Loafers

[johnniegold]

After a thorough trip down the road of desert/chukka boots, with a few pairs of sneakers thrown in for good measure, I am finding my interests now leaning towards… Loafers.

In the past, I’ve had a few pairs of the J&M Ski Moc II penny loafers

As well as a pair of Allen-Edmonds Cole loafer in Chocolate Suede.

But they all fell prey to the great shoe purge of 2022 and now the only pair of loafers left in my closet are the Shell Cordovan Leisure Handsewn by Alden.

I had been eyeballing a pair of the Buxton loafers by Aurlands. I had always read good reviews about them and I liked their very plain and simple lines. A no-nonsense loafer.

Finally, after looking at the Beefroll Penny by Oakstreet Bootmakers

and the Ellis Loafer from Blackstock & Weber..

I decided to pull the trigger on the Aurlands.

They arrived today…


Part II in next post…

 

[johnniegold]

The box was packed nicely…

With a nice personalized note included..

The box…

The Buxton Loafer in Oak Nappa by Aurland (which claims to be “The Original Loafer”)

A very clean, smart, utilitarian design. Very Ivy League. No frills.

But here’s the rub (which is only personalized to this transaction and nothing to do with the shoe itself).

They looked used to me. As the wear on the soles and heels clearly indicate, these shoes have been worn outside and even display some grease stains in the sole. Clearly this shoe is not in “New” condition.

This is unacceptable and I have advised the seller of my dissatisfaction and am awaiting a response.

I’ll follow up when (if) I receive a response from the Seller.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Puzzling, no visible creases on the upper but soles paint a different picture…

 

[johnniegold]

Puzzling, no visible creases on the upper but soles paint a different picture…

That is very true. But the soles (as you pointed out) as well as the front of the outsole demonstrate, clearly these have been worn before.

 

[Roman Totale XVII]

I’ve always liked the idea of loafers, but have never found a pair that fit well and are comfortable. I have high arches. The Alden shell LHS is a classic and your pair look great.

 

[Tirvine]

I’ve always liked the idea of loafers, but have never found a pair that fit well and are comfortable. I have high arches. The Alden shell LHS is a classic and your pair look great.

If you like the Alden LHS, they do take a bit of breaking in, a small price for the over thirty years of heavy use my last pair gave me. I recently (three years ago) got a pair in unlined Chromexcel. They were out of the box comfortable. As luck would have it they roll like shell rather than creasing like calf. They are the closest thing to the old Alden for Brooks LHS.

 

[johnniegold]

I’ve always liked the idea of loafers, but have never found a pair that fit well and are comfortable. I have high arches. The Alden shell LHS is a classic and your pair look great.

Thanks. My pair is over 20 years old and I had them refurbished by Alden in February of 2019.

 

[LuckyR]

I am partial to low vamp Italian loafers (the discontinued Santoni Marc was my favorite). Of course they're so out of style by a couple of decades that even Santoni stopped making them, though Zelli makes a great copycat. As an old person, I don't care what's in or out of style.

 

[johnniegold]

FYI - vendor sent their apologies for this oversight and an exchange is in the works.

 

[garyg]

Great to hear that the vendor stepped up .. hopefully they sweetened the exchange due to their oversight - at a minimum free super express shipping maybe. "Exchange" sounds somewhat like they are holding you partially responsible,

 

[johnniegold]

Great to hear that the vendor stepped up .. hopefully they sweetened the exchange due to their oversight - at a minimum free super express shipping maybe. "Exchange" sounds somewhat like they are holding you partially responsible,

This vendor has a free shipping and free return policy and there was no additional cost to me for this exhange.

As for holding me partially responsible, I think the vendor’s response clearly indicates that they accept full responsibility for this mishap.

Thank you for the photos to confirm the condition of those shoes.
That's definitely not the condition you should expect to receive our product in. We're a small team of 4 here, so while it's rare, mistakes like this are bound to happen from day to day.

We have another size 44 in these shoes in brand new, unworn condition, that we can have exchanged for the pair you received. Please give them a try on to ensure they are the size that works for you, as any size adjustment needed would be best done before we send you another pair to correct this.

Please let us know.

- Ludwin

After these arrive, hopefully we can move to a discussion about the quality and comfort of the shoe itself.

 

[johnniegold]

Also, I think it goes without saying, that any discussion of loafers, particularly the penny loafer, must include the Bass Weejun.

I feel a comparison coming on.

It does seem that the Norwegian-made Aurlands and the US-made (or at least US-based) Bass Weejun (Nor-Weejun) have some history together shortly after the turn of the 20th-century so a comparison of the two would be appropriate.

There are so many versions of this classic loafer from the previously mentioned Alden LHS, to the

Harvard by Crockett & Jones,

the Dan from Sebago

and the Cole Haan pinch penny which was extremely popular back in the 80’s and 90’s.

And if you want to head into rarefied air of the penny loafer then try…

the Lopez by John Lobb or;

the 180 loafer from JM Weston

should meet that criteria.

 

[buckeye_pi]

I wear a Triple # shoe so my choices are more limited. I like the Allan Edmonds loafer which fits me well. The Alden didn't fit me even though they make Triple E.

 

[DalShaver]

I have a few pairs of Weejuns, and I'm pretty sure I saw the Aldens, Edmonds and C&J loafers snicker at me.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Some heavy rains forcasted so I opted for a pair of chunky rubber soled Italian ones.

 

[johnniegold]

Some heavy rains forcasted so I opted for a pair of chunky rubber soled Italian ones.

View attachment 1665837

Paraboot?

 

[Tirvine]

I loved the Bass Weejuns of old, visually much like the Logans but of better materials and construction. Yet, being worn pretty much all the time, they could not limp through the entire academic year without the use of duct tape. The rite of passage from Weejuns to Alden LHS was a game changer, as was the addition of the Alden tassel for dressing up.

 

[johnniegold]

they could not limp through the entire academic year without the use of duct tape.

In high school, I gave a pair of Wallabees the duct tape treatment which extended its life by at least 2 months.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Paraboot?

Home - Antica Cuoieria

Tradizione calzaturiera Toscana dal 1945. Scarpe di qualità realizzate interamente a mano Made in Tuscany.

anticacuoieria.it

 

[johnniegold]

Home - Antica Cuoieria

Tradizione calzaturiera Toscana dal 1945. Scarpe di qualità realizzate interamente a mano Made in Tuscany.

anticacuoieria.it

Thank goodness there was an “x” through Size 44.