The penny loafer’s early history is a little murky; people just aren’t great at recording this stuff. But the consensus seems to be that in the 1930s, Norwegian shoemaker Nils Tveranger was exposed to the moccasin construction method used on Iroquois footwear while working in the U.S. Upon returning to Norway, he cribbed the technique to make a version of the local slip-on shoes favored by farmers and other laborers. Before long, they became popular as “leisure shoes” and began to be exported to Europe, where they were picked up by American tourists—gaining the strap somewhere along the way.
Esquire Magazine began to cover the style heavily, and their editors reached out to G.H. Bass about producing them domestically. That collaboration spawned the Bass Weejun, and fixed the penny loafer firmly in the American mind. After World War II, loafers became the de-facto shoe of choice on college campuses across the country—a casual and convenient beater. As the post-war generation grew up, developed a deep affection for cubicles, and generally forgot how to enjoy themselves, they took their loafers with them. The New York Times even ran a story in the nineties detailing the evolution of “tasseled loafer” as an epithet.
Within a few decades, loafers were the de-facto shoe of lawyers and bankers, then retired lawyers and bankers. But time moves in cycles, and the loafer found an unlikely ally in streetwear, styled to play off exactly their past stuffy connotations. They ended up in the vanguard of the backlash to athleisure after the pandemic, and here we are today.
For a near-ubiquitous genre of footwear, it’s surprisingly hard to find good loafer breakdown online. Most of what’s out there is scattershot and far from comprehensive, in part because of just how many brands have a version of the style. Even this list doesn’t aim to be complete.
It’s better viewed as a (hopefully) damned solid starting point; a way to get oriented with an expansive territory and all of its apron-stitched provinces. And even that remains restricted, for now, to penny loafers—no snaffle equipped bit-mocs or tassels to be found here. There’s another notable omission: the flexible, Blake-stitched Italian loafers that first rose to prominence in the 90s. Berluti is probably the archetypal example, but you’ll find similar styles from the likes of Gucci and Zenga.
Truth is, those just aren’t our speed. We like things that look and feel a bit more…solid? So we’re hardly the best to write about them. Other than that though, we cast the net wide: casual and dressy; Blake-stitched, Goodyear welted, and handsewn; made in almost a dozen different countries and nearly as many styles.
If there’s a loafer for you out there, odds are it’s on this list—and don’t forget it likely comes in a handful of colors and leather types. Everything’s ordered by price at the time of publish. Enjoy! 
Blkbrd Aurus: $137
In many ways Blkbrd Shoemaker sets a high bar for the rest of the list. Their Aurus penny loafers are lasted and welted by hand, two steps that are most often performed by machine, even on shoes that cost ten times as much. Manufacturing in Agara, India means the end product can simply be more much affordable than shoes made in plenty of places—and also allows the brand to offer a made-to-order option that permits extensive customizations, including upgrading the uppers to reliable leathers from Maryam, C.F. Stead, and Horween. Given all that, why spend more? Well, if you’re spending any money on shoes you don’t really love, 1) stop doing that, and 2) we have a podcast for you! But of course like everything in shoes, and life, and definitely shoes…tastes vary. If this is yours, you’ve got yourself a steal. 
Bridlen Original Reverse Goodyear: $174
Bridlen Shoes—based in Chennai, India—started out as a factory manufacturing white-label footwear for other brands. Their owned-brand operation began as a Japanese exclusive line spun-up out of a partnership between Bridlen’s Mohammad Hasan and Jose Watanabe, a shoemaker with decades of experience. Bridlen’s Reverse Goodyear loafer (which we’ve covered before) is constructed by sewing the inside-out upper to a thick but flexible slab of veg-tan, and then turning the whole thing…outside in? That makes them remarkably soft and flexible—but also means they can’t be resoled.
If you’re looking for something to pound the pavement in every day for years to come, you might want to look elsewhere. But for seasonal or sporadic wear it’s a comfortable build at a good price. And not many other brands would be willing to sink the R&D into a technique that was all but extinct. 
G.H. Bass Larson Weejuns: $175
Weejuns are well worth knowing, even if you never wear a pair. Introduced in 1936, they’re—as best anyone can tell—the first American penny loafer, adapted from Norwegian (hence the name) proto-pennies by the editor of Esquire and G.H. Bass. Bass has been sold a number of times and the build has, perhaps, suffered a bit. At this point, only the uppers and the outsole are leather. The visible stitching that rings the shoe’s perimeter is actually a decorative synthetic welt glued to the outsole—the real stitch is covered by a foam topper in the footbed. There’s neither a midsole nor a shank to speak of.
None of that is abnormal at this price point, but it’s not the rule either, so it’s worth keeping in mind. Buck Mason has a collab version with upgraded Horween Chromexcel uppers that’s definitely worth a look, but the construction is otherwise identical. Still, every “beefroll” pattern—recognizable by the chunky strap stitching that resembles butcher’s twine—is more a less a direct descendent of the Bass Weejun. 
Meermin SWAY Loafer: $215
Meermin, mostly made in Shanghai and run out of Mallorca, Spain (read more about them here), is one of the great value propositions in welted shoes period, and offer Goodyear welted loafers with hand sewn aprons for just over $200. The SWAY-lasted loafers are their most casual, with a rounder toe and steeper sidewalls that draw on American Ivy style. A flexible, middle of the road option in terms of formality, they’re (theoretically, at any point) available in sizes 2-15.
Bridlen Folded Penny: $325
Bridlen’s welted offering punches far above their price class. On most Goodyear welted shoes, the welt is sewn to a strip of canvas “gemming” glued to the insole—countless great shoes are made that way, to be clear. But Bridlen sews their welts directly into a channel in the leather insole, a construction broadly considered stronger. The stitching that attaches the sole to the welt is hidden beneath the surface of the leather rather than exposed (in the jargon: a “closed channel” rather than “open channel” stitch).
Neither of these details are going to totally transform your experience of the shoe, but they both point to something more important: Bridlen cares plenty about craft. Their “folded” penny loafer is fairly formal, with clean lines, sloping sidewalls, and a high, rectangular tongue. While they’d probably be more at home with trousers than jeans, they’re certainly worth considering if you like the styling.
Rancourt Beefroll: $328
Rancourt’s Beefroll arguably sets the standard for a casual loafer with moccasin construction. Their moccasin “plugs” over the toes are hand-sewn onto the uppers in Maine, where the handsewn moccasin industry has survived decades worth of ups-and-downs, and the company remains run by a family who’ve now been in that business for three generations. On a traditional moccasin construction like this, the vamp wraps all the way underneath the last, and is then stitched through the footbed to a leather midsole, which is attached to the outsole. Upper leathers are mostly from Horween (they even do some shell), and in addition to the more traditional leather soles they’re available on softer crepe soles from Lactae Hevea. These are about as casual as it gets—you’re definitely more likely to see them worn with denim and workwear than tailoring.
Oak Street Bootmakers Beefroll: $348
Oak Street’s version of the beefroll is quite similar to Rancourt’s with a few key differences—the tongue is more rounded and comes up higher, with a larger strap that’s stitched closer to the perimeter. Those are admittedly small details, but that’s because both brands come from more or less the same tradition: Oak Street’s mocs used to be manufactured by Maine’s Highland Shoe Co., who had done the same for household names like Polo and L.L. Bean for decades. When Highland sadly went out of business, Oak Street bought their patterns and lasts, keeping them in circulation.
Sid Mashburn Handsewn: $350
Sid Mashburn’s Handsewn Penny is a slightly dressier take on the moccasin-construction loafer, eschewing the beefroll stitching and adding a lining. All of which is very much in line for a clothing brand whose eponymous designer worked for J. Crew, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger before doing his own thing. In spite of all of that they’ll still probably fit in best in the same contexts as a chunkier beefroll, just without leaning quite so hard into the look. It’s worth noting that the upper leathers aren’t quite as nice as some of the others at this price point—the suede looks pretty good, but the Spazzolato Calf in particular is very heavily finished.
Wheelrobe Tokyo Heavy Stitching Loafer: $356
The Heavy Stitching Loafer from Japanese brand Wheelrobe is a more modern, pared-back pattern that blends elements from dressy Euro-style loafers and the more casual American style. And like the Morjas and Grant Stone models later on the list, they ultimately land somewhere in between the two looks. Or they would, at least, if it wasn’t for the thickness of the Chromexcel and the hint of a bump toe, which push them off the z-axis somewhere towards loafer-boot territory. Which, we feel, is fantastic. The biggest downside is that they can be hard to find outside of Japan.
Aurlands Buxton: $376
Even in the shoe-myths, Aurlands wasn’t the first to make a penny loafer (remember Nils Tveranger?), but they can lay claim to producing the modern version of that original—they’re the last large-scale shoe factory in Norway. The most distinctive aspect of the design is the high mouth at the heel which swoops down into a fairly low profile toe, giving the whole shoe a bit of an angle. Their Buxton is Blake-stitched, with upper leathers tanned by Sepici, and a leather sole that’s “nice to dance on, but is slippery” (a quirk of the translation).
Unmarked Jack: $390
Lest anyone forget that “Goodyear welt” doesn’t have to mean”‘traditional style” just because the process is old, we have Unmarked. What immediately stands out are the thick crepe sole topped off with a leather midsole and storm welt (all dyed black) and the all-around beefy last.
These are one of those styles where it matters much more that what you’re wearing is assertive than that it hits a certain level formality or informality—for what it’s worth, I think this is why chunky, lug-soled loafers have dominated the recent zeitgeist outside of a pretty narrow set of menswear circles. Unmarked—based in North American shoemaking epicenter Leon, Mexico—also offers a Burgundy version (and occasionally other colors) in their made to order lineup, though the black is available in stock.
Sanders & Sanders Madrid: $398
Though they lack the widespread U.S. availability (and name recognition) of other Northampton brands, Sanders has been making shoes there since 1873. Like Aurlands and Unmarked, the vamp and plug on the Jack are simply placed face to face and then stitched together by machine—a rougher finish than a decorative stitch in a single piece of leather, but without the chunkier look of hand stitching.
Without going really in depth on apron stitching, it’s a look that some might consider an unhappy medium (dress shoe purists especially), but that’s a purely aesthetic consideration and one you may well disagree with. The construction though, is exactly what you’d expect from Northampton: Goodyear welted with cork fill, a wooden shank, and in this case a leather outsole. While Sanders tip the scales far less than say, a Tricker’s shoe, not too many brands can still make shoes in England at this price point, especially not at this level of build. Sanders also has one of the better how it’s made videos out there.
Morjas Ivy: $400
Morjas is another young, style-conscious brand highly active in the loafer resurgence. The penny is their signature style, but we’re plugging the Ivy because it checks all the boxes of the styling we favor: low vamps, a more rounded toe, and a square rather than sloping cross section. Clean, on the sleeker side for an Ivy-inspired design, and made in Spain, Morjas’ patterns aren’t the most distinct, but they’re executed thoughtfully and intentionally. Their quality control and finishing also seems to be nicely consistent, and the decorative nails at the toe are a fun touch on the leather sole.
Cavour Penny Loafer: $405
Cavour’s penny loafer is another step towards formal, with a more almond shaped (but still slightly rounded) toe and a slightly more minimalist pattern than Morjas, with less stitching on the upper. That’s no surprise from a brand that’s better known for their full canvas suits than their shoes. As a clothing brand (at least primarily) Cavour isn’t making these in-house; they contract out to a factory in Spain. It makes sense then, that the pattern is pretty classic. It’s a well executed take with a nice last. If you’re apprehensive about leather soles though—and there’s probably no reason to be, unless you’re expecting a lot of wet marble—these outsoles are rubber.
Grant Stone Traveler: $412
Grant Stone is less than a decade old, but their lasts are balanced, their patterns are damned clean, and they offer a wider range of sizes (up to EEE) than most other makers. The Traveler sits in a middle ground between really casual loafers (imagine something like a beefroll) and more formal European designs. Upper leathers include staples like Horween Chromexcel and C.F. Stead suede, as well as some more unusual offerings (kangaroo!) and occasional Horween shell cordovan runs.
From the leather options to the wider-than-usual footbed, the Traveler is pretty clearly a loafer made with people who also love boots in mind. They’re a solid option and an easy recommendation, with a price point made possible in part by founder Wyatt Gilmore’s multi-decade relationship with a factory in Xiamen, China—in many ways the brand’s engine.
TLB Mallorca Artista: $416
Hailing from the island-capitol of Spanish shoemaking, TLB Mallorca offers a pretty wide range of loafer styles, but their patterns definitely skew towards the sleeker and more sculpted toe shapes typically associated with continental European designs. The Artista, for example, has a soft square toe shape that verges on a chisel toe. There are other dressy details at play here too, like the fact that the welt and sole are shaped to create what’s called a beveled waist, giving the sole a three dimensional look and a smaller and more defined shape. It’s the most traditionally formal pattern so far, and probably not one most at home with slacks and tailoring (depending on the leather).
Blackstock & Weber Ellis: $425
In the few years since Blackstock & Weber exploded into being, the brand has been a major voice of cultural opposition to the still-dominant sneaker wave, helping to break loafers back into the stylish urban mainstream. The Ellis has blocky double leather soles with fudged storm welts, and an unambiguously round last with high walls. Their assertive, contemporary look is both the major selling point and the key point of differentiation from more tradition-facing brands, and leather selection—from two-tones to faux croc—is consistently quite fun.
Rolling Dub Trio In’ei: $501
Munson. Loafer. What more do you need to know? Well, the following, we suppose: The Munson last actually makes a lot of sense for a loafer: it has a wide toe box but a more fitted waist and heel; plenty comfortable and supportive, but still a secure fit. Still, you almost never see it on anything but a boot, and this is the only time we’ve seen it on a loafer.
Tokyo-based Rolling Dub Trio also puts a lot of thought into how their shoes age—you can wear these hard and they’ll only be better off for it, both in feel and look. The uppers, though, are Dutch box calf, so while the silhouette is by no means formal, we’d advance that in 2025 you can dress these up as much as you want, especially if your pants are on the wider side. Aka: these would look sick with a suit. Like other Japanese brands, they can definitely be hard to find stateside. But luckily we’ve got a video series about RDT and other brands in Tokyo…
Carlos Santos Stephen: $591
Carlos Santos’ Stephen loafer uses what the brand calls “Saint Crispin’s Construction”—seemingly a 360˚, single row stitchdown. In combination with the crepe outsole, it’s a relaxed, laid-back look that’s maybe a little less flexible than some of the other entries. The lasts are quite rounded with minimal taper through the waist, and the light, veg-tan collars will darken with age as they’re worn, reducing the contrast against the uppers a little bit. Santos doesn’t publish much information about the materials or construction, but they’re generally a very reliable maker, so these are worth checking out if you like the look or have your heart set on a crepe sole. Aesthetically, the Desert Boot of loafers.
Vass Slipper I: $525
Vass is a pretty remarkable operation. A workshop of roughly twenty shoemakers in Budapest, they’re one of very few workshops who legitimately make their shoes by hand—aka hand-lasting and hand-welting every shoe. Their shoes are made to order, so it’s hard to pin down the Vass loafer, but their P last—one of the wider options—makes an appearance on almost all of them. In general, Vass loafers also feature quite large straps with a very prominent gullwing cutout. The eastern European tradition tends toward blockier shapes, and you can see a bit of that on their pennies (especially the Slipper II), though they also make some very sleek square toe models. We’re a bit surprised we’ve yet to see a pair with a braided welt though.
Carmina Robert: $550
Carmina is another Mallorca-based brand—actually run by relatives of Meermin’s owners—which should start to give you a sense of just how impressive the Spanish island’s shoe industry is. The Robert is in the dressier Euro style; note just how long the vamp is, and the narrow, pointed toe (a bit less rounded than TLBs). See also the narrow, perpendicular, gullwing style cutout. Carmina’s loafers are a softer take on this sort of pattern, and so a very solid all around formal-leaning option.
Cheaney Hudson: $570
Cheaney’s Hudson sits towards the more formal side of the British loafer world, especially given that they tend to be run in calfskin. Its apron stitching hews close to the sidewalls of the vamp at the toe, but gets more distant from them as it moves back to meet the strap—a small optical illusion that makes the shoe look just a bit narrower. Otherwise, the details and finishing are clean and straightforward. Cheaney is an interesting case: currently they’re owned by the Church family, who used to run (surprise) Church’s, until it was taken over by the Prada group.
Löf & Tung Francisco: $594
Löf & Tung is the in-house brand of Sweden-based Skoaktiebolaget, one of the biggest independent retailers of Goodyear welted shoes in Europe. The big advantage here is that they’ve sized a ton of different people in many different brands, so if you’re apprehensive about buying shoes online but don’t live in a huge city, they’re worth reaching out to.
Their penny loafer model seems to mostly be run in Horween shell cordovan at a quite competitive price, but what really stands out are the aprons. [Warning: deep-end shoe-nerd shit ahead] The top vamp piece is attached with a simple machine sewn overlap stitch, but is then followed afterwards by a thicker line of stitching that asymmetrically raises one side of the seam. It looks an awful lot like a mechanical nod to pie-crust stitching, and a very difficult—and thus extremely expensive—handwork technique. All in all, a pretty unique take on a more casual Euro-style pattern that’s not cheap-cheap, but priced shockingly competitively for Horween shell.
Yuketen Rob’s Penny Loafer: $630
Yuki Matsuda is an enigmatic obsessive with a sharp sense of humor and an even sharper eye for everything vintage-Americana. Like the rest of its output, Yuketen’s penny loafers are hard to miss, with aggressive pinking, chunky hand stitching, and thoroughly thought-out details like the overlap stitch on the apron. It’s a casual pattern, and the build is neither less meticulous nor less original than the rest of the shoe. The last also has a lower toe box and a narrower waist than those of most other moccasin-constructed loafers. They seem to only be available in suede at the moment, though versions come and go. Definitely in the beefroll tradition, but the design and quality control makes them an upgrade from the more basic options. Hard to go wrong here.
Russell Moccasin B52: $650
Russell’s orientation is a little different from the Maine-handsewn makers, because their primary focus is hunting boots. On a boot, the overlapped toe seam adds waterproofing. On a loafer it adds some rigidity, but it’s mostly there to carry on Russell’s construction history…and look cool. The heavy duty upper leathers though, and the fact that they’re bottomed the same way as Russell’s boots, makes this a tank of a loafer. With a wide ball that tapers somewhat into a narrowed, squared toe with a bit of toe spring, it’s also a pretty unique pattern. They’re likely not going to see much wear with slacks, but if your goal is comfort and durability (and you don’t mind spending the money), the B52 is going to be pretty hard to beat.
Paraboot Reims: $650
Paraboot—mostly the Tyrolean-shoe magnate Michael—has earned some well-deserved time in the sun outside of shoe-nerd circles in the last few years, and the Reims loafers have been pulled along with their buddy Mike, though not quite as far. The prominent overlap-stitched apron, the Norwegian welt, and the trademark rubber soles make these instantly recognizable once you know what they are. It’s definitely a bold look in the tradition-oriented world of welted shoes, but the build quality is there to back them up.
Grenson Epsom: $685
Grenson’s Epsom combines a minimalist pattern with a big, squared-off last—a modern, flexible look with passing similarities to the J.M. Weston 180 and to Paraboot’s other loafer, the Adonis. The toe is wide and the pattern stays wide through the waist and heel. While most of the surviving Northampton brands lean hard into the “heritage” thing, Grenson is a bit of a departure—there’s a focus on collaborations and new designs that mesh better with streetwear and the less buttoned-up way people are styling tailoring right now. (For more on that, check out our podcast with Grenson head man Tim Little here.)
For its part, the Epsom is pretty toned down; that ethos peeks through in the last, if anywhere. If you like the more traditional look, there’s no shortage of options in Northampton, even today. But if you’re a bit younger (or wish to be) or just have a more aggressive style and are hesitant about the stuffy connotations that sometimes attach themselves to “hard shoes,” Grenson might be a good place to look. Despite being a little more fashion-forward, they’re still Goodyear welted and (for the most part) use high quality upper leathers.
Tricker’s Adam: $695
The Adam penny is unique—the horizontal seam on the countercover and the hand stitching where the strap crosses the apron are pretty clearly the influence of American moccasin-constructed loafers, but these are Goodyear welted. And other details, like the split-toe, pinked collar, and split-reverse welt, demonstrate the extensive modifications Tricker’s has made to that style. Rightly known most for their brogues, Tricker’s is certainly experienced at patterning shoes that have a lot more going on than some of the minimalist styles on this list, and the end result is a well-built casual loafer that doesn’t look quite like anything else, available in finely-napped roughout in a handful of colors.
Alden Leisure Handsewn: $710
If this list only had one entry, it might start and end with the Alden LHS. A noble survivor of a time before ubiquitous cementing and closed-cell foam, the LHS—with its rounded toe and low vamp—is the shoe of American Ivy style. The LHS designation stands for “Leisure Hand Sewn”: “leisure” presumably because of the relatively casual design language, and “handsewn” because the apron (the u-shaped stitching on the vamp) is sewn by hand.
Setting aside the shell option for now, the snuff suede LHS is a common sight with workwear, military surplus, and casual tailoring. Putting a more casual leather on a shoe that (to most people) reads as fairly formal helped to bridge the gap between baker pants and a blazer, or tailored trousers and more casual outerwear when a lot of people were leaning hard into that look during the Great Amekaji Boomerang. The LHS has a way of hanging around because they’re just so damn versatile. A great pattern on a great last.
October 10th OT35: $724
The breadth and skill on display in October 10th’s output is quite impressive, especially for a workshop that’s quite young. Lasts can be one of the most difficult things for new brands to get right, but they already have a small handful: two narrower straight lasts and two wider “banana”-shaped lasts that curve to better fit a real actual foot. All of them share angular—almost triangular—vamps and narrow, fitted waists. They also do a ton of handwork, all the way from hand stitched aprons to pie-crust stitching and reverse lake stitches, in addition to handwelting everything. Most of their models have beveled waists.
The main disadvantages are navigating made-to-order wait times and the fact that their English-language website and orders are managed by the Sons of Henrey folks, adding another layer of mediation. Sizing is also tougher for many of the same reasons. Those obstacles mean that if you’re just casually browsing for loafers you need NOW, October 10th probably isn’t the first place to look. If you’re willing to go through the trouble though, you’re not just getting handwork for handwork’s sake. There’s a cohesive aesthetic and a level of artistry you’re hard pressed to find at this price point.
Drake’s Charles: $730
Originally a tie and scarf manufacturer, Drake’s is better known now for their influential editorial photography and their playful way of styling tailoring. Their footwear is a mix of other brands (Alden, Paraboot), and ‘Drake’s’-branded offerings, which are manufactured to spec. The Charles falls into the latter category, and is made in Northampton. Immediately visible is the elliptical cutout, narrower and taller than common half-moon and gull-wing designs.
There are actually two different versions of this shoe, but both share the same pattern and a fairly round last that gets shallower towards the toe. The difference is in the finishing: the first version of the Charles has a leather sole that’s finished square, with open channel stitching; the ‘Charles Mk II’ has bevelled edges at the waist, closed channel stitching, and all-around nicer finishing, but at a significantly higher price point. They seem to be solid shoes that fit in well with the Drake’s look, but the pricing places them in direct competition with some of the best ready-to-wear patterns available.
Heinrich Dinkelacker Wein BC: $775
Heinrich Dinkelacker is an old name that makes shoes in the Budapest tradition—think vamps with high walls and round, solid lasts—as well as doing perhaps the nicest braided welts available ready-to-wear (though not on their loafers). HD was sold a while back, and they’ve since pulled back a little from the brand’s most recognizable (but also labor intensive) designs. But the Wein loafer, which is German for “Vienna”, retains plenty of the Austrian design language: the last remains round and the vamp seemingly never ends, perhaps the highest on this list. In terms of detailing though, they’re super stripped back, with the last remaining maximalist touches hiding out in the sole finishing.
J.M. Weston 180: $885
The 180’s clean, squared off pattern and high walled vamp still read as modern, but the storied French brand has been around since 1891 and making the 180 since 1946. The kip uppers are tanned by Tannerie Dupuy, while the outsole and heel are tanned by Weston’s own tannery, Bastin & Fils. J.M. Weston has a lot of infrastructure: their restoration workshop alone processes 10,000 pairs of shoes every year. You can even pick up a restored pair to save a few hundred dollars relative to a new one. Westons can be difficult to find in the United States, and their online sizing tool doesn’t account for volume, so your mileage may vary unless you have aggressively normal feet. Truly one of the classics right here.
Alden Full Strap: $913
The Alden Full Strap—as opposed to the shorter strap on a regular penny—doubles down on the styling of the LHS but pushes things in a slightly dressier direction. The vamp is stratospherically low, and the Aberdeen last has a more pointed toe compared to the Van last used on the LHS. The narrow, downturned cutout and thin strap lean into this even further—the Full Strap’s design language is super consistent, even if the result is a little more polarizing than other Alden options.
You’ll find these in snuff suede and calfskin for a few hundred dollars less, but they canonically exist—at least in our imaginations—in shell cordovan. Alden coats their shell, giving it a flatter but more uniform look than Horween shell from other makers. Some people dislike the coating, which tends to wear away over time. Otherwise, it can be reapplied if the shoes are resoled through Alden.
Crockett & Jones Harvard: $1,100
Crockett & Jones was one of the first makers to bring the more casual American loafer to England. Resolutely manufacturing in Northampton, Crockett still uses the old cottage system for the handsewn vamps, sending batches of uppers out to be sewn at home and then picking up the finished pieces for bottoming. The heel fit is snug, and they have a slightly lower heel height than the Alden LHS.
Dark brown Horween shell cordovan is something of a signature leather for the Harvard, where it is used unlined. (FYI: unlined shell is a bit more breathable, but can also form a slightly more pronounced break than a lined loafer.) While far from cheap, the shell model shares its other components with the handgrade line, including a more durable bark tanned outsole.
JM Weston 180 Triple Sole: $1124
A 180 from outer space, the triple sole uses—you guessed it—three leather outsoles to define a blocky (that’s an understatement) sole stack that makes a stepped climb up to the welt. There are some… practical downsides to this design that are worth mentioning: there’s going to be an extremely serious break in process, for one thing, and they’ll be tougher to resole if you somehow manage to wear them out. Still, for the strong of mind—and foot—there’s something in the dramatic aesthetics that makes them hard to leave alone.
Viberg Bristol: $1,115
Viberg is dangerously good at last design—the 2030 last and its variants played a central role in cementing their genre-defining service boots. As Viberg pushes towards more formal horizons, the 1905 last borrows the 2030’s round almond toe and the smooth climb of its instep, but tightens things up, particularly through the waist. The uppers are spare, with a simple overlap stitched apron and a split toe. While the standard version is clicked from smooth calf with a flat welt and a leather sole, we can’t help but feel they look best on a Ridgeway sole paired with Viberg’s scalloped welt, especially with some of the more textured leather offerings you don’t tend to see from dressier makers.
At this price, a lot of the Bristol’s competition has fine-finishing details like closed channel stitching, and a lot more handwork on the sole in general. You won’t find that here. So what are you getting? Finishing that’s simple but very consistent, and an absolutely rock solid build. Plus an easier time sizing if you’re familiar with Viberg already.
Gaziano & Girling Chadwick: $1131
In less than 20 years G&G went from a pair of shoemakers running bespoke operations out of their garage to a substantial brand with its own Northampton factory. Few shoe companies are actually run by shoemakers—normally the business side of things takes precedence because that’s what keeps the lights on. Gaziano and Girling is one of them though, and that manifests in decisions like designing and manufacturing all of their lasts in house, allowing them to bring their ready-to-wear “classic” line closer to the higher-end made-to-order and bespoke options.
The Chadwick is round with high walls at the toe, before quickly but seamlessly transitioning to a more angular shape as you move back across the last. It’s a unique and effective design, complimented by some incredibly tight hand stitching at the apron and a razor-thin gullwing style cutout. Compared to their bespoke and MTO shoes, the two main differences are the construction (Goodyear rather than hand-welted) and the less complex shapes. The same materials and design are very much at play.
Edward Green Piccadilly Unlined: $1,520
Another of the storied old Northampton makers, Edward Green’s quality and consistency fall in with the top tier of ready-to-wear makers, and the Piccadilly has a price to match. The stitching on the uppers is light and precise, with high stitches-per-inch and not a thread out of place, even on points of overlap. French binding at the mouth provides reinforcement and a clean look, while the mouth itself is high and narrow for a secure fit. The leather outsoles are oak-bark tanned and meld seamlessly into the welt, for a thin sole that lends further formality to the shallower, more angular vamp and toe. These come recommended by a number of menswear types, including none other than Derek Guy.
Saint Crispin’s Classic Penny Loafer: $1,700
Saint Crispin’s makes some absolutely gorgeous loafers. Handwelted and hand-lasted in Romania with high end fit and finish by a small team that makes only around 1,500 pair per year, each of their shoemakers is only making a few each week. The waists are secured with wooden pegs rather than welted, which allows for more extreme shaping and a tighter waist than would otherwise be possible. It also gives them a slightly stiffer and more structured waist, which seems to result in a bit of extra break-in but more support in the long run. Customization options range from the standard models listed on the website (no customization) through made-to-order models with modified lasts up to fully bespoke with a completely unique last and pattern.
John Lobb Lopez: $1,890
John Lobb’s Lopez has many of the trappings of a higher-end welted shoe. Closed channel stitching on the outsole; dense, even stitching on the upper; a hand-stitched apron; and consistent finishing. They’re a solid and storied loafer for sure, but they’re competing with some of the best of the best, at a price point where you start seeing other makers involve hand-welting, MTO options with modified lasts, or more complex sole finishing.
Lobb, known today as a Northampton shoemaker, actually got its start in Australia, but was awarded a royal warrant and moved to England in 1863. Today, the situation is more complicated: the “John Lobb” in question here actually used to be the brand’s French wing, which was sold to the Hermes group in the 70s—the original Lobb family now trades in bespoke footwear under the name “John Lobb 1849”.
Corthay Yawl: $2,270
While definitely a little outside of our day-to-day wheelhouse but a maker we have infinite respect for, Corthay is known first and foremost for their exaggerated lasts and patterning, and patina work, the process of gradually applying thin layers of dyes and finishes to produce a high contrast look that’s often quite colorful. It’s a very specific look that’s been increasingly common over the last decade or so, a shift driven in no small part by Corthay themselves. Another example of a shoemaker-run brand that’s been quite successful at a very high level. The aesthetics are definitely a bit of a departure if you’re coming from the boot world, but they’re a name worth knowing if you’re in the deep-end about shoes.
Seiji McCarthy Full Strap Bespoke: $4,000+
There’s a coherence to Seiji McCarthy’s designs that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into another world. One of the selling points of bespoke is that you can get anything you want, and it takes ample skill to communicate a coherent identity and design language across an output with heavily divergent specifications. Still, just look for a good long minute at anything made by Seiji McCarthy, and it’s clear who made it. There of course are plenty of bespoke loafers out there, and if you want more, head to Shoegazing; these just happen to be our favorites.
At too quick a glance they might be mistaken for Aldens, but the utter absence of any defects of geometric deviations rules that out. They’re familiar, but alien in their perfection, like something from a nearby timeline that diverges from ours in a myriad of ways each too small to identify alone. The Half-Japanese/half-American McCarthy grew up outside Philadelphia. and studied at Stanford and the London School of Economics and worked for the NBA before saying “and now I must make handmade shoes”. He’s currently based in the bespoke shoemaking epicenter they call Tokyo, but does a US swing trunk show trip once a year.