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- #21
The Reims Marche II by Paraboot
Loafers
- Thread starter johnniegold
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- #22
The exchange is complete and I am very pleased.
And yes, these are brand new.
And yes, these are brand new.
- Thread starter
- #23
Hey… what’s this?
Is this a couple of kroners?
Nice touch… but let’s not get carried away.
The 44 is tad snug but the leather is so soft and supple that a bit of a stretch is to be expected and then they shouid be perfect.
Is this a couple of kroners?
Nice touch… but let’s not get carried away.
The 44 is tad snug but the leather is so soft and supple that a bit of a stretch is to be expected and then they shouid be perfect.
Hope I can explain despite English is not my native language. Each coin is 10 öre. When you compare the Norwegian currency with USD the analogy is:Hey… what’s this?
View attachment 1667191
Is this a couple of kroners?
View attachment 1667203View attachment 1667204
View attachment 1667197
Nice touch… but let’s not get carried away.
View attachment 1667200
The 44 is tad snug but the leather is so soft and supple that a bit of a stretch is to be expected and then they shouid be perfect.
1 NOK = 100 öre
1 USD = 100 cents
Anyway, very nice loafers. I wasn’t aware of this brand and will take a look at their shoes.
It’s the Penny for the Loafers but no more telephone booths to use them, just my two cents
Rancourt Beef Rolls today
Every couple of years I try to get excited about loafers, but I just can't. Even though my personal style contains elements of prep/trad, loafers feel like a step too far.
Yours are beautiful, and I hope you get many years of enjoyment!
Yours are beautiful, and I hope you get many years of enjoyment!
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- #28
The Aurland loafer that I picked up about 5 months ago are getting their first maintenance/cleaning.
Although they are rountinely brushed off before and after every wear, today, they are being conditioned with Bick 4, the soles are being treated with Saphir’s Sole Guard and a light coat of Saphir mahogany wax.
Before:
After:
Take care of your footwear and they will take of you.
Although they are rountinely brushed off before and after every wear, today, they are being conditioned with Bick 4, the soles are being treated with Saphir’s Sole Guard and a light coat of Saphir mahogany wax.
Before:
After:
Take care of your footwear and they will take of you.
- Thread starter
- #29
So… loafers. With the “Astorflex Experiment” on desert boots now concluded, let us now turn our attention to loafers.
Currently, my loafer collection consists of two pair:
The Color 8 Shell Cordovan Leisure Hand Sewn by Alden…
And the Buxton Loafer by Aurlands in Oak Nappa…
I like both of these very much. But they are somewhat similar in that traditional penny loafer-style.
And while I am a fan of that style and considered getting an even more traditional/Ivy-styled beefroll penny, along the lines of Bass Weejun or the offerings from Oakstreet Bootmakers, I decided to delve into the world of the horsebit loafer.
I don’t think one can envision a horsebit loafer without immediately thinking of one of the most recognizable, dare I say, iconic pieces of footwear to currently walk on the planet and that is the classic 1953 Horsebit Loafer from Gucci…
Worn by multiple Oscar-winners, Francis Ford Coppola..
a 15 year-old skateboarding phenom by the name of Jodie Foster…
and Dustin Hoffman (how did he not win for “The Graduate”? Although Steiger was great in “In the Heat of The Night”).
But I digress.
Oh yes… the horsebit loafer.
While the Gucci loafer may be iconic and worn by people all around the world for its stylish ease and elegance, evoking that certain sprezzatura, it’s not exactly what I’m looking for. I’m also not looking to spend close to 1K for a pair of loafers.
Mrs. Gold will only tolerate so much footwear hijinx.
Amongst other things, there are two components that I like with footwear.
1. I do like a double leather outsole (like the LWB or PTB from Alden.)
2. I also like the look of pebble-grained leather. (again Alden, with the All-Weather Walker or the Marlon from Mephisto or even the Legend London sneaker by the Good Man Brand.)
So when looking for a horsebit loafer, I came across the Mason Horsebit Loafer in Chocolate Brown from Blackstock & Weber. I’ve been looking at their footwear for quite awhile now. Earlier in this thread I made mention of their Ellis Loafer, which is the more traditional style penny loafer. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Mason Horsebit since it would be something different from the loafers I currently own.
Its silhouette is that of more substantial shoe as opposed to the slimmer look of a Gucci or even the Aurland shoe. And while the shell cordovan leather of the Alden LHS gives it a beefier look, it is on a single leather outsole.
And along with the double outsole is a pebbled grain leather in a rich, chocolate brown which give the shoe a more casual feel that can still be dressed up or dressed down.
As for sizing, Blackstock & Weber recommends going down a full size as this shoe supposedly runs big. (… here we go again
).
So I (reluctantly) ordered a 9.5 which equates to 10.5 US. My instincts were telling me to just go a half-size down but we shall see. The shoe not only runs big but appears to be very wide so perhaps a full-size is warranted.
While these shoes may not have the pedigree of the Gucci 1953 loafer, they cost about half as much and with a very rare flash sale currently taking place at Blackstock & Weber, offering 20% off, it made pulling the “trigger” a “bit” easier.
“Trigger”? Lone Ranger’s horse.
“Bit”? Horse bit… oh never mind.
When I get ‘em, you’ll see ‘em.
(Ahhhh…. feels good not to talk about desert boots.
).
Currently, my loafer collection consists of two pair:
The Color 8 Shell Cordovan Leisure Hand Sewn by Alden…
And the Buxton Loafer by Aurlands in Oak Nappa…
I like both of these very much. But they are somewhat similar in that traditional penny loafer-style.
And while I am a fan of that style and considered getting an even more traditional/Ivy-styled beefroll penny, along the lines of Bass Weejun or the offerings from Oakstreet Bootmakers, I decided to delve into the world of the horsebit loafer.
I don’t think one can envision a horsebit loafer without immediately thinking of one of the most recognizable, dare I say, iconic pieces of footwear to currently walk on the planet and that is the classic 1953 Horsebit Loafer from Gucci…
Worn by multiple Oscar-winners, Francis Ford Coppola..
a 15 year-old skateboarding phenom by the name of Jodie Foster…
and Dustin Hoffman (how did he not win for “The Graduate”? Although Steiger was great in “In the Heat of The Night”).
But I digress.
Oh yes… the horsebit loafer.
While the Gucci loafer may be iconic and worn by people all around the world for its stylish ease and elegance, evoking that certain sprezzatura, it’s not exactly what I’m looking for. I’m also not looking to spend close to 1K for a pair of loafers.
Mrs. Gold will only tolerate so much footwear hijinx.
Amongst other things, there are two components that I like with footwear.
1. I do like a double leather outsole (like the LWB or PTB from Alden.)
2. I also like the look of pebble-grained leather. (again Alden, with the All-Weather Walker or the Marlon from Mephisto or even the Legend London sneaker by the Good Man Brand.)
So when looking for a horsebit loafer, I came across the Mason Horsebit Loafer in Chocolate Brown from Blackstock & Weber. I’ve been looking at their footwear for quite awhile now. Earlier in this thread I made mention of their Ellis Loafer, which is the more traditional style penny loafer. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Mason Horsebit since it would be something different from the loafers I currently own.
Its silhouette is that of more substantial shoe as opposed to the slimmer look of a Gucci or even the Aurland shoe. And while the shell cordovan leather of the Alden LHS gives it a beefier look, it is on a single leather outsole.
And along with the double outsole is a pebbled grain leather in a rich, chocolate brown which give the shoe a more casual feel that can still be dressed up or dressed down.
As for sizing, Blackstock & Weber recommends going down a full size as this shoe supposedly runs big. (… here we go again
).So I (reluctantly) ordered a 9.5 which equates to 10.5 US. My instincts were telling me to just go a half-size down but we shall see. The shoe not only runs big but appears to be very wide so perhaps a full-size is warranted.
While these shoes may not have the pedigree of the Gucci 1953 loafer, they cost about half as much and with a very rare flash sale currently taking place at Blackstock & Weber, offering 20% off, it made pulling the “trigger” a “bit” easier.
“Trigger”? Lone Ranger’s horse.
“Bit”? Horse bit… oh never mind.
When I get ‘em, you’ll see ‘em.
(Ahhhh…. feels good not to talk about desert boots.
).
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- Thread starter
- #30
Man, that was fast. I literally ordered these yesterday. 
The packaging is a logo’d box
With a shoe bag. Very nice.
I must say these shoes are better in person than the pics allow (or at least my horrible pics.)
Next… Sizing.
The packaging is a logo’d box
With a shoe bag. Very nice.
I must say these shoes are better in person than the pics allow (or at least my horrible pics.)
Next… Sizing.
- Thread starter
- #31
These shoes definitely provide plenty of room in the toe box as they are plenty wide. Going down a full size is the move.
Blackstock & Weber suggests fitting into the tightest fit you can get to allow for a break-in period and I can understand why.
I can slide my index finger behind my heel but it is snug. There is definitely some wiggle room in the toe box. Going up a half size would be too much.
B&W suggests you break in the shoe so that it won’t be too big to wear sockless (which I will most likely do 80% of the time).
Overall, I am quite pleased with the shoe and look forward to breaking them in.
Blackstock & Weber suggests fitting into the tightest fit you can get to allow for a break-in period and I can understand why.
I can slide my index finger behind my heel but it is snug. There is definitely some wiggle room in the toe box. Going up a half size would be too much.
B&W suggests you break in the shoe so that it won’t be too big to wear sockless (which I will most likely do 80% of the time).
Overall, I am quite pleased with the shoe and look forward to breaking them in.
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I, too, am interested in bit loafers. Ages ago I had Guccis. The vamp was very high, not great for going sockless. I am considering Jay Butler. Anyone tried them? If so, how are they?
I bought a pair of Allen Edmonds Wooster Street Black Penny Loafers Last year as well as Johnston and murphy Stanton moc venetians. I have only had one occasion in which a dress shoe would be called for in that time, and, ended up not making it. They both fit well and look nice, but, so far they have been in the shoe bags on the trees other when I tried them on. Around the same time I bought a pair of Johnston and Murphy Penny Loafer Dayton hand sewn Moc Drivers which I use as house shoes when I am not in my Crocs slides. The Drivers are very comfortable and I can wear them with or without socks. I don't wear them out because I want them to last as long as possible, and, I've read horror stories of people using drivers as walking shoes and messing them up.
I have for more casual loafers that don’t really fit in this thread. They range in brand from Two Johnston and Murphy, George Brown Bilt, to the lowly pair of Sketchers that get worn most days when I am out which granted isn’t very often. They are my go to shoes because I’m a big boy and they are easier to get on than my running shoes which are also slipons.
I have for more casual loafers that don’t really fit in this thread. They range in brand from Two Johnston and Murphy, George Brown Bilt, to the lowly pair of Sketchers that get worn most days when I am out which granted isn’t very often. They are my go to shoes because I’m a big boy and they are easier to get on than my running shoes which are also slipons.
Looking at that picture I realize my drivers need some polish and maybe some cleaning.
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