History of footwear - shoes loafers

Increasingly, there are welcoming rays of the sun, and it blows with warmth and happiness. We are waiting, not waiting for the first spring days, to put on new high-heeled ankle boots, “men's” shoes and, of course, loafers as soon as possible, because with the arrival of spring you always want something new, and it's too early to try on boats, ballet flats and sandals. Loafers are the very comfortable shoes that we need for long walks. After all, loafers go very well with jeans, classic trousers, mini dresses, coats, and a set of casual clothes.

Loafers are shoes with a long tongue, without lacing and fasteners, with a rounded toe. Loafers can be high or low heels, decorated with tassels or a bridge at the instep. Loafers are similar to moccasins, but they differ in a rigid sole with a heel. They can be both male and female.

Where does the name - loafers come from? Translated from English "loafer" - "loafer", although the shoes themselves do not want to be called loafers. It is better to wear them when you have to walk quickly and a lot, and even under the most difficult circumstances - on an uneven surface.

Loafers with leather tassels in the bow are called "tassel loafers", there are also "penny loafers" - with a leather bridge.

Classic men's loafers are shoes without lacing, with a rigid sole, with a prominent welt and a small heel. The nose can have tassels or a bridge. The most classic color for men's loafers is brown and beige. The material can be leather or suede.

Miu Miu

Women's loafers have a wider range of materials - matte or patent leather, suede, textiles, exotic animal leather. The heel height of women's loafers is also varied - there are models without a heel, there are models with high or medium heels. But the heel must be wide. In the decoration, women's loafers repeat men's: tassels, jumpers.

Where did these comfortable shoes come from?
Loafer-like shoes were worn by British sailors. While in port cities, sailors visited drinking establishments. There were times when a sailor on a spree missed the departure of his ship. It was then that he was listed as a "bum". And the shoes, in which it was so convenient to spend time in a cheerful company, along with their owner, received the name - "loafers".

Shoes similar to loafers were worn by Norwegian fishermen. They were made of leather and did not have laces either. For their convenience, they began to be called somewhat differently - "slippers", that is, "slippers". Now slippers are a slightly different shoe, but they really look like slippers.

In the early 30s of the last century, taking a closer look at these comfortable shoes, the English entrepreneurs Spaldings from New Hampshire released models with a leather tassel. Then a new decoration appeared - a jumper with a cut in the toe of the shoe. American George Henry Bass began to sell them in 1934.

This element of the shoe turned out to be convenient so that at least a coin could be hidden there. And so it was - the sailors hid the coin for a rainy day, after a hangover. And in the 50s, American students guessed the same coin - to hide a penny before exams, for good luck. Initially, this model was called "weejuns" - from "norwegians", that is ("Norwegians").

But still, then the name "penny loafers" was assigned to them. In the 30s Guccio Gucci created a new type of footwear - loafers with a buckle-bridge on the instep. Now this model is called "Gucci loafers".

Photo above and two photos below - women's loafers by Gucci

In the twentieth century, when women found many things for themselves in the men's wardrobe - trousers, cardigans, tuxedos, loafers also appeared. Audrey Hepburn's character wore loafers in Funny Face. They were also loved by Grace Kelly.

There was a time when women's loafers did not have heels. But in the 21st century, a high heel appeared. With such a variety of models, choosing loafers is easy.

And the color palette is not limited to brown or black. You shouldn't worry about choosing a color, because spring is unthinkable without bright and daring color solutions. There are loafers with a leopard print, and loafers made of python skin, as well as imitating the skin of a python and a crocodile.

Top loafers by Giuseppe Zanotti
Photo bottom Stella McCartney

In men's shoes, loafers have also been replenished with models with a bright color palette. In addition, the Tod's brand has released a model with a flexible sole, and Jimmy Choo has released a model with patterns.

Many celebrities have chosen and are choosing loafers as comfortable and practical shoes, for example, Grace Kelly, Bill Gates, John F. Kennedy, Elton John, Dustin Hoffman, Ben Affleck, Francis Coppola, Matt Damon, Kirsten Dunst, Katie Holmes, Kelly Osborne. Loafers with white socks were Michael Jackson's favorite shoes. He danced in them in the video "Thriller".