The ladies loafer

The ladies loafer is one of the best trends hitting the stores this season. Loafers are traditionally men’s shoes, coming in brown or black leather and are a staple to any professional man’s closet. (Yes, men have staple closet accessories too.) But this season, ladies are taking the classic look and are transforming the tired traditional leather and adding femininity and colour. Lanvin, the French couture fashion house, designed a black patent loafer with a bow, a design alluding to the pompadour shoes that were fashionable to the elite in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The master of femininity, Valentino, designed a glamorous ladies loafer this season, with an ornate design of gold speckles across the shoe. Gucci took the look a bit more edgy, and did a zebra pattern, black and camel striped loafer. Eclectic designer Guiseppe Zanotti crafted a red velvet loafer with crystalized tassels as an ode to the traditional men’s smoking slipper. MiuMiu, from the Prada fashion house, crafted a blue suede shoe with a large flop bow and crystal studded heel. Even against-the-grain designer Alexander McQueen put a loafer in his collection, staying true to his house’s design by using a deep cherry red suede, and skull emblem on the toe. Beyoncé has been seen on multiple occasions wearing loafers: first with a black pair and green plaid plants and a blazer, second with nude colored pants, and mustard patterned loafers. Rihanna took the look rocker, wearing white loafers with a cut-off jean skirt and solid white blouse. Even fashion icons like Pippa Middleton, Gwen Stefani and Anne Hathaway have all been seen wearing loafers this season. What’s the best way to wear the style? Loafers look best with skinny leg trousers. If you are going for a more classic look, grab a pair of crisp patent loafers and mix it with skinny black pants, and a neutral colored blouse. If you want to accessorize further, add a blazer, pearl earrings, and a silk scarf. If you are going for a more bohemian look, wear eclectic loafers and pair them with coloured skinny jeans, a structured top, and layer on the long necklaces and bracelets, mixing metallics like gold, silver, and bronze. It’s also great to grab a cropped jacket to finish off the full ensemble. That’s the fashion scoop for this week. Got a thought? Trend? Style you hate? Send it my way.