Loafers Are the New Sneakers

Give your trainers a break-bold, colourful slip-ons are a chic way to get your sartorial kicks.

- Jake Woolf

OVER THE PAST decade, the globe’s leading fashion houses have been engaged in a sneakers arms race, rolling out increasingly flamboyant styles aimed at turning heads, garnering clicks and seizing ground in the exploding luxury-kicks market. Loafers, on the other hand, have quietly held court on the opposite side of the sartorial spectrum: a sensible, versatile option for men whose wardrobes are defined by tradition, not trends. But in a post-pandemic world where classic menswear is roaring back into favour, these once disparate forms have begun to feel—and, in some cases, look—more similar than ever. At a time when pairing sneakers with a suit is anything but subversive, splashy, attention-grabbing loafers have become the unexpected choice for adding some visual punch to an outfit.