I do own Black pennies and Gunboats but would only wear both with Grey flannels.
Used to be anti black myself but a pair of black loafers has fit into the wardrobe rather well, prefer to wear brown or burgundy though. Likewise I like my brown Sportocasins but the black pair are very versatile and the only black shoe I own.
black penny loafers, black wingtips and cap-toes, I have them and wear them .....
we all prefer to wear burgundy and brown but one time, if you're living in the city and you go out at night, experiment with the black loafers
to me black goes best with gray and blue, but I'm pretty sure I've seen a shot of Anthony Perkins wearing a light khaki suit and black penny loafers, he's an Ivy champ, so do it if you'd like, in the boom years do you think nobody wore black penny loafers with a khaki poplin flyfront raincoat in the city or on campus?
but though I personally wouldn't wear black penny loafers with khaki trousers, it's been done before, and the world keeps going 'round
Last edited by stanshall (2016-05-04 17:11:23)
I haven't worn a black shoe since retiring from the USAF.
I don't think there's anything wrong with them. I just don't like them.
/\ haha remember when I told you it was alright to wear black penny loafers with your tuxedo?
OMG!!!
THAT was an irresponsible advice!!!! (it wasn't about loafers in general, it was about WEEJUNS)
Last edited by Leer R. (2016-05-06 11:40:31)
/\ haha I knew you'd remember that .... remember I'm not advocating it, I'm defending it, there is a crucial difference between the two ........
Black shoes in general have their place - obviously with evening dress, for business wear, etc.
As for loafers with evening dress - cue Cary Grant.
Sebago Dans have just popped up in an online sale. Can anybody tell me how they are for width? I'm tempted, but just looked on the main US site which says they tend to run narrow, and as I'm an average-to-wide I'm cautious. I've been burned too many times buying untried shoes online.
I have a pair of brown leather and find the width to be regular, a much better shoe that current weejuns (at least these I have are).
SB
I would be really careful with Sebago sizing. Great shoes, especially for the price point, but my understanding is that over time they've used a variety of factories so sizing isn't consistent.
I recently bought some online and had to experiment with finding the ideal fit per material. A tumbled leather pair were far too wide but a the dark brown suede fitted perfectly.
I also bought pair from Bradshaw and Lloyd online that I eventually binned as the left shoe dug into my instep and refused to soften.
As Tom says they are far better construction than most Weejuns so worth a punt
Thanks both. One to ponder, as it was the suede version that I was looking at actually.
Right. Ordered them. Fingers crossed…
Suede tends to be a bit more forgiving than leather anyway (I hope).
^SB
For many years I would only wear Crockett and Jones shoes but when Chiltern Street opened I fell back in love with Sebago.
It was only when I started looking at other loafers brands I realised what good value they are.
Whilst I really like my Rancourt loafers they were significantly more expensive than Sebago.
Alvey, it looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer to try them. In a surprisingly unprofessional development they've just told me that their warehouse cocked up, and so I won't be getting the ones I ordered after all. Shame, because it was a great sale price.
I've considered Rancourt very seriously. The only thing holding me back is that I have some of the JS labelled ones, and although they are beautifully made, they're not actually a very good fit for me, so I'd be wise to try them on first if I was to buy another pair.
How do the JS Rancourt loafers fit, out of interest?
Colin - I’ve found my Rancourt loafers to be fairly generic in their fit. i.e. true to size. JS supply them in a wide fitting, suitable for the British foot.
The only comment I would make about them is that, while the quality and design of the uppers are superb, the soles on mine are wearing faster than I would have expected. In the unlikely event that I bought another pair I would have them ‘Topied’ before I started wearing them.
They just ran a touch large for me. I'm a UK 9 and got a US 10. They're loose at the heel, but heel pads just about make up the shortfall. If I'd been trying them on I'd definitely have gone for a US 9.5, so now when I look at their website I'm not sure whether they'll all run that large.
There was a well priced pair on eBay a while back, but after printing out their size chart my usual size would have been way out. Might be worth trying.
https://www.rancourtandcompany.com/pages/sizing-guide