How to wear loafers: socks or no socks, suit or jeans
Wear loafers with no-show socks for a bare-ankle look, or with socks in the colour of your trousers. Let the trouser end just above the shoe. A suede loafer works with a suit and with jeans; pick the model by how dressed your day is.
Late afternoon, the end of a long week. You step out of the office, loosen up, walk to dinner. No laces to tie, nothing to adjust. You stepped into these shoes this morning and you haven't thought about them since. That is the quiet magic of a loafer: it looks considered and asks almost nothing of you.
But a loafer shows more than other shoes: your ankle, your sock, the end of your trouser. Here is how to get those right, and which of our loafers for men fits which day.
Do you wear loafers with or without socks?
Both work. For a bare ankle, wear no-show socks: you get the look without the friction. For a more dressed look, wear socks in the colour of your trousers, so the line runs unbroken to the shoe.
A good no-show sock has one job: stay down and stay on. Ours sit below the collar of a low shoe and hold at the heel, in a bamboo blend, made for loafers, slip-ons and low sneakers. Wearing socks of some kind matters for another reason too: they help the leather lining of your shoes last longer.
How should trousers fall on a loafer?
Just above the shoe, with little or no fold. A loafer is low and open, so it looks best when the trouser ends cleanly and shows a little of the ankle or the sock.
Slim and straight trousers work most easily. A wider, pleated trouser works too, as long as the hem is not so long that it swallows the shoe. When in doubt, look at your feet in a mirror: you should see the whole loafer.
Our TP 05 is a good example of a wide trouser that works: a Technical Drape Weave at 290 g/m², soft to the touch and heavier in the hand, made for the way a wide trouser falls. Let it rest just on the loafer and the line stays calm.
A loafer looks considered and asks almost nothing of you.
Can you wear loafers with a suit?
Yes, and they make a suit feel lighter. A suede loafer reads polished without turning stiff. The LS 03 keeps the upper clean and the sole thin, so the shoe bends with the foot; it is the one for a dark suit. Keep the suit soft and the colours calm: a suede loafer next to a stiff, shiny suit can feel like two ideas at once. A soft suit, like our Essence Suit, the JC 01 overshirt and the TP 02 trouser in the same cloth, meets the loafer halfway. We wrote more about this in sneakers with a suit, and for the big day in wedding shoes for men.
And loafers with jeans?
That is where they feel most at home. The LS 05 is a penny loafer on a rubber sneaker sole: classic on top, sneaker underneath, which is why it works in both directions. It dresses a suit down and pulls a pair of jeans up.
The MC 01 keeps the moccasin line unbroken, without a penny strap, on a rubber outsole with a deeper tread. It works with a trouser and with denim, and the deeper tread makes it the one for days with more walking than sitting. How a moccasin differs from a loafer and a deck shoe is in deck shoes, moccasins and loafers.
Which loafer for which day?
Choose by how dressed your day is, then by colour. Darker suede, like Jet Black or Chocolate, suits the evening and a suit; lighter tones, like Sand and Desert Taupe, feel warmer and easier in daylight.
| Model | What it is | Wear it |
|---|---|---|
| LS 01 | A loafer on top, a sneaker underneath | To the office, to dinner and the walk between |
| LS 03 | Clean upper, thin sole, full leather lining | With a dark suit or sharp trousers |
| LS 05 | A penny loafer on a rubber sneaker sole | A suit dressed down, or jeans dressed up |
| MC 01 | A moccasin without a penny strap, deeper tread | With a trouser or with denim |
How should a loafer fit?
Close, because there are no laces to hold your foot. Our loafers sit close and soften and shape to your foot after a few wears. The LS 05 is narrower than our other loafers, so take one size up; the MC 01 is relaxed, so between sizes take one size down. Every model is in how ETQ shoes fit.
Most of our loafers are in Mediterranean suede, soft from the first wear. Like all suede shoes, they don't like moisture, so protect them before you first wear them, and brush them gently in one direction now and then to lift dirt and bring the nap back. Then wear them often. A loafer that gets worn is a loafer that gets better.
Frequently asked questions
Should I wear socks with loafers?
Wear no-show socks for a bare-ankle look, or socks in the colour of your trousers. Socks help a leather lining last longer.
What is the difference between the LS 01 and the LS 05?
The LS 01 is a plain loafer on a sneaker sole. The LS 05 is a penny loafer on a rubber sneaker sole, narrower than our other loafers.
Do ETQ loafers run small?
They sit close to the foot. The LS 05 runs narrow, so take one size up. The MC 01 is relaxed, so between sizes take one size down.
Can I wear suede loafers in the rain?
Suede doesn't like moisture. Protect it before the first wear, and let wet shoes dry at room temperature, stuffed with paper.
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