Loafers - Slip-on shoes for summer and beyond
As slip-on shoes, loafers are quick to put on and are primarily worn as seasonal shoes in summer. Here is an initial overview and information on several loafer variants.
Example Variant
Simple smooth leather loafer with patina
Here is a loafer made from a single piece of upper leather, which features little to no ornamentation. Due to the lack of additional decoration, this loafer is quite suitable for light-colored suits. In a way, the variant shown here can be seen as the basic loafer model, from which other loafer models are derived by adding decoration.
Special Features
As slip-on shoes, loafers have no lacing or other means of controlling how tightly the shoe sits on the foot. This can be both a blessing and a curse: while they are quick to put on and take off, and you save some time during shoe care because you don’t have to undo laces, loafers are more critical in terms of fit due to the lack of lacing and similar adjustments: they must fit perfectly - there isn’t much extra room to secure them more tightly to your feet.
In this respect, loafers are riskier to buy without having tried them on first - for example, if you were to try via online shops. On the other hand, bespoke shoes feel twice as rewarding here: simply because the fit matters more with loafers than with lace-up shoes.
Can you wear loafers without socks?
There is a trend of wearing loafers barefoot in summer to save on socks. Aside from the fact that it is not everyone’s cup of tea in terms of style, and at least some people find it rather off-putting to see bare skin in the shoe area, there is an additional disadvantage:
Feet sweat quite a bit, especially in summer. The result is wet feet bathed in perspiration. Without socks, this causes the feet to stick to the leather lining as soon as they come into contact with it. Not only is this feeling of sticky feet unpleasant, but it also makes it difficult to slip into the shoes because the feet do not slide in easily once they touch the leather and stick. Fortunately, this problem does not exist in cooler weather, but then you wouldn’t normally wear loafers without socks anyway.
Variants
Penny Loafer
The name Penny Loafer comes from the fact that in the past - around the 1950s - students wore these shoes and tucked a coin (“penny”) into the front leather strap as a lucky charm before exams. As a slip-on shoe, the Penny Loafer is characterized by the following two features:
- the slotted leather strap sewn across the front of the vamp
- the vamp decorated with a seam along the bridge of the foot
Due to these decorations, the Penny Loafer is more of a casual model for everyday life outside of business meetings and other more formal occasions. It is also quite practical as part of a relaxed office outfit, especially in summer.
Tassel Loafer
These are so-called Tassel Loafers with their characteristic tassels in the instep area. The purely decorative lacing visible around the shoe is optional. This type of lacing belongs to the classic model, but there are also Tassel Loafer variants that omit it and only feature the tassels at the front.
The Tassel Loafer was officially invented by Alden and released in the 1950s. However, the initiator of the invention was a Hungarian actor named Paul Lukas. He had a preference for tassels on shoes, and at that time, a so-called tassel-lacing already existed. Paul Lukas commissioned a model where the lacing at the front was to be decorated with tassels, and the lacing was also to be somewhat on the outside of the shoe. Through Alden’s creative interpretation, the Tassel Loafer model as we essentially know it today was born.
Brown snakeskin loafers
These are very casual loafers with an unusual toe shape and made of snakeskin, whose scales stand out slightly upon closer inspection. It is a pure leisure shoe that, in my opinion, can be well combined with jeans or chinos. Personally, I would only wear such loafers in summer - in my view, snakeskin fits best there because it has a touch of the exotic.
Dark brown loafers with croc embossing
I think you can see relatively well here that the upper leather is embossed. In the color dark brown, these loafers are very well-suited for leisure time and match many different combinations. I see them as a very good fit for jeans and chinos, but I would also wear them with brown or light-colored corduroy trousers.
The alternative use of black loafers: Minimalism
Loafers are usually worn primarily as summer shoes. You can, of course, also wear them during the transitional periods in spring and autumn, and some people even wear loafers in winter.
There is a philosophy that fits very well here: it is attributed to Steve Jobs, for example, that he kept his wardrobe quite simple with several items in the same color, such as multiple turtlenecks exclusively in black.
The idea behind this is to avoid the confrontation with the question “What should I wear today?” as much as possible, because such a wardrobe offers only very limited options and the answer to the question is then found very quickly. Through this way of thinking, you can save your energy and preserve it for more important things. Your focus is less lost on trivialities in everyday life.
Now, what does this have to do with loafers? Well, loafers
- can be worn reasonably well in any season
- are quick to put on as slip-on shoes
- are available in various versions
In my eyes, loafers are therefore excellently suited for a minimalist style of dress that aims to direct one’s focus and energy only toward important matters. You need clearly defined loafers for every possible situation, and then you’re ready to go. In practical terms, you save yourself the trouble of tying laces every time you put on loafers.
Personally, I am torn regarding such a lifestyle: concentrating on preserving focus has its merits. However, I also have an artistic interest that I want to express to a certain extent. Superfluous beauty can sometimes also be very beneficial.
Related variant: Black loafers with a thin sole
These are very versatile black loafers with a toe cap and side elastic bands to help the loafer sit better on the foot. The sole has a good thickness and the upper leather has only minimal, inconspicuous decorations, which further emphasizes the simplicity of this variant.
In my eyes, this is a very good loafer for a minimalist wardrobe - for example, combinable with gray trousers and a black sweater.