Spare a Penny?
What goes up must come down…especially in fashion. With so many shoes reaching elevations last seen during the 16th century when stilt-like chopines were all the rage, its no surprise that the surprise sleeper hit of this year’s fall footwear season is the practical penny loafer! Classic & comfy, the only ones mourning their arrival are no doubt the many podiatrists whose practices flouri$h when heels hit new heights.
This longtime preppy staple originated in the humble cow fields of Norway after Esquire magazine ran some photos during the 1930s of the local dairy farmers in a cattle “loafing” area, inspiring a design of the same name from New Hampshire’s Spaulding company.
John Bass soon upped the style ante with his version, the now-iconic “Weejuns” (from “Norwegian”), with a split strap (apparently meant to resemble lips) which fashion-minded American prep school students of the 1950s started adorning with a penny. The penny (and later, a dime) also served as emergency funds for students or teens on a date to phone home
during a time when people still used pay phones and they were still cheap.
The perennial menswear-for-women appeal of the penny loafer is probably due to how many male style icons have been photographed wearing them, from a debonair JFK to original badboy James Dean, a fleet-footed Gene Kelly, and more recently, the King of Pop.
Here are some affordably-priced ones to check out:
Sebago Plaza in “Cordo”
Geox “Giava”
Etienne Aigner “Candy”
Bass – “Brookfield”
Cole Haan Air Hilary” moc
- Lesley Scott
(images: girls on bicycles; JFK golfing; James Dean; Michael Jackson; Gene Kelly; penny loafers/legs)
GHILLIES GET FASHION’Y
MORE CUTE FLATS!
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If you have feet that are either too big or too small, you may feel a little embarrassed in addition to having trouble finding the right shoes. You may have been told or feel like you should have to pay a lot more then you would for regular shoes.
Penny Loafers For Women
Unlike other blogs I found this one really indicating the significance of Penny Loafers and this I think will help a lot of people to understand why they should buy a Penny Loafer for their feet.
Unlike other blogs I found this one really indicating the significance of Penny Loafers and this I think will help a lot of people to understand why they should buy a Penny Loafer for their feet.