Could the tassel loafer be the ultimate summer shoe?
Dressier than a penny loafer but able to hold its own with a pair of shorts, it’s as welcome at weddings as it is wandering through the park on a sunny afternoon.
The classic style started life in the 1940s, when silver-screen actor Paul Lukas took a pair of shoes with tassels on the laces into the Alden Shoe Company (the New England shoemaker which went on to produce the boots worn by Indiana Jones) in search of a similar style.
The team at Alden took the tassel motif and ran with it, producing a moccasin-style shoe that was quickly adopted by the Ivy League brigade as the shoe du jour.
The only question is – to sock or not to sock?
Fast forward 70 years, and the tassel loafer remains at the forefront of preppy fashion.
One company that has mastered the iconic style is Sons of London, the shoemaker which fuses British design with Italian craftsmanship. Its ‘Sixth Son’ is a definitive example of the classic tassel.
As with all pairs from Sons, it’s handmade in Italy from top-quality leather as well as this soft brown tobacco suede – a new colourway for the summer.
They’re the go-to shoes you’ve been waiting for. The only question is – to sock or not to sock?
For more info see, sonsoflondon.com
