As You Were: Loafers for spring

Inspired by you, the first of an occasional new series, As You Were, which honours classic clothes and accessories.

The English-Dutch actor and director Olivia Lonsdale, interviewed by Arket, said, "I’ve tried garments that I see everybody else wearing, but I didn’t want to wear them. I always go back to what I always wanted... What is for me is what was there all along." That's As You Were, in action.

Lonsdale in loafers; photo, Arket

I thought of Lonsdale's comment when I heard that the US Mint will stop producing pennies. My closet has held penny loafers for 60 years, because they can be worn with jeans, shorts, skirts and even dresses. Many homes have old pennies in a jar somewhere, but you can wear them without the copper accent.

You can buy the original Bass Weejuns, hand-sewn and sharp as ever, but now made in El Salvador instead of Maine. Price, $US 175.

Photo: G.H. Bass

I saved babysitting money for those chestnut Weejuns, the only colour our small-town shoe store carried; my current loafers are black patent Paraboots, still in fine shape after a decade.

Paraboot Vignony loafer

Your foot size may change over time, but loafers have a more forgiving cut and gently-rounded toe box, so handle modest spreads and shifts. Though designers sometimes mess with them—right now oversize lug soles show up—a crisp classic still looks fresh as the first jonquils.  

There are more reasons to re-up penny loafers: They slide off for airport security, look more polished than sneakers, refresh with a dab of polish, and do not demand a pedicure. Leather soled models can be cobbled through decades of wear.

Lighthearted loafers
Spring entries in two or more tones: playful combos pick up basics!


1. Grenson Epsom leather-soled loafer; price, £440. With Goodyear welted construction, these can be be half or fully fully resoled, so they will last for many years. 
2. Camper Twin multicoloured penny loafers; $CDN 215.  
3. Sézane Andrea terracotta loafers; $295; made in many different colours.

Single-colours
Versatile whether in neutrals or brights, and let you cut loose with socks.


1. Girotti Kelly Green loafers; leather-lined; sale price, $238. Essence of spring but wearable all year.
2. Maguire Bergamo loafers in Cobalt; price, $230. An alluring blue.
3. J. Crew New Winona loafers in Cocoa Berry, a good, rich brown; price, $198.

Special effects



Left:  Driving loafers usually do not have the penny slot, but these do, and are waterproof! Blondo Shelby Driving Loafer at Nordstrom; shown in platinum leather; sale price $175. Limited sizes.
Top right: Sperry Seaport Fina mule loafer; price, $110.
Botttom right: Vionic Uptown Loafer IV; price, $165. A light, flexible sole and an upper that collapses to pack flat, and feature good arch support.

Because these are leather shoes, they will take a few weeks to break in, especially the heel counters. If used to athletic shoes or stretchy-fabric flats, they may feel stiff at first—but like jeans, they will mould to your shape. 

Shop for them now, because in spring when they issue a mating call, sizes may vanish—or dig yours out of their dust bags and treat them to a buff and fresh socks. Marie Kondo advises thanking your possessions as you divest them, but I like to thank my loyal loafers, here for another year.

 

Comments

LauraH said…
I've always liked the look of loafers and had a Roots pair for many years. They never really worked well, tended to slip off my heels as I'm narrow there. Too bad.
Kamchick said…
Mine are on my feet now - brand is Mimosa (Italy), good sized toe box. They thank you for reminding me to get them out! Long winter - mostly snow or hiking boots!
Jean S said…
Great idea for a series!
Loafers are great, but I've never found a pair that was truly compatible with my high arches....
Laura J said…
I created a stir in high school as I wore black loafers..”girls” were supposed to stick to brown! But like Jean S in the long run they weren’t comfortable and took ages to break in …I’ve tried variants over the years but none really worked for me
VeraL said…
I need a wider forefoot due to bunions. I only wear these specialty loafers from France which are very comfortable. It's a small mother and daughter company that makes shoes for feet with bunions. She puts out a few new colours twice a year. The heels are narrow but there is more room in the front so they are not tight. And I like that they are not clunky but light and feminine.

https://www.carolinemacaron.com/nos-souliers/escarpins-hallux-valgus/
Ms. Liz said…
What a wonderful start to your new series As You Were. I do love the title. I love a good loafer and I own the Vionic loafer in a navy suede with a black sole and a beautiful bone shade with a matching sole. They are indeed very comfortable and look great on your feet. They are also very packable for all the travellers out there. My navy loafers worked out very well for walking around London.
Allison said…
Oh dear I fear that this year I will not be à la mode…I detest loafers. I Oh I adore the gamine look and the comme les garçons appeal of the dapper shoe ….but not with my size nine feet! Yes I have size nines but I am five feet tall so I appear to be wearing shoeboxes on my feet.. loafers, brogues some sneaker styles just make me feel like the Mad magazine character who had feet that hung over the curb side they were so long. My mother (size 10 ) would comfort me with the words ‘having big feet means you are well grounded’ In high school all the cool girls had Bass Weejuns. I longed for a pair, in my convent school with its uniform of blazer and kilt shoes were the only way to express ‘cool’ as long as cool was expressed in black or brown leather. I finally got a pair of the coveted loafers and the disappointment was unbearable. My brother told me that it appeared that I had man feet! Since he attended the boys school next door I knew the intel about my physical aberrations would spread like wildfire. She wears thick glasses and has ‘man feet’? Nope. The shoes were returned for a more ‘flattering’ pair of Ecco’s with a monk strap. The horizontal line seemingly reduced the length of the foot..at least visually. I tried again later in adulthood and found loafers too rigid and no support for my flat pronators so gave up on the style.
The Vionics with their arch support look tempting…
Duchesse said…
Laura H: Heel cups might have helped with that?
Kamchick: Here we have to wait till the salt pellets dissolve fully, they eat leather whether boots or shoes, but mine are standing on guard.
Jean S: You might add insoles with arch support, but the Vionics mention they have it.
Laura J: Almost every full leather shoe with full construction except ballerinas (and even those sometimes) needs breaking in, and IME we have been so used to flexible shoes we cannot bear what used to be acceptable break-in time. Even my Blundstones take weeks of daily wear to break in.
VeraL: Those are wonderful shoes for bunions and also for those with slightly-different sized feet,
MsLiz: Thank you for the endorsement. I am looking for a packable loafer or slip-on shoe, a bit more dressed than a sneaker.
Duchesse said…
Allison: I am a 10-10.5, regular width. I'm not trying to sell you on loafers but, if you wear them patterned socks, the pattern breaks up the long line of the loafer. Two-toned loafers do a similar thing. Just in case you see a pair that beckons ;)

The posts with the most