As the cold and wet recedes, it's time to put away our double soled norwegians and think of warm weather things. Like loafers. House shoes in winter, summer is when loafers move out of doors.
The loafer of summer is a light slip-on made from unlined calf (cordovan's water repellent properties, so useful in winter, are undesireable in summer). When there's no lining, shoes are lighter and allow the foot to breathe a bit more.
It's common to see loafers paired with summer's shorts or casual trousers - with or without socks - but their low profile and light appearance can also be compatible with summer's light-weight suits. Linen suits and cotton suits, certainly. The bold man might even go sockless with those suits in casual settings.
Compared to oxfords and bluchers there are surprisingly few types of loafers. The most common of course is the penny. And perhaps that's all we need.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Summertime, and the Loafer is Easy
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Will,
I live near the United Nations in New York City, and each morning I see some interesting dress on some of the diplomats who walk down my street on their way to work.
Sometimes it's funny how in a city this large I see some of the same people each morning. There is one particular diplomat I recognize based on the ugliness of his shoes. He wears cheap black bit loafers with...now get this...a tassel. Yes a tassel/bit combo. There are some pretty ugly shoes out there, and these are at or near the top of teh list.
But I have to say, the "side tassel" on the shoe on the bottom left has to be pretty ugly as well.
But thanks for the post, I wear loafers all the time.
I cannot bring myself to wear loafers. I have nothing against them, I just don't feel comfortable in them. Perhaps, because more of the foot is exposed or the lack of laces, I'm not sure. I did like those slip-ons though, Will, from a previous post. Maybe I'll substitute in a pair of those instead of loafers.
Here in South Carolina, loafers are ubiquitous almost year-round. Penny loafers might as well be required footwear on the coast for our state dance, "The Shag." And no, that's not "Shag" in the British sense.
Any way, I recently purchased some beautiful Cole Haan loafers for casual wear, but they "eat" my socks as I walk. My socks end up scrunched up around my heel after a walk down the block. What's the solution to this problem? The shoes fit well, though they aren't quite broken in. I usually wear a light weight beige sock with trousers. I don't have this problem with lace-ups, which have a higher vamp.
Brian, the shoes are probably moving up and down on your heel while you walk. Combined with light-weight socks, you get scrunch.
The movement may go away as the shoes are broken in. Otherwise, if going sockless is not the cure you're looking for you may need an insert to stabilize your foot.
Post a Comment