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One loafer above all others

Bronze Age Sartorial

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tlb-artista-penny-loafer-dark-brown-suede.jpg


Are you sure about that?

I stand corrected.... didn’t see it on TLB’s website.
 

emptym

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Connery's Bond didn't wear Venetians, though he did wear other slip on types - some in a style similar to these pretty awesome Lobb's with elastic on instep:
View attachment 1603554

I like that model. For a while that style was my oneshoe:
 

Naive Jr.

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Viral is not like a scientist because his horizont is too narrow, doesn't research before day 1 - he's simply somebody who is looking for himself by asking you how you came to select these models, which he considers unaesthetic.
 

Kaplan

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For a while that style was my oneshoe:

Seeing it again, I recall reading that thread. Those shoes look great. You still wear them?
 

Duke Santos

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Perhaps it's my American bias. Perhaps it's my ingrained notion of 90's big firm lawyers wearing tassle loafers or horsebit loafers with suits. I have come to believe that if one is to own only one loafer, it should be a penny loafer, preferably lacking both a beefroll and a full strap.
 

emptym

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For those who have made recommendations, how do the recs compare with what loafers you wear most often? I honestly think if I could only have one pair of loafers, I would keep my camp mocs. I wear them constantly. While not an ideal world, I think I could manage without loafers that were any dressier...I could always find another pair of shoes that were suitable for situations when I'd wear nicer loafers.
Forgot to reply to this. I love camp mocs. In the late 80s/early 90s, they were my only loafer and I wore them w/ everything from shorts to sport coats. I still love them, but now, if I could only have one, it'd be a plain penny, ideally the unlined LHS, as so many have said.
Seeing it again, I recall reading that thread. Those shoes look great. You still wear them?
Very rarely. The past several years, I've been wearing boots by @DWFII or unlined LHS whenever I need a black shoe. I still wear the old, cracked Nettletons whenever I wear a barong. If I had to name a oneshoe, it'd be the #8 unlined LHS. And my oneboot would be a brown pair from DWF rather than the black pair I first got and posted about.
Perhaps it's my American bias. Perhaps it's my ingrained notion of 90's big firm lawyers wearing tassle loafers or horsebit loafers with suits. I have come to believe that if one is to own only one loafer, it should be a penny loafer, preferably lacking both a beefroll and a full strap.
I too prefer my pennies w/o a beefroll or full strap, but I don't mind them on others. Beefrolls in particular have a spot in my heart since they remind me of old made in Maine handsewns from places like Dexter, Sebago, or LL Bean that my dad and uncles wore. They seem more quintessentially American than regular flat straps. Can you even get a beefroll penny from a non-US maker like Rancourt, AE, etc.?
 

The Louche V2

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If you only have one pair of loafers, it would be nice to be able to wear them at night. Brown is my favorite color for any style of dress shoe, but it just won’t work at night.
 

dieworkwear

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Perhaps it's my American bias. Perhaps it's my ingrained notion of 90's big firm lawyers wearing tassle loafers or horsebit loafers with suits. I have come to believe that if one is to own only one loafer, it should be a penny loafer, preferably lacking both a beefroll and a full strap.

I think black tassel loafers can look very chic. I actually like them because they're associated in my mind with '90s big law firm lawyers.

Some examples of outfits with black tassels:



tumblr_inline_pekca17iOl1qfex1b_540.jpg
tumblr_inline_pekfel5yx21qfex1b_540.jpg
tumblr_inline_pekfdgVCQK1qfex1b_540.jpg
tumblr_inline_pekfd64dWp1qfex1b_540.jpg
tumblr_inline_pekfd6pttz1qfex1b_540.jpg




I'd wear black tassel loafers with this olive mohair-wool suit.





I also think black tassel loafers would look very chic here:


t5slikxvqd5v9kios4wp.jpeg
MG_4123_1024x1024.jpeg




Vox recently commissioned these from Nicholas Templeman. IMO, these can be worn with navy sport coat and grey flannels, brown tweed with taupe whipcord, or most casual suits.


 
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manasdirge

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When I hear Midwest I just hear Allen Edmonds in every mall where someone convinced them to buy whatever the new combination cap toe and sneaker combination with colored soles is or whatever the sales guy at Neiman at Oak Brook convinced them was the cool new look.

AE Randolphs in burgundy shell. Versatile color and can be dressed up or down.
In case it's helpful, here's a comparison shot of four commonly recommended penny loafters, the Edward Green Piccadilly, Brooks Bros/Alden LHS, Crocket & Jones for BB Boston, and Allen Edmonds Patriot:
View attachment 1603387
EGs are 9/9.5E, Aldens are 10C, C&J are 10D, and AE's 10D
I do believe AE patriot is a good "one loafer" choice, but seems AE dropped them. and Alden dropped unlined LHS.

are these models not selling well? otherwise why discountinue them? at least they have lots of approval here on SF.
 

barutanseijin

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I do believe AE patriot is a good "one loafer" choice, but seems AE dropped them. and Alden dropped unlined LHS.

are these models not selling well? otherwise why discountinue them? at least they have lots of approval here on SF.

Not sure about AE and the Patriot, but i’ve heard there was a higher rejects rate with the unlined shell. For that reason, Alden would only do the unlined shell loafers for Brooks Bros. When Brooks Bros dropped Alden, that was the end of unlined shell loafers from Alden.
 

emptym

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^That's interesting. I wonder why there'd be more rejects for unlined shell. One of shell's disadvantages is that a small tear can easily grow. The lined versions would have more stitching and thus more opportunities for tears (just a few). And I'd imagine that omitting the lining would make them a little easier to make. But maybe not. I hope BB or someone else starts to offer the unlined versions.

I do believe AE patriot is a good "one loafer" choice, but seems AE dropped them. and Alden dropped unlined LHS.

are these models not selling well? otherwise why discountinue them? at least they have lots of approval here on SF.
BB started to have them made in Italy, and not out of Horween shell, so my guess was that they were trying to cut costs.
Online reviews of the AE Patriot savage the fit, and I have to say that the last is not as nice as Alden's. It's too symmetrical, so on me, it's a bit tight on the big toe and the largest pinky joint.
 

manasdirge

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^That's interesting. I wonder why there'd be more rejects for unlined shell. One of shell's disadvantages is that a small tear can easily grow. The lined versions would have more stitching and thus more opportunities for tears (just a few). And I'd imagine that omitting the lining would make them a little easier to make. But maybe not. I hope BB or someone else starts to offer the unlined versions.

BB started to have them made in Italy, and not out of Horween shell, so my guess was that they were trying to cut costs.
Online reviews of the AE Patriot savage the fit, and I have to say that the last is not as nice as Alden's. It's too symmetrical, so on me, it's a bit tight on the big toe and the largest pinky joint.

I somehow recently bought a pair of patriots online, still haven't got them, let's see how they fit. Online review says narrow heel which is not a problem for me, as I usually find loafer heel cups too large.

the BB new Italian-made cordovan models are less pleasing to the eye (oh the hideous rubber/leather combination soles), hope they will turnaround and resume the contract with alden.
 

barutanseijin

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^That's interesting. I wonder why there'd be higher rejects for unlined shell. One of shell's disadvantages is that a small tear can easily grow. The lined versions would have more stitching and thus more opportunities for tears (just a few). And I'd imagine that omitting the lining would make them a little easier to make. But maybe not. I hope BB or someone else starts to offer the unlined versions.

The unlined LHS are lasted tighter and that was leading to tears in the shell. That’s the rumor, anyway.
 

SSSPERF

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Impossible to pick a top favorite. The AE Woodstock in burgundy and black is a great design and also a pair of saddle tan JM made in Italy sexy penny loafers.
20210502_213947.jpg
 

Naive Jr.

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In regard to American bias, have I
Perhaps it's my American bias. Perhaps it's my ingrained notion of 90's big firm lawyers wearing tassle loafers or horsebit loafers with suits. I have come to believe that if one is to own only one loafer, it should be a penny loafer, preferably lacking both a beefroll and a full strap.
overlooked here somebody who has mentioned Bass? G. H. Bass "Weejuns"?

I say American ?? bias because once upon a time Bass was famous for both interpretations of penny loafer, with or without beef roll. (Outside Americas in Europe for example Bass costs twice even thrice as much as in America(!?) .)
 
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