Men's Two Tone Tassel Loafers

Men's two tone tassel loafers in full grain calf, Goodyear welted on a leather sole and made to order in your size and width. The tassel loafer has a more specific origin than almost any shoe in menswear, and the two tone version pushes it somewhere the original never went.

Where the tassel loafer came from

The shoe has a documented beginning. The Hungarian actor Paul Lukas, who won an Oscar in 1943 for Watch on the Rhine, bought a pair of European oxfords finished with small leather laces and wanted something similar made in America.

In 1948 he took the idea to Farkas and Kovacs in New York, who produced a lace up version he was not satisfied with. He then did something unusual: he sent the right shoe to Lefcourt in New York and the left shoe to Morris Shoemakers in Los Angeles. Both firms turned to Alden to solve it. Alden redesigned the shoe on a penny loafer base, removed the laces entirely and put decorative tassels around the opening instead, and the result launched in 1950 with Lefcourt and Morris holding the first exclusive.

It was picked up immediately by Ivy League students and within a few years Alden was offering it in twenty leathers. That is how a shoe commissioned by an actor became a fixture of American professional dress.

What separates a good tassel loafer

The tassels are the part that fails, and how they are attached is the whole question.

On a properly made tassel loafer the tassels sit on a lace that runs through the topline of the shoe, threaded through eyelets or a stitched channel, and that lace is a functional piece of leather anchored at both ends. It can be replaced if it wears, and the tassels hang and swing.

On a cheap one the tassel is a decorative blob glued or tacked to the side of the shoe with a fake cord stitched flat around the topline. It does not move, and when the glue lets go there is nothing to reattach it to. You can tell the difference by lifting a tassel: if it moves freely on a real cord, it is the right construction.

The second thing to check is the topline itself. A tassel loafer has a higher, more closed topline than a penny loafer because the cord needs somewhere to run. If the topline is cut as low as a penny loafer and the cord is simply laid on top, the shoe was designed as a penny and decorated as a tassel.

Two tone on a tassel loafer

The classic tassel loafer is a single color, usually burgundy, black or brown. A two tone version does something the original did not intend, and it is worth being clear about the effect.

Two tone construction on a shoe normally follows the spectator formula, dating from 1868 sporting shoes: dark leather on the toe cap, heel and throat where the wear happens, light leather on the panels between. That produces a distinctly summer, distinctly leisure shoe.

On a tassel loafer the color split follows the shoe's own panel lines instead, which is a quieter effect than a spectator and reads as considered rather than as sporting. It still takes the shoe down the formality scale: a single color tassel loafer is business wear in America, and a two tone one is not. Treat it as smart casual and it does a job no other shoe in a wardrobe does.

How these are built

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

Full grain calf upper in both colors, tassels on a functional leather cord running through the topline, leather lining, leather sole, stacked leather heel. 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 tassel loafer is slightly more forgiving than a penny or a Belgian, because the higher, more closed topline holds your foot at more points. It still has no lacing, so it has to be snug: a shoe that feels comfortable the first time you put it on is too big, and heel slip on a slip on cannot be corrected afterwards.

Order your true length and specify the width separately rather than sizing up to gain room across the ball, which only makes the shoe long. Measure against the men's shoe size guide and tell us first if you are between widths or have a low instep.

What to wear them with

A two tone tassel loafer is a smart casual shoe with a bit of personality, and it wants the rest of the outfit to stay quiet.

Stone, cream and tan chinos are the natural home. Gray flannel works and is the dressiest thing these will carry. Navy works. Dark denim works. An odd jacket and pants works and is probably the best use of the shoe.

What it does not want is a formal business suit, where two colors and tassels are two steps too much, or anything else patterned or contrasting: no spectator anywhere else, no loud socks, no exotic belt. Match your belt to the darker of the two leathers and ignore the lighter one.

Also in the range: the black and burgundy chisel toe loafers and the two tone cap toe oxford.

Care, two colors and a cord

Do each color separately and with its own cloth. This is where two tone shoes get ruined: dark cream dragged onto the lighter leather darkens it permanently and there is no lifting it back out. Work the lighter color first while your cloth is clean, let it dry, then the darker one.

The tassels and the cord need their own attention. Cream them lightly, because leather cord dries out faster than the upper does and a dry cord snaps at the point where it passes through the topline. Keep wax off the cord entirely; wax on a flexing cord cracks and flakes.

Brush along the seam between the two colors, never across it. Cedar trees between wearings, a day of rest between wears, dry naturally away from heat.

What to expect when you order

Cut and lasted after you order in your size and width. Production is 10 to 14 days, then shipping.

Questions we get asked

Who invented the tassel loafer?
It was commissioned by the Hungarian actor Paul Lukas, who won an Oscar in 1943 for Watch on the Rhine. He had bought European oxfords finished with small leather laces and wanted something similar made in America.

When was the tassel loafer created?
Lukas approached Farkas and Kovacs in New York in 1948, was unhappy with their lace up version, and sent one shoe to Lefcourt in New York and the other to Morris Shoemakers in Los Angeles. Both turned to Alden, who redesigned it on a penny loafer base with tassels instead of laces, and it launched in 1950.

How should the tassels be attached?
On a functional leather cord running through the topline, anchored at both ends and replaceable. Lift a tassel: if it moves freely on a real cord, that is the right construction. A glued or tacked tassel with a fake cord stitched flat has nothing to reattach to when the glue lets go.

How can I spot a badly made tassel loafer?
Look at the topline. A proper tassel loafer has a higher, more closed topline than a penny loafer because the cord needs somewhere to run. If the topline is cut as low as a penny loafer and the cord is simply laid on top, the shoe was designed as a penny and decorated as a tassel.

Is a two tone tassel loafer business wear?
No. A single color tassel loafer is business wear in America, but two colors take it down the formality scale. Treat it as smart casual, where it does a job no other shoe in a wardrobe does.

How is this different from a spectator shoe?
A spectator follows a formula from 1868 sporting shoes, with dark leather on the toe cap, heel and throat where the wear happens and light leather between, which reads as summer and leisure. Here the color split follows the shoe's own panel lines, which is quieter and reads as considered rather than sporting.

How should a tassel loafer fit?
Snug, though slightly more forgiving than a penny or a Belgian because the higher closed topline holds your foot at more points. A shoe that is comfortable the first time you put it on is too big, and heel slip on a slip on cannot be corrected later.

How do I polish a two tone shoe?
Each color separately with its own cloth. Work the lighter color first while the cloth is clean, let it dry, then the darker. Dark cream dragged onto lighter leather darkens it permanently and there is no lifting it back out.

Do the tassels need special care?
Yes. Cream them lightly, because leather cord dries faster than the upper and a dry cord snaps where it passes through the topline. Keep wax off the cord entirely, since wax on a flexing cord cracks and flakes.