best English slip on loafers for summer 01
best English slip on loafers for summer 01

The best English loafers for summer 2021

02 Jun 2021 | Updated on: 06 Oct 2022 |By Luxury London

Socks or no socks, we’ll leave that up to you

The loafer’s chief strength is its chameleon-like ability to work with almost every outfit. Michael Jackson donned his with a pair of white socks for the Thriller music video; John F Kennedy rocked his everywhere from the White House to the golf course.

The origins of the loafer can reportedly be traced back to King George VI, who requested a bespoke casual shoe in which he could ‘loaf’ around while at his country estates. The loafer, so sartorial legend goes, migrated across the pond when Maine-based shoemaker GH Bass launched its own version of the shoe targeted at Ivy League students. From Columbia to Princeton, the loafer soon became a staple of the overachieving students’ wardrobe.

Aldo Gucci, son of the Italian label’s founder, recognised the popularity of the slip-on shoe in the United States. When Gucci opened its first New York store in 1953, the brand used the occasion to launch a luxurious loafer featuring its now iconic horsebit buckle. The rest, as they say…

The loafer was, arguably, the first shoe that bridged the gap between casual and formal, its presence in every man’s wardrobe testament to its dress-up or dress-down versatility. Luxury London has sifted through the latest collections from England’s finest shoemakers. Allow us to present our the best men’s loafers for summer 2021…

Crockett & Jones Richmond ocean & mid-blue suede loafer

It took Northampton’s Crockett & Jones more than two-and-a-half years to develop its Superflex leather sole technology, resulting in the most flexible sole in the company’s 142-year history. The Richmond loafer remains Goodyear welted, but is now extra pliant thanks to its malleable construction. Ideal for hopping on and off yachts, then, especially as the brand’s suede leather is stain and water repellent. The Richmond loafer is also fully repairable, meaning they’ll be good for garden parties and boat shows for years to come.

£375, crockettandjones.com

Edward Green Cromer mole suede loafer with slim rubber soles

Edward Green manufactures just 350 pairs of shoes a week. Ernest Hemingway was a client, so too was Cole Porter and Edward, the Duke of Windsor. The company’s Cromer slip-on is an unlined, rounded penny loafer and one of the lightest shoes in the brand’s collection – making it a nimble choice for summer gadding. We’re thinking this slipper-like pair in taupe mole suede would couple particularly well with beige chino shorts and a linen shirt.

£795, edwardgreen.com

Joseph Cheaney & Sons Timothy collapsible tassel loafer

There’s something devil-may-care about the tasselled loafer. Something libertine and louche. A triumph of form over function. Art for art’s sake. ‘I am lace-less and fancy free’, declares the tasselled loafer. ‘Slip me on and point me in the direction of the Pimm’s tent.’ This semi-lined Timothy pair from Joseph Cheaney & Sons features a new flexi-leather sole, meaning they’ll fold to fit in your tote bag. Totes go for the blue, rather than the wintery brown, option.

£295, cheaney.co.uk

Ross Oliver Bridge-bit loafer in green cactus leather

Launched in November 2020, Ross Oliver is the newest name in luxury English footwear. The company’s first slip-on shoe, the Bridge-bit loafer, sports a handmade brass-finished buckle inspired by the Clifton suspension bridge, located close to where company founder, Ross Oliver Saunders, grew up. The company’s shoes are handmade in England using revolutionary cactus leather, with a focus on traditional craft, modern material advancements and design originality. The Bridge-bit loafer drops in June, but you can pre-order now.

£240, rossoliver.uk

Tricker’s Elton tassel loafer in cherry castorino suede

The oldest shoemaker on this list, the oldest of any of England’s surviving shoemakers, in fact, Joseph Tricker founded his company in 1829, eight years before Queen Victoria took to the throne. Tricker’s helped establish Northampton as Britain’s shoemaking heartland and continues to manufacture its country boots and town shoes from the Midlands city. The company’s Eton tassel loafer transforms a traditionally formal shoe into something far more louche by way of an ultra-flex sole, slipper-like profile, and, in this case, a frivolous cherry suede.

£425, trickers.com

Church’s Karl suede loafer

Church’s is as British as a beefeater eating a deep-fried Mars bar, despite being owned by the Prada Group since 1999. Following an international expansion in the noughties, the most successfully-exported English shoemaker now has flagship stores in all of the world’s fashion’s capitals – New York, Hong Kong, Milan, Paris, Rome, Bologna and, that most hallowed style city of all, Leeds. The company’s Karl slip-on strikes a fine balance between penny loafer and moccasin, a lean, sleek summer driving shoe made for road trips around Europe. Or Leeds, if you’d prefer.

£590, church-footwear.com

Goral Flockton fringe loafer

Northampton isn’t the only city flying the flag for English shoemaking. Since 2018, Sheffield has been home to Goral, a purveyor of luxury men’s footwear originally from Poland. While some of the shoes that Goral produce might border on the fugly – not necessarily a bad thing while the trend for disproportionate footwear prevails – all of the company’s shoes certainly pack character. These Flockton Fringe slip-ons, tanned to be as soft as possible, are Goral’s first loafers. A left-field choice for when you’re next invited to the polo, for sure.

£260, goral-shoes.co.uk

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