shot in a brightly lit studio with a white background, much like the shoes would look on a bright, sunny day. In addition, since the cut leather pieces are dyed by hand in our factory it is inevitable that some dye will make its way on to the back of the leather pieces. I agree this can look a little sloppy and we try to minimize that as much as possible.. I will share your feedback with the team that you felt the shoes were too dark, again, this is a very tricky balance to strike but we can always improve.
The other colors of shell we buy from Horween, like Color 8 and Black, often have dye on the reverse (inside) of the skin as well. So when ordering unlined shoes like these it's best to be aware that there will almost always be some dye on the inside of the shoes.
Thanks for your feedback and I hope we can win back your business.
