Women's Loafers Guide

When we discuss loafers, we are not talking about a person who idles time away: a loafer is an important style of footwear. A women's loafer is a leather shoe shaped like a moccasin, with a low flat heel. Slip-ons are typically low, lace-less shoes, and the style most commonly seen — known as a loafer (or slippers) in American culture — has a true moccasin construction, with the upper wrapping under the foot.

Though originally men's shoes, loafers such as the casual tassel and penny styles are also worn by women, in versions that tend to have shorter toes and a neater profile. Women's loafers are worn with a variety of outfits, from shorts, jeans, slacks and capris to dresses and skirts. In the United States and some European countries, such as Italy, the loafer enjoys general use as a casual and informal shoe for work and leisure.

A Short, Surprising History

The story starts indoors. The “Wildsmith Loafer,” made by Raymond Lewis Wildsmith of Wildsmith Shoes, was designed in 1926 for King George VI as a casual country house shoe; initially called the 582, it was later marketed by other London firms and dubbed “the Harrow.” The style then crossed the Atlantic: the Spaulding family in New Hampshire started making shoes based on this design in the early 1930s, naming them loafers — a general term for slip-on shoes that is still in use in America.

In 1934, G.H. Bass, a bootmaker in Wilton, Maine, started making loafers under the name Weejuns — sounding like “Norwegians,” a nod to the Norwegian farmers' shoes that inspired the shape. The distinctive addition was a strip of leather across the saddle with a diamond cut-out. Initially worn only in the summer at home, the shoe grew in popularity across America and never really left.

What Is a Penny Loafer?

The term penny loafer has uncertain beginnings, and our original guide kept both competing explanations — both are worth keeping. One says American prep school students in the 1950s, wishing to make a fashion statement, took to inserting a penny into the diamond-shaped slit on their Weejuns. The other theory is practical: two pennies could be slipped into the slit — exactly enough money to make an emergency phone call in the 1930s. Either way, the name penny loafer came to be applied to this style of slip-on, and it has since stuck.

The slit is not merely decorative, then; it is a tiny wallet that became a design signature. Wear yours with or without the coins — the fashion police retired from that beat decades ago.

The Styles to Know

Beyond the penny loafer, the family includes the tassel loafer, dressier and favored with tailoring; the horsebit loafer, whose metal bar across the saddle was Gucci's 1953 contribution and remains the luxury benchmark; the kiltie, with its fringed tongue flap; and the Venetian, plain and unadorned. Modern variations add lug soles, platform heights, backless “mule loafer” cuts and soft unlined versions that fold nearly flat for travel.

Leather is classic — smooth calf for polish, suede for softness, patent for evening — but the construction test is the same for all: a loafer should hold the foot by its shape, since there are no laces to rescue a sloppy fit. Expect a snug first week; quality leather relaxes to your foot rather than stretching out of shape.

Fit and Styling

Buy loafers snug, not tight: the heel will slip slightly for the first few wears and then settle as the leather molds. If your heel lifts out entirely, size down or add a tongue pad — a loafer that needs thick socks to stay on is the wrong size. Width matters more than length here; many brands offer wide fittings that solve the problem honestly.

Styling is where women's loafers earn their keep: with cropped trousers and no-show socks for the office, with jeans and a blazer on weekends, with a midi skirt or dress for the borrowed-from-the-boys contrast that never dates. Chunky lug-soled versions ground floaty dresses; polished horsebits sharpen a suit. Few shoes cover so much ground with no laces to tie.

Photos From Our Original Guide