Hand Picked, The Cream Loafers Worth Shopping Handpicked by Claire

Trust me, your cream loafer will only deserve a slot in your rotation if you handle it with care. It’s colour should fall somewhere between the seriousness of black, and weekend tan tried-despair-of-shirt-boots. Find one somewhere in that pastel chalky spectrum that looks studied, not sloppy – and that’s exactly why it will be pulling its weight for you throughout the season. Pay attention to construction on a shoe like this; when there’s brown showing there’s nowhere to hide. Look for a leather or suede upper with a real apron seam and a stacked leather or leather sole that gives your foot some architecture underneath, not some shapeless injected plastic that will wrinkle and discolour after a few wears. Suede is inherently warmer and more casual, smooth leather is far smarter and easier to clean. Go with whatever material best suits how much you want your shoe to work for you day to day. I can’t stress fit enough. Where most will falter at the first step.

Your loafer should fit snug to your foot with no gaps on the sides. Allowance for movement should come from leather thats moulded to your foot. The toe shouldn’t be too pointed or rounded as both will date your shoe faster than brown will go out of style. The penny bar/snaffle detail should always sit flush against your foot. This isn’t a dude shoe that relies on nickel plating to save it.
Pairing your cream loafer is where the fun begins. Underneath tailoring and especially a wide leg trouser in navy, greige or grey the cream sole and leather lift your whole frame colour wise in a way that won’t ever wash you out like black. Keep jeans cuffé with a bare ankle or thin sock in an ESSENTIAL neutral colour. No pastels or prints here. Skirts function the same way; whether you’re wearing nothing on your legs with a slip in silk, or something more prim and civic in linen – the loafer balances out an otherwise billowy outfit, and does so without murdering your outfit like a boot would.

Where to wear them? Anywhere that looking like you woke would be frowned upon but rocking a full on dress shoe would overkill. Monday morning presentations that might turn into after work drinks. Weddings that say ‘smart attire, not black tie’. Long lunches. Gallery openings. That breed of ‘daytime’ function where trainers feel too sloppy but heels seem like you’re trying too hard. It photographs SO well with denim and tailoring. No wonder it pops up in our feeds every spring without ever really dying off.