Need to mix up your shoe rotation? Here’s loafers that will make any outfit pop
It’s not even a refrain anymore; it’s a cliché. “Lighten up, it’s summer.” Don’t buy it—at least not entirely. Opting for airier stuff is a necessary concession to the season, but swapping every color in your wardrobe for Wimbledon white is boring.
So why not subvert expectations? And why not start with a shade normally consigned to the colder months: oxblood. You might know it as Bordeaux or merlot or claret or maroon or burgundy.
Call it whatever you like, because it all evokes the same image: a deep, rich red that feels like it’s made for frigid days and cozy fireside confines. And it is. But it’s also made for so much more—like, for instance, your summertime footwear rotation.
You know what a pair of sh*tkicking oxblood boots looks like with tweed trousers and a fisherman sweater. (Damn good.) But what about oxblood loafers with worn-in chinos and a white tee? It might be even bet ter.
When everyone else is rocking around in dingy canvas slip-ons, the saturated shade certainly stands out in a crowd. Plus, it’s a color that works with everything—yes, everything—you could possibly have in your wardrobe.
The old rules about which hue goes with which trousers? Toss ’em out the window. Instead, throw on a pair of oxblood shoes and wear them with black and navy and brown and khaki and indigo. Wear them without trousers entirely (assuming you’re wearing shorts). Wear them knowing they’re what the penthouse guys wear but also the punks.
Then remember that the punks know a thing or two more about style than the penthouse guys, and beat the hell out of your shoes accordingly. Scuff ’em. Scratch ’em. Wear them with abandon, and don’t worry about it. After all, it’s summer. Lighten up.
Loafers ($135) by G.H. Bass Originals; Socks ($24 for three-pack) and Vintage trousers by Abercrombie & Fitch. Loafers ($145) by G.H. Bass Originals; Slides ($895) by Esquivel; Loafers ($345) by Blackstock & Weber; Sneakers ($128) by Banana Republic; Sandals ($595) by Manolo Blahnik.