Last Spring I put together a buying guide for penny loafers. Since then my tastes in loafers have only gotten more wild, and I’ve started to spend a lot of time thinking about tassel loafers. While the penny loafer is a bit of an understated classic, the tassel boasts a similar pedigree but with a bit more of an attitude. It’s a perfect combo of a very traditional style an a bit of visual interest. I’ve put together a list of my favorite models, as well as some history behind the style and how I like to wear them.
About the Tassel Loafer
Tassel loafers are sort of like the younger, fancier brother of the penny loafer. Both are core pieces in classic American style, rising to popularity in the first half of the 20th century. When tassel loafers arrived on the scene in post-WWII America, pennys were already wildly popular. They were the go-to shoes for the Ivy Style uniform and were on the feet of many men before they entered the workforce and had to change into oxfords. Then an actor named Paul Lukas came back from a trip to Europe with a pair of oxfords with small tassels on top – certainly a jaunty look, and one he hoped to emulate back home. His mission to create a similar style led him to Alden, who took the job and came up with the iconic style we know today. The oxford became a loafer and the shape was modified, but the tassels remained. The new style hit shelves in 1950 and has been an enduring style ever since (the black calfskin tassel loafer has been their top seller for over 60 years).
About This List and How to Wear Tassel Loafers
This list definitely won’t be exhaustive; it will lean a bit to my own tastes. I tend to prefer styles that are a bit chunkier and casual (like the original design), as opposed to the more elongated and angular Continental styles. In my mind, the tassel loafer in its purest form is a casual, preppy shoe, so I gravitate toward brands whose products reflect that.
As for how to wear them, tassel loafers are a slightly more advanced move than their penny brethren – the admittedly frilly tassels are an acquired taste (even the word ‘tassels’ is probably enough to turn many men off the style), and the old-school lawyer connotations don’t help either. But if you can overcome these hurdles, you’ll find that it’s a extremely versatile shoe that is quite a lot of fun to wear.
Just like with pennys, tassel loafers are a natural pairing with Ivy style staples like chinos, oxford cloth shirts, shetland sweaters, and other preppy clothing. They’re an easy way to dress up a pair of jeans and can also be worn with tailored clothing like trousers, sportcoats, and even some “casual” suits. They’re a highly versatile style – they just require a bit more hutzpah to wear.
Just about every prominent footwear brand will have a tassel loafer or two, so if you’re loyal to any one brand be sure to see what they have available. Here are my favorites:
Under $250: Some solid options from brands that offer a lot of value for the price.
- Meermin: like with their penny loafers, Meermin’s tassel lean to the side of sleek, continental-style footwear. With that said, the price is hard to beat (especially since they’re now shipping US orders from their New York store). They have tassel loafers in a variety of calfskin and suede colors, and at around $200 they’re impressively good for the price.
- Morjas: This young Spanish brand has one tassel loafer style. I’ve never handled any products from them but they look pretty promising, especially for the price. They’re only available in two colors, but brown suede and black calf are probably the two most classic options anyway.
- Loake: The budget British shoemaker offers a handsome tassel called the Lincoln. Loake shoes are great for the price, but unfortunately the company decided to forbid UK retailers to sell to the US, while not opening up many places for Americans to get them. Due to this shortsighted move, it’s difficult to get them in the US. There are some on Amazon, but at the moment but that’s all I know of.
$250-$500: A big step up in material and construction quality.
- Lof & Tung: This new company is the “house brand” of Skoaktiebolaget, one of the best shoe stores in the world (the wild name is Swedish for “Shoe Incorporated”). Skoaktiebolaget is known not only for carrying excellent products but also for having great taste – most of their stock is made expressly for their shop. Lof & Tung carries this tradition well, and offers excellent quality and handsome shoes for a great price. Their tassels are available in many materials and are a solid buy for the price.
- Allen Edmonds: This classic American shoe brand seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis after the company was sold in late 2016. There are a lot of questionable new models now, so I’ll save you some time and let you know that the Grayson is the only tassel loafer you should be looking at (there’s a shell version too). This is the one that has been in their catalog for decades and it’s a solid option if you want an American-made loafer that isn’t $550+.
- Carmina: For a more European take on this American take on a European shoe, Carmina has some lovely options. Their tassel loafer is available in tons of leathers, including shell cordovan. They also have a similar string loafer style, which took the menswear world by storm when they were released a few years ago.
$500+: These are the classics. You can’t go wrong with these options.
- Alden: It should come as no surprise that the originator of the style is one of the best places to get a pair. Alden’s tassels are handsome, well-made, and are about as iconic as a pair of shoes can get. They’re made on Alden’s Aberdeen last, which has great proportions overall (I find it to fit true-to-size). Their shell cordovan offerings are perhaps the pinnacle of tassel loafer style, but don’t sleep on their suede versions as well (I like dark brown suede almost as much as color 8 shell cordovan). Note that as of writing this you can currently get Alden tassels made for Brooks Brothers at an amazing price (shell, suede, calfskin), but they could disappear at any moment. The code BC1818 brings them down another 15%. My pair of shell tassels is shown above.
- Crockett & Jones: Once again, C&J proves that they can make semi-casual footwear as good or better than any American brand. Their Cavendish model is exceptional and comes in a variety of suede, calfskin, and shell cordovan colors (they even do black suede, which is a rare find). The style is very similar to the original and, like with all C&J shoes I’ve tried, is made well out of great materials.
