Women's loafers: how to choose them and how to wear them
A loafer is the closed, low shoe you step into without fastening: it has no laces and no closing buckle, and it stays on the foot thanks to the shape of the upper and the saddle stitched across the instep. That absence of adjustment is what defines it, and it is also why size matters here more than in any other shoe: there is no lace to pull tight if it runs large.
The difference you feel while walking is not the upper, it is the sole. A thin leather sole lets you feel the ground, wears down faster and can be resoled; a raised rubber sole insulates from the cold, grips better on wet ground and adds a few millimetres of height. The first is the indoor and mid-season choice, the second the one for the city and the rain.
Leather, suede and nappa do not ask for the same care. Smooth leather is cleaned with a damp cloth and a neutral cream, takes water and builds a patina over time; suede is brushed dry and should be protected with a spray before the first outing, because a water mark on suede stays; nappa is the softest of the three, moulds to the foot from the first hour but marks easily.
On sizing there is only one rule: try a loafer at the end of the day, when the foot is at its largest, and it must stay put on the heel without your having to grip with your toes. If the heel lifts as you walk the size is too big, and it will never be less so: leather gives and does not shrink back. Half a size too large can be fixed with an insole, a full size cannot.
Anyone looking for the same ease of entry in a lower-volume shoe can look at the women's ballet flats, which share with the loafer the absence of a fastening; anyone who prefers a sportier sole will find the women's slip-ons instead.
