About the origin of loafers
Let’s talk about “penny loafers” a little further, let’s first talk about the origin of loafers, “Moccasin”. As early as the 19th century, the Moccasin was used as a type of loafer made of deerskin or other soft leather. These deerskins are not specially post-treated, and the main structure is a piece of leather consisting of a sole and sides, which is also sewn with the leather of the upper to form a U-shaped stitch (which is also characteristic of Moccasin). Historically, Moccasin shoes were primarily worn by many Native Americans in North America, while hunting or walking outside.
Where does the name “Loafer” come from?
The loafer is “Loafer” in English, which originally means “wandering person”, and there is a theory that the origin of loafers evolved from the moccasins worn by the aborigines of North America; In addition, it is also said that in the early 20th century, the local people in Norway (especially the herders) used to wear a kind of shoes with shallow cuffs and no laces, because they were easy to put on and take off, and soon became popular with everyone, and slowly spread from Europe to the United States.
When looking for the name of the shoe, the company’s people saw the herders in the Norwegian grazing area wearing the shoes, so they named them “Loafer” or loafers.
▲Schematic diagram of the structure of the Moccasin shoe
▲ Linguo classic double-stitched penny loafers
Penny loafers – a popular outfit from college students in the United States
Loafers were not common in Europe at that time, until they were introduced to the United States, and the fashion magazine “Esquire Gentleman Magazine” featured loafers, which made more people begin to know about this shoe, and also started the popularity of loafers.
Various shoe factories have also begun to invest in production, wanting to design their own unique loafers, such as G.H Bass in the United States, and later Gucci from Italy to bring more new design changes.
In 1936, the G.H Bass company (George Henry Bass) made a loafer that was designed without buckles or laces, so a spanning and openwork belt was added to the upper, and the open belt looked like a piece of lips, with a cut-and-cut double-line seam similar to that of a traditional Moccasin (about 120 degrees), and it was also named “Weejun” (the English pronunciation is similar to that of Norwegian).
▲ Bass Company’s promotional poster for “WEEJUNS” at the time
Penny Loafer: Coin purse worn on the foot
The penny loafer was well received, especially among students in the 1940s, and the penny belt tucked into the opening was considered a fashion, hence the name “Penny Loafer”.
In that era when mobile phones were not developed and public telephones were still very useful, if you couldn’t find change in your pocket in the phone booth, and there was already a long queue behind you, a penny on your penny loafers was very useful.
▲A penny loafer stuffed with a penny
American fashion designer Ralph Lauren once said that penny loafers are “the official shoe for preppy”, and you can also learn about Penny Loafer’s classic status. The merchants who then spread the loafers to Wall Street also attracted attention. It also makes the penny loafer Penny Loafer from the original loafer into a classic shoe that can be used for both casual and business purposes.
Penny loafers – The minimalist style is a must-have item for men who want to wear it
When you think of penny loafers, you think of wearing shoes without socks, and this trend has been around since the 1960s. Another classic outfit is the classic “moonwalk” performed on stage by pop king Michael Jackson wearing white socks and pony loafers. The shoes worn by Michael Jackson on tour in the 1980s, with his signature on the soles, were auctioned for high prices in 2009.
Don Johnson, James Byron Dean, and President John F. Kennedy from the ’80s hit American drama series Miami Vice are also lovers of loafers (especially pony loafers).
The gentleman’s suit and penny loafers were also seen as the starting point of the preppy, an aristocratic yuppie that looked mature and steady, but had a cynical attitude to life, and this trend was blown from the Ivy League to Wall Street.
A simple style that can be worn for both casual and formal occasions, loafers are always a must-have for men who want to be in their shoe wardrobe, and if there’s one of those shoes that is sure to be in your shoe wardrobe, the pony loafers are definitely on the list.
▲ Lin Guo Ben Shi loafers classic black
▲ Lin Guo Benshi loafers navy blue (dark blue).
▲ Linguo penny loafers morning mist gray
[Further Reading]
The style of the foot – make the whole body more exciting Casual custom suits
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Data collation – Zhikai
