What are the advantages of loafers? How to maintain loafers

The soles of loafers are usually thin and light to wear. Loafers are easy to put on and take off and are loved by everyone. Loafers are suitable for everything from dresses, formal wear to casual wear and are very versatile.

No laces: Compared with brogues, loafers omit the lacing step. Its wide upper replaces the tongue and laces of traditional lace-up formal shoes. The elasticity of the leather ensures that the upper can still fit the foot perfectly even without a tight binding.

Easy to put on and take off: Without the formal shoelaces, loafers save the trouble of bending over and squatting when putting on and taking off. The convenience of putting on and taking off is just as its nickname "one-step". It should be noted that it is best not to habitually step on the heel when putting on shoes, otherwise the low and wide upper structure of loafers will easily deform.

Soft leather: The upper of loafers is usually covered with a whole piece of leather and connected with stitches. This structure directly leads to the selection of soft leather with good elasticity to adapt to different instep heights. This also improves the overall comfort of the shoes.

Thin sole and light weight: The comfortable upper of loafers is matched with the equally light sole. The soles of loafers are usually thin, especially the puff soles, which are made of small rubber particles and leather. The process is to push the rubber particles into the leather sole by hand, so you can imagine how light and soft they are.

Today we will talk about two types of leather loafers, namely cowhide and horsehide. For shoes made of cowhide, you should first use a special brush for shoes to sweep away the dust on the upper when maintaining them. After the dust is swept away, you can use a soft cotton cloth with a small amount of shoe polish and carefully wipe each part of the shoe in a circular motion. If your shoes have already lost some color, you should use a colored shoe polish similar to the color of the shoe to fill the discolored part. After all these steps are completed, wipe the shoe body with a dry cotton cloth to remove excess floating oil to make the shoe more shiny. Because horsehide itself secretes more oil than cowhide, we only need to sweep away the dust on the upper first, and then use a clean and soft cotton cloth to dip a very small amount of moisturizing shoe polish. Keep wiping the shoe body in a circular motion. Continue this for a while, and when the leather generates heat, the horsehide's own oil will appear on the upper, and your beloved shoes will show their luster again.

Loafers can be roughly divided into three categories: penny loafers, tassel loafers, and horsebit loafers.

1. Penny loafers: A strap across the upper with a diamond-shaped cutout that can just fit a penny, hence the name penny loafers. It is said that a group of college students in the United States at the time put coins in the cutout for convenience in making phone calls, and thus penny loafers became popular. It can be said to be the most basic type of loafer, simple and elegant, not only suitable for daily wear for office workers, but also a good choice for daily travel, and easy to match with a variety of clothing styles.

2. Tassel loafers: The upper is relatively clean, with a tassel as an embellishment on the tongue. The design of this shoe originated from the World War II period, when society was in ruins and some upper-class people wanted to make some changes, so they designed this loafer, which was gradually brought into the fashion circle. Compared with traditional shoes, this shoe looks quite elegant when paired with formal wear, and is very suitable for European gentlemen at the time. It is also very versatile for daily wear, and the materials used to make it are also very particular.

3. Horsebit Loafers: There is a metal buckle on the upper, which is inspired by the horse bit worn by horses in equestrian competitions. This shoe is actually designed by Gucci. Now it has surpassed the concept of the brand and has become a separate shoe style. Its historical significance is very significant.

Loafers, or Loafers in English, originally refer to a leisurely lifestyle. They are casual men's shoes developed from Moccasins (moccasins worn by North American Indians). Later, they gradually appeared in the outfits of actresses such as Audrey Hepburn and became popular, making this pair of cool and cool shoes gradually enter the vision of women. They can be put on and taken off in seconds and have a variety of styles. This pair of casual and fashionable loafers has become a classic.