What I Wear Right Now: Rubber-Soled Loafers

It took me a few years of loafer-wearing before I got my first pair of rubber-soled loafers. They didn’t get much wear at first, but now I am convinced.

I bought this pair of rubber-soled suede tassel loafers (Crockett & Jones for Anglo-Italian) last Spring. The argument was simple: I wanted a pair of loafers that performed better in rain and wet circumstances, as we see a lot of this kind of weather in Copenhagen in Spring, Fall and Winter. Well, frankly, also in Summer.

Before that I shied away from rubber-soled loafers. Something about them just didn’t sit right with me. Perhaps is was the feeling that a “true” dress loafer didn’t had a rubber sole, perhaps the sense that a rubber-soled loafer would seem off with tailoring, perhaps something else.

Anyway, I have come to really like these rubber-soled loafers for exactly that reason: The rubber sole. I have worn these loafers a lot in recent months, where a bit of rain, sleet or even snow has often been the scenario.

I find that the sole is less slippery on wet surfaces and also demands a little less care than a leather sole that has been more or less soaked in water. Also, I chose a suede upper because that usually performs better in the rain than a calf upper.

A bit about these loafers: Crockett & Jones for Anglo-Italian, Studridge in dark brown suede with city sole on the 72 last. I picked these specifically because of the last, as - as far I have understood - the 72 last is an archival Crockett & Jones last and a predecessor to the 325 last which is the last used for the Cavendish II, a last I find quite comfortable.

I took my normal size (UK 7) which works fine in length, but I find the 72 last a bit more roomy and not quite as tight fitting as the 325 last. Perhaps fit would have been better if I had sized down half a size, but I would be afraid to lose some comfort in the front of the shoe. Instead I have added a small pad on the inside of the loafers’ tongue to keep the foot a bit more in place, which works OK.

At first I mostly wore the loafers with denim as I felt that the rubber sole was a bit more casual than a leather sole. But I have also worn them with flannels and more formal trousers and honestly I think it works fine. The city sole is still quite slim and doesn’t change the profile of the shoe much compared to a single leather sole. A commando sole or something more chunky of course would be different.

So am I going to add a thin rubber sole to all my loafers to battle rain better? No. I still very much like the feeling of wearing a shoe with a leather sole. But for those of us who wants to be subtly well-dressed and functional at the same time, rubber-soled suede loafers might be a nice option.