The Best Loafers To Buy Now And Love Forever
A classic pair of loafers combines effortless polish, walk-miles comfort and timeless appeal. Here, COLLEEN ROSS rounds up the styles to add to your forever closet
The word versatile gets thrown around a lot in fashion, but loafers are the real deal: they truly go with everything. The beauty of this preppy style is that it will always retain an air of polish, which allows it to pull a look together in an instant, whether elevating jeans, grounding floaty dresses, or finishing crisp tailoring. You only need to look at the recent runways for proof. Brands including Proenza Schouler, Victoria Beckham, Burberry and Stella McCartney styled a plethora of looks with sleek loafers. Plus, the silhouette has been worn on rotation by style icons for decades (Katharine Hepburn, Princess Diana, Sienna Miller, and Zoë Kravitz to name just a few), cementing their wear-forever appeal.
The best loafers retain original design codes, including polished leather uppers, a structured sole and either a gleaming metal buckle, tassels or a penny strap (according to fashion lore, the cutout detail was once used for carrying a coin to make emergency phone calls). Unsurprisingly, given their evergreen nature, most brands with leather-working credentials have at least one signature iteration. Classic colorways – black, brown and tan – are adaptable all-rounders that wear well. Look to Gianvito Rossi for a riff on the collegiate penny loafer in sumptuous suede, or try Khaite’s tactile calf-hair design. Of course, no loafer roundup would be complete without mentioning Gucci. The iconic Italian house has been crafting classic loafers for more than 70 years, and its ‘Marmont’ style is an update on the original horsebit pair, which first launched in 1953.
Emme Parsons’ ‘Danielle’ flats are crafted from croc-effect leather and effortlessly balance refined Italian craftsmanship with all-American ease. Embrace this season’s ’60s mood by wearing yours with a mini skirt for a look that instantly evokes Françoise Hardy’s Parisian polish. Elsewhere, brands have added slick, contemporary details to the nostalgic silhouette. Chloé’s slip-on ‘Marcie’ loafers, for instance, come in plush leopard-print velvet and are topped with a gleaming gold-tone buckle, while Tod’s chocolate suede pair has practical pebbled soles.