GUCCI 1953 Horsebit Loafer

[dijor]

I'm chosing between three different models: black pebble, black smooth, navy smooth.

Shoes will be worn only casual... Any ideas/tips?

 

[dijor]

Nobody?

 

[reidrothchild]

Personally, I would pick the black pebble if I were going for most casual of the three. I think a shade of brown and maybe even suede would be a better choice for a casual (jeans and khakis) bit loafer.

 

[Andrew Ryan]

Personally, I would pick the black pebble if I were going for most casual of the three. I think a shade of brown and maybe even suede would be a better choice for a casual (jeans and khakis) bit loafer.

Agreed. I own several of the 1953 loafers in cocoa (dark brown), which is still available through Bergdorf Goodman's website. It would be optimal, shortly followed by the 'cuir' (mid-tan) leather available directly from Gucci (esp. for spring/summer). They also have many suede options in casual colors and styles, but the quality of the suede leaves something to be desired (trust me).

That said, if you're married to those three, going between those I'd go with the navy leather, simply because I don't wear black anything, much less a black loafer, and much much less a black Gucci loafer with a gold bit, which is a very strange thing, made even stranger in the pebble grain version...

Worth looking at (since you seem to not mind the unusual/offbeat colorings) is the 'Legend' loafer, which has a leather navy with silver bit and grey contrast sole, a dark brown silver bit with red/burgundy contrast sole (more red than burgundy, sadly), and a black leather silver bit and, very oddly, green shade contrast sole.

Really though, the brown varieties I first mentioned are ideal, if for no other reason than versatility. I'd add that the 1953 loafers aren't as well constructed as even the modern classic Gucci loafer with the higher heel and boxier toe (which still aren't very well constructed, my love for them not withstanding), so putting Topy's (rubber covers) on the soles is essential if you want the shoe to last more than a season. I have them on all of my 1953 models. Also worth noting is that there's a tendency for the toe of these shoes to scuff very, very easily during normal walking due to the very low profile and thin sole - so keep some shoe cream handy.

 

[dijor]

Andrew this was very informative thx!

 

[stlsoul]

Andrew

I too own a pair of the 1953 horsebits and I can't for the life of me keep the toe from scuffing (check out the pics). I keep the shoe cream handy, but I basically have to cream these every time I wear them (what a pain).

Do you have any good advice on what I can do to prevent scuffing/make them last? As you can see from the pic, there appears to be a design flaw in these loafers, in that, the toe extends beyond the sole when compressed. This naturally leads to the repeated scuffing when worn.

I'll take any advice I can get so that I can finally enjoy these $640 shoes...

Thanks

 

[Gus]

Unless you have your heart set on black loafers I would urge you to go with medium Tan or medium Brown for year round casual wear. I find that I just don't wear really dark brown or black loafers any more.

 

[Andrew Ryan]

I have the exact same problem on my 'cocoa' (burnished dark brown calf) w/gold bit 1953 loafers; I've 3 pair and they all scuff just as your photos show. My two pair of tan do not scuff in this way, nor do my navy or cream/maple pairs (all 1953 models). Other than having a cobbler put on toe taps, I'm afraid I have no advice. I've considered toe taps recently due to the same issue but haven't yet pulled the trigger.

Unfortunate on such expensive shoes, but c'est la vie. I think the taps will keep the toe off the ground enough to mitigate the issue, but we'll see...

 

[stlsoul]

thanks for the reply

I'd love to hear how the toe taps work out.

 

[mr monty]



Andrew I too own a pair of the 1953 horsebits and I can't for the life of me keep the toe from scuffing (check out the pics). I keep the shoe cream handy, but I basically have to cream these every time I wear them (what a pain). Do you have any good advice on what I can do to prevent scuffing/make them last? As you can see from the pic, there appears to be a design flaw in these loafers, in that, the toe extends beyond the sole when compressed. This naturally leads to the repeated scuffing when worn. I'll take any advice I can get so that I can finally enjoy these $640 shoes... Thanks

$640 retail?? at the Gucci factory stores you can get 2 pair for that or less. I not sure that top plates will help?

 

[stlsoul]

Hey folks, I'm pleased to report that I have solved the issue with the scuffing on the toe of the Gucci horsebits, and the solution is so simple, it's borderline infuriating.

So here's the deal. Gucci has erred in the construction process of this shoe, in that they have cut the sole too short on virtually every pair. I came to this conclusion via talks with two separate cobblers who evaluated my shoes and both had the same assessment. What this means is, once the sole is a bit worn at the toe, the leather protrudes beyond the sole and scuffs the pavement with every step. The kicker here is that Gucci won't admit the design flaw here (I know, I had the pair pictured in my previous post sent all the way to Italy for defective assessment and they replied the shoes were designed correctly - like I said, infuriating).

So here's the solve, get a cobbler to replace an eighth or so of the front sole with a sole that is a few millimeters longer at the toe (or whatever length is needed so that the sole extends beyond the leather). And voilà, the problem is completely solved. And the best part is, this fix only cost me $45.

The proof is in the pics, so check it out below. And please note that, while Gucci wouldn't admit the shoes were defective, I got the Gucci store I bought them from to replace them for free. And then I had the cobbler correct the sole before I ever wore them. I hope this helps you guys out.

The pics below are after about a month of off-and-on wear. As you can see, the toe has remained pristine on both, and you can't even tell that the sole has been lengthened. Thus, these are officially my favorite shoes now...

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[cptjeff]

That's a feature, not a bug. Gucci cuts the sole ridiculously close because they basically don't want you to notice the sole at all when you're looking at the shoes. It's part of the look. It's not practical in any way, but if you want practical, you should buy something with double soles and storm welts. Gucci loafers are supposed to be a bit of an 'in your face, devil may care, I don't care how expensive these are and how quickly they wear down because I'm rich' kind of look.

 

[stlsoul]

I'd have to disagree with you cptjeff. While Gucci has likely engineered the shoe to minimize the appearance of the sole, it's ludicrous to believe they expect a $640 shoe to be heavily scuffed after 2-3 wearings. It's supposed to be a finely crafted shoe, hell, even GQ touted them as designed to last forever (assuming you refresh the soles) - which was likely more true of the older iterations. I own plenty of shoes in this price range and caliber that don't wear down like these do. But whatever, at the end of the day, it comes down to this. If you like the 1953 Horsebits and you expect them to last, get the soles adjusted.

 

[SoGent]

the Capt is correct soul . . . . it's ludicrous to believe they give a **** how many wears you get outta shoe before you realize you've bought crap.

 

[Andrew Ryan]

I also doubt Gucci gives two *****, but this is interesting because, as I mentioned, I have several pair of these in dark brown ('cocoa') that do the exact same thing while none of my other 1953 collection bits do (tan, maple, navy, etc). Unfortunately my dark brown ones have been scuffed so much at this point that they've been delegated to knock-around shoe status. Wish I would've had the idea to do the research and see a cobbler like you did.

Then again, cptjeff is absolutely right - Gucci loafers are indeed super expensive (for the longevity of the soles based on thinness alone, not being too short like in this case), devil may care, disposable shoes that you aren't supposed to care too much about when you wear them. One of the reasons I love (and, sometimes, hate) them...