Men's Brown Suede Belgian Loafers

Men's Belgian style loafers in brown calf suede with the signature vamp bow, Goodyear welted on a leather sole and made to order in your size and width. The Belgian loafer is the softest looking dress shoe there is, and the version most people buy cannot be resoled. This one can.

Where the Belgian loafer comes from

The shoe is American by commerce and Belgian by manufacture. Henri Bendel, nephew of the man who founded the New York department store, opened Belgian Shoes at 60 East 56th Street in Manhattan in 1955, the same year the family sold the store. He had the shoes made by artisans in the Belgian countryside, and the Belgian government later recognized him twice, in 1964 and 1970, for reviving the trade there.

What made the shoe distinctive was the way it was put together. A true Belgian is sewn inside out and then turned right side out by hand once it is finished, which is why there is no visible construction anywhere on it. It is unlined, built over a light filling, and it has a small bow set at the top of the vamp that is tied by hand.

The trade off nobody explains at the counter

Turned construction is what gives the classic Belgian its glove like softness. It also means the shoe has no welt, no structure and a sole that is part of the turned assembly, so when the sole wears through there is very little a cobbler can do. You get two or three years of wear from something that cost as much as a welted shoe, and then it is finished.

We build the shape, the bow and the low clean vamp of the Belgian and put a Goodyear welt under it. You lose some of the slipper feel. You gain a shoe that is still going in ten years.

Why suede on this shape

Suede is the flesh side of the hide, buffed to a nap, which is what makes it read matte and soft rather than glossy. On a Belgian loafer that matters more than on a lace up, because the whole point of the shape is that it has no visible hardware, no lacing and no broguing. There is nothing to look at except the line of the shoe and the surface of the leather.

A glossy calf Belgian can look slight, almost like a slipper worn outdoors. The nap gives the shape enough visual weight to read as a shoe. It is also more forgiving day to day: suede does not show the scuff marks that calf picks up around the topline, which on a slip on is exactly where your other shoe catches it.

The trade off is rain. Suede takes water badly unless it is protected, and the fix is a spray protector before the first wear rather than anything you do afterwards.

Suede, nubuck and split suede, quickly

These three get sold interchangeably and they are not the same material.

Suede is the flesh side of a full thickness hide, napped. Nubuck is the grain side, the outer surface, sanded lightly to raise a much finer nap. It is denser and more hard wearing than suede because you still have the tight outer fibers. Split suede is the layer left over after the grain has been taken off for something else, napped on both sides, and it is the cheap one. It is loose, it sheds, and it goes shiny at the flex points within a season.

The way to tell in hand is to press your thumb across the surface. Real suede and nubuck both take a directional mark and recover when you brush them back. Split suede either does not mark at all or marks and stays marked.

How these are built

Goodyear welted and hand stitched. A leather welt runs around the upper and insole and the outsole is stitched to that welt rather than glued to the upper, so the shoe can be resoled repeatedly. Cork fills the cavity between insole and outsole and compresses to your foot over the first month of wear.

Calf suede upper, leather lining, leather sole, stacked leather heel. The vamp bow is a separate piece, stitched down rather than glued. Width cut to your measurement in D, E, EE or EEE through our made to order service. See the rest of the range in men's leather loafers.

Fit and sizing

Made to order in US sizes with widths D through EEE.

A Belgian loafer has the lowest vamp and the shallowest throat of any loafer, which means it holds your foot at fewer points than a penny or a tassel does. It has to fit snug. If it feels comfortable the first time you put it on, it is too big and it will slip at the heel within a month, and heel slip on a slip on cannot be fixed afterwards.

Suede also gives slightly more than calf across the first few wears because the fibers are looser, so err on the firm side rather than the roomy one. Order your true length and specify the width separately rather than sizing up to gain room across the ball. Measure against the men's shoe size guide and tell us before you order if you are between widths or have a low instep.

What to wear them with

Brown suede is the most useful loafer color there is because it sits between formal and casual without committing to either.

Cream, stone and tan chinos are the natural home. Gray flannel works and is the dressier end of what this shoe will carry. Dark denim works. Linen in summer works, and this is one of the few dress shoes that genuinely looks right with a linen suit.

What it does not want is a business suit in navy worsted with a formal shirt and tie, because the bow and the low vamp will always read softer than the outfit above them. Match your belt to the depth of the suede rather than trying to match the texture. Also in the range: dark brown Belgian loafers in smooth calf and the suede and crocodile Belgian loafer.

Caring for suede

No polish, ever. Wax and cream fill the nap, flatten it and leave a shiny patch that does not come back.

Use a crepe or rubber suede brush and work in one direction to lift the nap after each wear. A suede eraser handles marks that brushing will not, used gently, and a protector spray before the first wear is the single most useful thing you can do. Reapply it every couple of months if the shoes see rain.

If they get soaked, stuff them with paper, let them dry naturally away from heat, then brush the nap back up once they are completely dry. Brushing wet suede mats it. Cedar trees between wearings and a day of rest between wears.

What to expect when you order

Cut and lasted after you order in your size and width. Suede varies in depth of tone hide to hide, so yours will be close to the photographs rather than identical to them. Production is 10 to 14 days, then shipping.

Questions we get asked

What is a Belgian loafer?
A low vamp slip on with a small bow at the top of the vamp and no visible construction. Henri Bendel opened Belgian Shoes in Manhattan in 1955 and had them made by artisans in the Belgian countryside, which is where the name comes from.

How is a traditional Belgian loafer made?
Sewn inside out and then turned right side out by hand once finished, which is why no seams or welt show. It is unlined and built over a light filling, and the vamp bow is tied by hand.

Can a Belgian loafer be resoled?
A traditional turned one, effectively no. The sole is part of the turned assembly and there is no welt for a cobbler to work from, so when it wears through the shoe is finished. Ours keeps the Belgian shape and bow but is Goodyear welted underneath, so it resoles repeatedly.

What is the difference between suede, nubuck and split suede?
Suede is the flesh side of a full thickness hide, napped. Nubuck is the grain side sanded to a finer nap and is denser and harder wearing. Split suede is the leftover layer after the grain has been taken off, and it goes loose and shiny at the flex points within a season.

Why suede rather than smooth calf on this shape?
Because a Belgian has no lacing, no hardware and no broguing, so the surface of the leather is the whole shoe. The nap gives the shape enough visual weight to read as a shoe rather than a slipper, and it hides the scuffs a slip on picks up around the topline.

How should a Belgian loafer fit?
Snug. It has the lowest vamp and shallowest throat of any loafer, so it holds your foot at fewer points than a penny or tassel loafer. If it feels comfortable the first time you put it on, it is too big and will slip at the heel within a month.

Should I size up for a wide foot?
No. Order your true length and specify the width separately, D through EEE. Sizing up to gain room across the ball makes the shoe too long, and heel slip on a slip on cannot be fixed afterwards.

How do I look after suede?
No polish, ever. It fills the nap and leaves a shiny patch that does not recover. Brush with a crepe or rubber suede brush in one direction after each wear, use a suede eraser on marks, and apply a protector spray before the first wear.

What happens if they get wet?
Stuff them with paper and dry naturally away from heat, then brush the nap back up once they are completely dry. Brushing wet suede mats it.