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One loafer above all others

Duke Santos

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Back on topic. If we're talking one pair of loafers then I think that rules out both suede and leather soles unless you live in an extremely arid climate. You're going to want calf/shell and rubber.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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Back on topic. If we're talking one pair of loafers then I think that rules out both suede and leather soles unless you live in an extremely arid climate. You're going to want calf/shell and rubber.

A friend of mine likes lightweight summer EG loafers with a rubber sole because he finds them more comfortable. But if you're talking about rubber soles for wet days (what I inferred from your comment about "arid climate"), I'm not sure I'd wear a loafer in the first place. I wear boots when it rains, and then loafers when it's sunny and dry. Loafers with a wet-weather sole seems like a contradiction.
 

Duke Santos

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A friend of mine likes lightweight summer EG loafers with a rubber sole because he finds them more comfortable. But if you're talking about rubber soles for wet days (what I inferred from your comment about "arid climate"), I'm not sure I'd wear a loafer in the first place. I wear boots when it rains, and then loafers when it's sunny and dry. Loafers with a wet-weather sole seems like a contradiction.

Not so much hard rain. Just intermittent Summer rain, the type we often get in Chicago or in the NE. Enough to wreck shop on a suede upper or leather sole but that a calf/shell and rubber soul could shake off easily. In a thunderstorm, definitely not.

My family is old SF (think North Beach not Pacific Heights), so I know that when it rains in San Francisco it pours. I got caught in a downpour there in the early 00's in a pair of black cap toe Bruno Magli's. Prior to that, they were exceedingly comfortable. After their drenching, they were foot wreckers.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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Not so much hard rain. Just intermittent Summer rain, the type we often get in Chicago or in the NE. Enough to wreck shop on a suede upper or leather sole but that a calf/shell and rubber soul could shake off easily. In a thunderstorm, definitely not.

My family is old SF (think North Beach not Pacific Heights), so I know that when it rains in San Francisco it pours. I got caught in a downpour there in the early 00's in a pair of black cap toe Bruno Magli's. Prior to that, they were exceedingly comfortable. After their drenching, they were foot wreckers.

I wear suede in the rain and find it's fine. I just use a suede waterproofer. I also think leather soles are fine in the rain, even if not ideal.

Personally wouldn't wear loafers if I thought it might rain. Would just choose a different shoe.
 

JohnMRobie

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Not so much hard rain. Just intermittent Summer rain, the type we often get in Chicago or in the NE. Enough to wreck shop on a suede upper or leather sole but that a calf/shell and rubber soul could shake off easily. In a thunderstorm, definitely not.

My family is old SF (think North Beach not Pacific Heights), so I know that when it rains in San Francisco it pours. I got caught in a downpour there in the early 00's in a pair of black cap toe Bruno Magli's. Prior to that, they were exceedingly comfortable. After their drenching, they were foot wreckers.
I’ve never understood the aversion to getting suede wet. I sprayed my suede chukkas and chelseas and they make a perfect spring/fall beater. They’ve held up just fine. Am I missing something or is this urban legend stuff
 

Duke Santos

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I’ve never understood the aversion to getting suede wet. I sprayed my suede chukkas and chelseas and they make a perfect spring/fall beater. They’ve held up just fine. Am I missing something or is this urban legend stuff

Maybe I'm just old school. I have a pair of old Barney's house label suede derbies. I think I'll spray them and see what happens. My tobacco suede Baracuta G9 jacket ain't going anywhere near a cloud though.
 

Nickd

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I wear suede in the rain and find it's fine. I just use a suede waterproofer. I also think leather soles are fine in the rain, even if not ideal.

Personally wouldn't wear loafers if I thought it might rain. Would just choose a different shoe.
If you didn’t that in the U.K. you would never get to wear loafers.

That said, I do tend to wear boots in the winter and loafers in the summer. I have one pair of loafers on a Dainite sole that get a decent amount of wear in the winter though.
 

Dadacantona

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If you didn’t that in the U.K. you would never get to wear loafers.

That said, I do tend to wear boots in the winter and loafers in the summer. I have one pair of loafers on a Dainite sole that get a decent amount of wear in the winter though.
Beat me to it. It rains about 300 days a year in the north of England, often without warning. I like loafers above all other shoes so can’t be put off by a bit of rain.
 

Nickd

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Beat me to it. It rains about 300 days a year in the north of England, often without warning. I like loafers above all other shoes so can’t be put off by a bit of rain.
Yup - it’s why all my leather soled shoes have Topys. I mean it’s May now and we’ve had bright warm sunshine and snow all in the last few days.
 

manasdirge

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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.
update on the AE patriots, they fit right out of box, less break-in time needed compared with LHS, let's see how good they fit after some wears.

on the other hand, I heard they LHS for japan models have longer vamp and therefore a more secured fit. Need to try that too.

for an ultimate loafer, fit is paramount. better to find the best fit first, since the look is almost identical at distance.
 

emptym

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That is amazing, but I've wondered how long that lasts and how good it is for the environment.

Years ago, I got a bottle of Vectra. It's supposed to be environmentally friendly, but it doesn't seem to work very well. Maybe I just don't use it well. I tend to avoid wearing suede shoes in the rain but I don't mind if they get wet. I've washed suede shoes repeatedly (usually when dying them) and they turn out fine. Iirc, there's an old video of not only washing but soaking suede shoes.
 

Biogentic

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I have an Edward Green Piccadilly Dark Oak and Edward Green Lulworth Burnt Pine loafer and is looking to add a loafer suede version.. Does anyone has the EG Belgravia in suede? Does it look casually to be worn? Or my 2 existing loafers are perfectly fine for casual and there is no need to add one more?
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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That is amazing, but I've wondered how long that lasts and how good it is for the environment.

Years ago, I got a bottle of Vectra. It's supposed to be environmentally friendly, but it doesn't seem to work very well. Maybe I just don't use it well. I tend to avoid wearing suede shoes in the rain but I don't mind if they get wet. I've washed suede shoes repeatedly (usually when dying them) and they turn out fine. Iirc, there's an old video of not only washing but soaking suede shoes.

Unfortunately don't know the environmental impact, aside from the fact that it comes out of an aerosol can. I don't know how long it lasts, either. I use AE's suede waterproofer any time I get new suede shoes, but I apply once and never apply again. When I wear my suede shoes out in the rain, they seem fine -- including shoes where I applied the stuff many years ago. But I'm not particularly hard on my clothes and, if it's raining really hard, I just wear LL Bean boots. So maybe I just haven't put them to the test.

I know the effect wears off after a while. The treatment puts a billion microscopic hairs on their ends, which changes the nap of the shoe. When water it, it beads off. The treatment stops working went the hairs are flattened or when they get dirty. I believe Scotchgard, Nikwax, and various DWR sprays work on the same principle.
 

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