Long time readers of this blog will know that I am OBSESSED with penny loafers.
And since coming out as someone who is loafer-obsessed, I have met many other people who have a similar … enthusiasm. So I thought I'd share links to two styles I've found recently that, although not as nice as my favorite (and no-longer-made) Via Spigas, are pretty damn good.
First, Macy's has these, from Marc Fisher (which I think is one of their house brands, but I'm not sure):
Today they are $39! (They were >$70). Click on the image to visit the Macy's page. I bought a pair of these and they are comfortable, definitely.
Okay, these next ones are man-made materials (aka vegan). Many of you have asked if I knew of non-leather alternatives, and now I do! Plus, they're dirt-cheap: $29.99 at Overstock.com. (click image to visit site)
What I really want are these, from Marc Jacobs:
The worst part is that I already HAVE them — I found a pair on eBay that weren't anywhere NEAR $260, and bought them. And found that they were the wrong size. (The seller translated a European 38 as "8.5" which it is NOT.) I relisted them on eBay, if you want them.
Of course, even though I wear penny loafers EVERY DAY, I don't really need any more pairs. Why don't I? Because THIS is my penny loafer collection:
(And yes, that is a pair of Liberty Jack Purcells on the edge there.)
Does anyone else wear a slight variation of the same damn shoe every day? (Anyone else who presents as female, I mean, I know most guys basically wear the same shoe every day.) Represent in the comments!
{ 80 comments… read them below or add one }
The loafer collection is most impressive, Erin. Are they really lined up like that? And your carpet is so clean! How do you do it?
No, but darn close.
If you can get a pair of Palladium Krakow in your size, do it!! I have a pair that are bright tomato red patent leather and they are my absolute favorites. They seem to be on sale all over but you know what that means for sizes
For me, its mary-janes.
Ditto on the mary-janes.
Um… Actually, I wear the same pair of flats at work every day. Ive even had them resoled. I hate shoe shopping. I only switch to ballet flats when I wear a skirt, which isnt often (COLD office!).Ive been informed by a gay male salesclerk that my disinterest with shoes indicates a defective female gene. I just get bored!
Well, my father had a dozen pairs of the same shoes, he wore them all in order and polished each pair when he took them off in the evening.I have difficult feet and have found that mens cowboy boots feel better on my feet than most other shoes. So I own the following cow boy boots:one pair black elkskinone pair green lizard with black cowhide shaftsone pair tan foot with red shaftsone pair tan ostridge with turquoise shaftone pair brown suede with light tan shaftsone pair bright red with turquoise shafts and white star appliquesand one pair brown oil tanned leatherI live in New York City. I dont ride horses. But I do walk and they are great boots for walking.
Wow! Thats quite a collection!www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com
Loafers are awesome because they look equally appropriate with trousers or skirts. Yes, there are other styles that CAN be worn with both, but most of them look at least SLIGHTLY out of place with one or the other.
Do you count flip flops?
I wear them as many days as possible.I love those green loafers in your collection!
I have 63 pairs of shoes – and feel I still dont have enough (I dont have the right shade of green for this outfit, nor the right shade of red for that outfit,etc). Theyre (mostly) all different styles. The duplicate styles are in different colors. I would never purchase exactly the same pair of shoes a second time unless the first was worn out and ready to be tossed.
My husband just recently learned that if he switches shoes each day he doesnt have problems with his feet anymore. Go figure.
I am terribly obsessed with pointy-toed stilettos. I wear them every day – the higher the heel the better. If theyre patent leather, thats a bonus! I do admit to owning running shoes, but I only wear them when I run.
I have several styles of shoes that I wear often, but my favorite style is a pair of 70s black platform oxfords. They are amazing, and look excellent with most things I wear. I bought my first pair about 2 years ago. They started to wear out recently, so I went back to the place I bought them, and there were more! In my size! For only 10 dollars! I bought two pairs!Hooray!
I have the ballet slipper/flat with dress/skirt uniform! I was just thinking about penny loafers! Definitely this fall!! Most impressive collection.
Wow! What a collection. I wear Classic Chuck Taylors in whatever color I can get that doesnt look clowny. I buy three pairs of Chucks a season and wear them until they start looking utterly grubby. (And sometimes beyond that point much to my the chagrin of my feet.)Thanks for the photo. Youve driven home a point for me. Im hopelessly SHOE DEPRIVED right now!
i love penny loafers but havent owned a pair since school days. if i could wear mens shoes, id be wearing their loafers/topsiders/espadrilles/moccasins every day. theyre made longish and more pointy so they flatter the feet.
I have several pairs of mid-heel, round toed, buckle-and-strap shoes.But my repeated shoe theme isnt style, its color. I have:1 pr. hand-made moccasins with purple beading (they are bespoke!).1 pr. round toed with buckle and strap leather shoes in purple.1 pr. penny loaferish shoes in purple. (fauxfer loafers?)1 pr. velvet, round toed very, very 1940s with ankle strap and rosette shoes in purple.1 pr. pink suede stiletto sling-backed sandals with purple patent heel and trim around the peep toes.1 pr. burgundy-purple winter boots in magical water-and-salt resistant suede.1 pr. sandals with soles made from recycled tires with purple strappy tops.This might be why Erin isnt even friends with the color purple. I got all her violet-love instead.Also, I decided that, when it comes to shoes, purple is a neutral color. That, and if it doesnt go with anything, it must go with everything. I almost never wear black shoes.
Mary Janes for me, too! Theres at least three of us, that means we can start a club, hee.Theres just something so pleasantly secure about having your foot strapped to your shoe.My favorite are a pair of brown leather Camper flats with see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkeys embroidered on them. Im sad to report, however, they are not that comfortable. They scrape my heels and have no arch support. But Ive made them more wearable with insoles and sticky patches over the parts that scrape me.That and I have a pair of somewhat plain black mary jane heels that doesnt scrape at all because of the nice leather upper, but does make my pinky toes blister something fierce, even though its only a 2.5 slightly chunky heel.Then theres the pair of beige pleather stilettos with cute button-snap double straps. Love the way these look, cant walk in them. Even though these are also only 2.5 tall. Balancing on a heel that thin is too precarious for my klutzy self.Just bought a pair of gray mary janes with 2 heels. Yeah, now I have mary janes in all the neutral shades on my holy-grail-like search for a pair of cute shoes that doesnt hurt me. Havent worn them out yet. I feel sure footed in them when I tried them on, though, so I have high hopes that they wont land me flat on my face. I hope they wont kill my feet.I would kind of like to try something more colorful, but last time I wore colorful (red) shoes, the color ran all over my foot and made it look like my foot is bleeding. That was horrifying. I want to try the keds mary janes, but that wedge heel looks way too high.
I have 8 pairs of New Balance tennies, 2 pair of sandals, and 2 pairs of SAS comfort shoes. However, I work in a Refinery, and, except for the sandals, which I reserve for dress-up, its all ok for work.
Quite a collection-and each well loved. Nothing worse for a shoe than to sit unworn in a dark ccorner of the closet-they need to get out and see the world (from the ground up). I like Mary Janes, and almost all my shoes are some form or another of the Mary Jane style, though I would like to get a pair of saddle shoes someday cause you can take girl out of the 60s but you can never take the 60s out of the girl, I guess.
I counted at least 20 pairs!Almost all of my shoes are Dansko, mostly stapled clogs. Various styles (mary jane, sandal, boot) and colors (okay, mostly black). But I dont have anywhere near 20 pairs!
Pointy-toed high heels all week at work, espadrilles on the weekend except in winter when I switch the weekend shoes to riding boots.I keep a pair of running shoes in my trunk, though, in case of true emergencies.
Chuck Taylors, nearly every day, with every thing. I love them with nice trousers. The only concession I have made with age is the addition of good insoles with each one.
Open toed slides. 2 or 3 heel. At least a dozen colors and/or textures. 3-1/2 heel pumps. Another dozen colors. Ballerina flats. 4 different textures in black, plus several other colors. No need for anything else. A lady in a skirt never runs, after all (just as, to quote my granny, a lady never goes grey, she goes blonde).
well, I live in combat boots, new rocks, tanker boots (all variations of black stompy boots)For dress up, the majority of my Pretty Shoes are platform soled, narrow heeled, with ankle straps. Ankle straps are the big uniting theme amongst my several pairs of Pretty Shoes. -d
I have these Privo flats in every colour, and I love them. Definitely my everyday shoe.http://www.softmoc.com/ca/systemshow-item_I75951
Dansko professionals. Black, green, brown. Every work day. Boring but at least all my pants are hemmed to the right length.
Mary Janes and Ballet Flats. I went shoe shopping with my boy and everytime I picked up a shoe he said Dont you already have those? Well yes, but not exactly.
I technically only have two shoes. I have Richard Zech/Praeri loafers (think J. Tod with better details) and Puma Mostro sneakers.Granted, I have dozens of each. Nothing beats Richard Zech, which is why they arent made anymore of course.I love penny loafers too, but I cant wear them so low-cut, I had Bass Weejuns all through school, my mother paid $31.90 for them at Nordstrom, and complained about the price! I wore them for eight years after that, I think she stopped complaining two years in…
Delman makes these round-toed ballet flats with a patent leather toe cap – I have them in many, many color combinations (black suede and patent, brown leather and brown patent, black ribbon basketweave and patent, gold-flecker straw and ecru patent…). Which is funny, because I wear heels 75% of the time, and theres really no pattern to what I buy there! The flats are cute and comfortable and well made, and if you look consistently you can find them for half to a third of retail.
T-straps, all the way, from flats to 4 inch heels. I look for them everywhere and are instantly drawn to them.
Yep, I sure do — Mary Janes in every color/configuration you can think of … leather, non-leather, peep toe, 3 inch; 2.5 inch; flats — I have a closet full of Mary Janes. Then, of course, is the summer spin off — t-strap sandals. I just did a shoe purge (sort of). It was scary — same shoe, over and over and over again. Then again, its been my favorite shoe since I was a little girl…especially in black patent leather.
Mary janes or pumps. I have a pair of black mary jane flats I wear almost every day but theyre beginning to give out. I ordered a similar pair from Penneys the other day.I also have a ridiculous (well, for somebody who wears literally the same pair of shoes almost every day) collection of mary janes with mid-height Louis heels. Flapper shoes. One brown, two black [one fabric, one patent], one tan, one turquoise, one gray pumps [no strap, but otherwise the same type of shoe]. One pair black loafer-style mid-heels, one pair red ballerina flats, one pair tan flats, one pair brown flats, one Seventies burgundy wingtip pumps. Oddly, when Im at home, I mostly wear boots. I figure at least it means I wont have to replace any of my flapper shoes any time soon, right?
Oh, the boots–I forgot the boots!One pair black heavy boots, one pair black lace-up Justins, one pair tan pull-on Justins.And Im thinking now that I really need red cowboy boots. I keep wearing things that tell me they want to be worn with red boots.
Wow, I feel like I really need more shoes! However, Ive got my shoe related quirks too. I always have to have one pair of flats (used to be ballerina flats for summer, combat boots for winter, but those are completely worn out) for those days when you just know youll be standing all day long. I actually where those quite a lot, but cant bring myself to love them (last winter I tried to find a slightly more elegant replacement for the combat boots… I didnt buy anything) What I love are heels. My pumps should hve heels at least 3,5 inches high and round toes. A bit of a platform is very good. Straps, ankle, mary-jane style or T, can be very nice, but are not a must. High heeled sandals are great as well, but preferably with ankle straps. And Im a sucker for heels with oxford-styling. The lowest heeled pair of shoes I own and love is a pair of narrow black oxfords with a 2,5 inch heel.
it used to be flip flops when i was in college – every. single. day. my friends made fun of me and my family thought i was crazy because i wouldnt give them up even after i wore a hole in them…now im at work and still wear the same flats almost every day, but thats because public transportation and heels dont mix. i keep the heels at work. I am a big fan of being barefoot though (hence the flip flops)
Most of the summer (and we have a LOT of summer here) its one of several pairs of fishermans sandals, all the Aerosoles old-lady classic, the 4 Give.
Clogs…I wear them almost everyday. Love the old fashioned ones that have wooden soles.
No. I wear different shoes all the time, several in the same day as well.Even tennis shoes: I have some I kick around the yard (old pair of converse), some I wear out (newer pair of Vans), some for jogging/exercise (Nike) and some for dressy stuff, like when I want to be a little more put together (K-swiss classics).I am brand loyal to 9 West for the most part, tho. Although I own a ton of shoes I seldom wear.
I have a love/hate relationship with shoes. I love cute shoes, they hate me. Love your loafer collection. I can never get flats to stay on my feet, but heels are hard to stand in all day. If I could find cute shoes that didnt hurt my feet, Id buy them in every color!
Mary-Janes! It used to be stompy Army boots- I had 4 pairs in slight variations of styles that I would alternate between but now its definitely the mary-jane. I think its because they can go either casual or dressy and they dont have to be high to do so, which is a must if you are not prepared to accept foot-pain in any form.
All flat and black?? And no boots??Way to boring for me – love coloued shoes
I have wide feet and love, love, love heels — so when I find a pair that dont hurt (usually round toe high heel mary janes) I buy them in every color available in my size.
Okay so Im in college – I wear Rainbow sandals *literally* every day. But I am a master with the pumice stone, so my pedies stay nice. I wish I could wear more flats, but theyre so hard to run to class late in!
Mine is a collection of red clogs, mostly the wooden-soled ones. And I need a new pair!
Weather permitting, Oxford Shoes with high heels. In dark brown and burgandy. Most people foolishly think that I live on same pair of shoes. I pity the fools. They might look the same but they come in multiple pairs. But this is during melted ( talking about snow ) seasons.During winter months I have a collection of black ancle boots with pointy high heels and pointy toes. Except for the one version of black Oxford shoe version of ancle boot.Might I just say that I so enjoy this blog! One of the few I check every day when I open the computer.
I have 7 pairs of shoes: the black ones, the brown ones, sandals, black pumps, house slippers, winter boots, and hiking boots. I wear a size 10 narrow and have an impossible time finding anything that will fit. The only part of my body that is skinny is my feet and I cant find anything to wear on them!
I have like ten pairs of ballet flats that are about half a size too small. Shoes that are just a little too small always look better.Wow that makes me sound like SUCH a vain freak.
I wear mostly Dansko clogs, open, closed, sandals, etc.I also like the Re-Mix 40s wedges.
And I thought my shoe collection was large!I used to own tons of Converse but have since limited myself sensibly to two pairs. So it is them, flip flops, or one of the 5 pairs of Mudd high heels that are basically all the same, just a slight variation on one model.
a comprehensive list of my shoe collection:dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, dansko, hiking boots, running shoes
Thanks so much for the link to the vegan loafers! I went right to Overstock and ordered 2 pairs. I am delighted with the green! What a find! I hope they fit well. Thanks again! Youre a peach!
Ive tried to branch out in the last couple of years and among my big, clunky black shoes, I now have a few pairs of colored ballet flat type shoes. Theyre much nicer with my dresses, I think, for days when Im feeling match-y.My favorite loafer quote: Prince telling Morris Day, Only confused men wear loafers, in Under the Cherry Moon. He seemed to have no opinion about female loafer-wearing, though. I mean, if you look to Prince for fashion advice.
My shoes closet looks a lot like yours only mine is filled with Mary Janes.
This post makes me feel more normal…I wear comfortable shoes, Mephisto or clogs mostly…but I wear the same pair forever. And it takes a lonnnng time to wear out Mephisto shoes. But I thought I was an oddity. But now that Ive seen the variety of responses here Im willing to poke my toes out and admit it. I own about 3 pairs of shoes and I only wear one of those. Dont Judge Me.
(Did notice the repeated Dansko love…might have to check them out)
I wear fake Birkenstocks from Walmart. Every day, except for when I get dressed up and wear the only pair of real Birks I own, in black leather. I will say that I am retired now and when I was working I did wear other shoes. My favorites fake Birks are in denim, and I got several pairs so that as they wear out I can replace them. They dont hold up well, but they are really cheap. For a while they introduced new colors and patterns regularly, but they seem to have stopped, which makes me crazy. What will I do?
How did that sneaker sneak in there?
I wear Dansko clogs on my work days; either Mary Jane style or the full uppers. On my own time, I like cute flats or stilettos. I am in search of the Bass Weejun penny loafer-in college I had so many pairs and would wear them all 4 seasons. I just think they look so cute with skirts or jeans.
I wear black boots every day. They have to be a little higher than ankle but not calf-high. Ive been wearing them, and not much else, since I was 9. They go with everything! Dresses, jeans. Santana makes the best ones.
golf shoes. but the ones that are two-tone only and look like actual shoes. ever color i can get, as long as its two tones. currently, i have 35 pairs (awaiting a win on ebay, ill have 36). remove the cleats and theyre comfortable, snazzy and water-resistant.
I pretty much live in Birkenstocks. I have a pair of Arizonas in green that I got a couple years ago to replace the tan ones that are over 20 years old (and have been renovated and resoled). I have a pair of brown Bostons, than need renovating (have been resoled once I think) And a pair of the plastic clogs that are wearing low on the heels. In the winter or bad weather I will wear something else outside and bring the Birkis for indoor shoes.Specialty shoes: Black Reeboks for garland dancing; tevas for hot weather gardening or going swimming; LLBean boots for winter; Lands End slip ons for slightly wet or messy weather; 14th c. style with small pointy toes for SCA. Once in a very great while I still wear the cute little victorianish ankle boots for contradancing, but now that I have calcifying tendonitis in my shoulder, I cant do couple dancing.
Someday. And I have an old pair of Frye boots someone passed down to me that dont really fit, it would be nice to get a good pair of medieval boots, not fakey moccasins or whatever. Someday.
I love a loafer with a heel.
I probably have 10 pair of flip flops.. and the husband has an impressive collection of Converse in nearly every color you can think of!Gotta love a man who doesnt mind spare SHOES in the closet!
Ive currently got 3 pairs of black ballet-ish flats on the go. They would be close to my 100th, 101st, and 102nd pairs of black ballet-ish flats. My most favourite flatties died earlier this year (I gave them a burial at festival…. by which i mean, i left them at a music festival, after realising they could no longer function as shoes due to the holes. also, i found another more comfy pair, and felt like it would be right by the universe for me to leave mine).im not 100% happy with any of my 3 current pairs of flats, but they are close enough, and cheap enough, to do. Cheap is important in my flats, because I WEAR THEM TO ABSOLUTE DEATH! Rain poses a huge problem once im entrenched in my flats, because they WILL have holes on the bottom (and yet, somehow, still remain totally presentable up top.) Its a sickness, i know…..
As usual, I love visiting the blog–Ive now amazed a sizable collection of Fluevogs, also from eBay and sales, since they are expensive shoes, too. BUT, they last, and the number I have in rotation has added up quick! But one of my favorite pairs of fun shoes lately are a pair of TUK kitty shoes, red mary janes that always get lots of compliments. Who knew? Love the loafer update, and hope you have a GREAT summer!
Sorry, that was amassed that I meant to write, not amazed–NEED MORE COFFEE.
I wear some form of sandal every day.
Temps where I live (Mediterranean area of Spain, less than an hours drive from the beach) are hovering around 30 C / 86 F, and June has just begun. Im now rotating 4 pairs of buttery-soft leather flat sandals, one of which is completely ratty and really ought to be retired by now. I am a hopeless cute-shoe-holic, and have dozens of pairs, some more practical than others for standing up hours on end on the job and/or tearing around town, but having sprained my ankle badly on the judo mat a few months ago, Ive worn nothing with a heel higher than 1.5 since then. The ankle is OK now, but I prefer to play it safe until classes break up for the summer – then its time to bring out my beloved high-heeled strappy sandals and sexy wedges again, yay!
I have two pairs of the same shoe style- I really like them, and I wore the one pair so much that they are really scuffed, so the second pair is for when I need to wear nicer shoes!Otherwise, I dont own any really similar shoes.
Big shoe collection here. Flip-flop, sneakers, flats, high-heels, pumps, sandals…in any color of the rainbow. So, I think the collection is around the 40-50 pairs and growing. Everytime I go to a shooping mall I look shoe and want at least 2 or 3 pairs. The sad part is I cant buy them. Lately (since I discover that the local Nine West always have a sale section) I been shooping at least 1 pair/month. After all, theres not such a thing as a woman with to many shoes!
When you find a shoe type that fits well and makes you happy, its only sensible to have more than one pair, right?? Just went at looked at the shoe closet and I have, ahem, 60-ish pairs of low-heel shoes. I only have about a dozen high heeled ones…I have about 25 pairs of black shoes (and I wear them all!) because black seems sensible and basic and like it goes with everything – but the 25 pairs still do not cover every BlackShoe situation. Almost….
OH – thank you for the Macys penny loafer link. I went to the site and purchased a few pair – I love penny loafers (dont have as many as you though!) and wouldnt have had the patience to navigate their site if you hadnt pointed them out. Bless you!
Today the Mark Fisher Macy shoes are $19.99!Marylou
ferragamo flats. Absolutely adore them. Like penny loafers, but more girly appropriate for the office..
Same brand, different style! I love my Danskos! My slippers are a pair of loafers!
Not really, but Im constantly attracted to wedges. Half my (very modest) shoe collection is some kind of wedge or other; I didnt even notice till fairly recently.
Yes I own moccasin/penny loafer type shoe!
OMGGGG!!! i cant stop thinking about penny loafers, im soooo obsessed! i wanted either ur mj ones or a tory burch pair however i cant find them anywhere anymore!! help!
Danielle, try eBay! I see Tory Burch pairs there all the time. (Warning, they have her big-ass logo on the heel, kinda tacky.)
Late to the party here. I wear oxfords almost daily. Black, brown, flat, heeled- doesnt matter. I like oxford shoes.I also like loafers, but am down to a pair of black penny loafer styled pumps, so am looking for more- which is how I ended up here.