Loafers: Back In Black?
Over the past month my black calf penny loafers (George Cleverley) have been getting more wear than in a long time. This is a deliberate choice on my side, spurred by the current tendency in #menswear of wearing more black. Usually, I have been mostly sticking to dark brown calf and suede shoes, so forcing myself to wearing black loafers more often has been an interesting experiment. Here’s what I have learned so far:
It’s a nice alternative
I still find dark brown loafers more versatile than black ones for the way I dress. A large part of my wardrobe, at least when it comes to shoes, trousers and jackets, is centered around brown, grey and cream. The materials are quite casual, not a whole lot of worsted suits/trousers or poplin shirts in my core wordrobe. I find that brown suede or calf loafers are easier to pair with for instance cream jeans and a brown jacket, which has been one of my go-to combos in recent months.
Still, it is nice to do this form of small and relevant experiment, something we have touched upon before on The Soft Armour.
It works well with (most) casual garments
Smooth black calf penny loafers has some formal qualities. Though a loafer usually is regarded as a casual shoe, at least compared to lace-ups like oxfords or derbies, smooth black leather loafers has more formal connotations (given that is both black and smooth). So black calf loafers can basically serve as a more relaxed substitute for your black oxfords when you wear a suit.
But they also work well with more everyday outfits. Currently I like to pair the black loafers with some more casual garments. For instance a nice rollneck in medium heavy lambswool instead of a shirt. Or a denim shirt instead of a classic oxford cloth button-down (OCBD).
I don’t quite feel at home pairing the black loafers with classic blue denim. I have enjoyed wearing my white selvedge jeans (Blackhorse Lane Ateliers) with black loafers, but somehow I don’t feel at home pairing black loafers with blue denim. It just doesn’t feel like me even though I can appreciate other people wearing it. Then I reach for the brown loafers instead.
It really isn’t that big of a difference
Black is back in #menswear and has probably been back for a couple of years. In one perspective that is not surprising, as black is a classic, at least when we talk formal menswear. In another perspective, however, it is interesting that black, with its formal connotations, is becoming popular again at the same time as menswear is becoming increasingly casual.
Personally, I do not object to either of these tendencies. And perhaps the difference isn’t that big. Often I find that both a black or brown loafer can work equally well with an outfit. Then the choice is more dependant on the wearer - what will I enjoy most and feel at ease in today?
