Who Said Dress Shoes Can't Dome?

These shoes have spend a lot of time on office carpet but a good bit on gravel and traipsing through shallow puddles, too. They were "be-all do-all" shoes as a good Dome paid should be. I didn't pull any punches and the leather soles kept my feet safe and dry even if there was a bit of slipping and sliding on steep streets and uneven rain-slick steps. I didn't wear them exclusively and my schedule prevented me from walking as much as I did in the last Dome, but I still walk a lot and I estimate I put 500 miles/800 kilometers on them.

This was my first shell cordovan and to be honest it was a bit disappointing when I opened the box, appearance-wise, although it did smell and feel.nice in the hand. Looked a little too similar to the plasticky bland colors of the leather shoes in shopping malls for comfort. That said, Armagnac shell did exactly what it was supposed to, developing very dramatic rolls and both deepening and lightening in color to create a dignified but considerable patina. I'll definitely get another pair of shell cordovan again in the future. I didn't put anything on the upper leather but a horsehair brush. I did put a little conditioner on the edges of the soles and welts once before I was due to take an international trip in early December so they'd look less scraped-up. An unexpected star here was the lining leather. It was so comfortable, soft, and premium feeling that it really did the heavy lifting of getting me to enjoy and appreciate these shoes every time they were in my hand during that early period when I still wasn't sure about the cordovan, really giving off those premium vibes. The lining at the counter area has started to wear away in the last month but I'm sure there will be a way to fix it when it wears all the way through.

First of all, the Detroit last is a home run of a last for Carmina. That tucked in waist and taper give all you could ask for in dress formality but then that slightly squared-off toe gives it a unique, slightly more cool and rugged touch, leading to an interesting character that looks great the first time you see it and just grows and grows on you over time. Now it's like I want all my shoes and boots to mirror the lines of the Detroit last. One thing about this last is that in order to get both that toe shape and taper in, it's larger than Carmina's other lasts. I size up half a size in Carmina's Llubi and Rain lasts, and I confidently ordered this pair in the same size as those only to find a much more spacious fit. It still worked fine for me, but definitely was different than expected. Thick wool socks and the occasional insole fit right in with no tightness. If Carmina's other lasts tend to run large for you, you might need to go down half a size for this one.

Great construction and finishing. I have no real complaints here. Carmina uses traditional Goodyear welt construction with a fairly high degree of automation (e.g. machine lasting) but generally good attention to detail. It's what you should expect given the high prices they charge. As mentioned above, the lining in particular is great quality. This pair does have two defects that I discovered after a Patina Project App drew my attention to them in January: Two of the holes in the broguing on the left toe cap didn't have the center punched completely through before the shoe was put together. Those "hanging chads" are still stubbornly in place. It doesn't bother me per se but I wonder what Carmina would say if I contacted them asking for a partial refund because I was inadvertently sold a pair of seconds.

I don't have a lot of experience with leather soles overall, but I can see why people say that JR soles have superior durability. These held up for a long time and quite a lot of miles before it started to seriously wear around the edges. That said, six full months later, it's time for a resole. The leather sole was very comfortable over time. As the months went by, they just felt more and more flexible and more and more molded to my feet. It's funny because I wouldn't have ever expected it from a pair of cordovan dress shoes, but by the end of the Dome these were among the most comfortable slip-on slip-off pairs in my collection. Walking on gravel, stones, or broken pavement, I could definitely feel it. Personally, I loved "feeling the road" a bit through my sole. Different strokes for different folks. Some people would hate it. It's kind of like how some people like to drive a car with a cushiony suspension just like driving a boat and I prefer my cars stiff and bumpy. By the way, did I mention that leather soles are great for spirited driving?

The leather heel was alright. Interestingly, it held up better than the sole which is the opposite of most of my rubber-soled pairs. It was comfortable and did the job. It slid on slick surfaces from time to time, but I didn't take any spills.

I wasn't sure if I was going to participate in this Dome. Late last September, I had a pair of Nicks on order that was seven months in and still hasn't entered production (I just received it last week on March 27th.) I had just started a new job with a formal office dress code. I was thinking about maybe not participating for the year, but then I decided to "wing it" and splurge on some Carmina cordovan long wings which arrived just in time to make the October start. I'd known about shell cordovan for a few years and known about long wings about the same amount of time, had very much wanted to try both, and this was my big chance. The shoes indeed rose to the occasion. They held up and patina'd well, and I got to become one of the glorious few who can say they have domed a pair of dress shoes. What's more, these blindsided me by becoming one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes on my shelf after a few months of wear. Equally good for kicking the wheels of an office chair or for a fifteen mile city walk on a sunny weekend. Also (to add a little lifestyle flex) up and down the steep steps between Central and the Mid-Levels in Hong Kong, and dodging chickens and ducks down narrow country lanes in mainland China, and on the beach in California. Of course, if wasn't all smooth sailing. Case in point, I hadn't expected the vamps to form quite the turbulent storm waves that they did. I didn't mind it, though, and I decided to lean into the dramatic rolls by ditching the shoe trees between most wears in order to ease out a bit more toe spring to accentuate the curvature. I think it worked out pretty well, too. All in all, a 10/10 experience.