King Wing fans rejoice—for the first time ever, Grant Stone is releasing a Horween shell cordovan longwing blucher.
While the longwing is an essential staple of so many fine (and, erm, otherwise…) shoemakers, it’s remarkably difficult, expensive, or both to find a longwing in a shell cordovan color not called black or Color 8. Well here comes some ruby red Garnet shell, direct from the Chicago tannery that’s generally considered to create the world’s finest example of the exquisite, high-shine, crease-proof leather.
The rest of the setup is as classic as longwing things get, including a dark stained split reverse welt wrapping all 360 degrees around the muscled blucher, and a beefy double leather sole that gets wildly comfortable after some wear. All it all up and GS’s classically patterned and proportioned brogue is eminently versatile—it’s not meant for the most formal or stuffy affairs, but can feel extremely at home in just about every other work/life/date-night/playtime scenario.
Another new addition to the GS Garnet shell family is the ruggedly handsome Brass Boot. We actually saw these make their first appearance a couple weeks ago, when GS released a small quantity of pairs that were available to ship immediately. (I actually snagged one of those pairs, and man…they’re so good. It’s crazy how much variation of color there is in this shell. In a certain light, some panels appear to have more of a medium burgundy tone, while others have a bit of a light mahogany color.)
In addition to the Longwing and the Brass, GS is also taking pre-orders for their Edward, Diesel, and Traveler Penny in Garnet shell once again. With GS’s top-notch construction and materials, the sub-$700 price tag on these makeups is still one of the best deals on Horween shell cordovan footwear anywhere in the world. Get your order in today, and you should see these pairs on your doorstep later this summer.
