The London Lounge

Clemens, formal as you like to be, I never imagined you the kind who wears loafers with a dinner suit. You don't get any more informal with formalwear than that. But life is full of contradictions...
If I were you, I'd have a pair of brown loafers made: the informal character of the loafers is best put to advantage by an equally informal choice of colour. Plus you would get a lot more use out of them.
Black loafers with sportswear is not very inspired, while worn with a dinner suit they make for a very degage look - fine for older gentlemen whose tired feet might not stand laced shoes anymore, or if you are on a cruise and didn't bring along five trunks of wardrobe. But if there is no apparent excuse for it, then it is an affectation.

Clemens wrote:As always, thanks for your most helpful advice Costi. So you would agree that Loafers are acceptable to be worn with a Dinner Jacket in the UK? Black will be my colour because black can be worn more often, I don't own a single pair of brown shoes because I don't have any garments that would require brown shoes at the moment. How about the style of the loafers, should I go for a normal black or more a patent leather? (Which I don't like much) And what about the leather, what kind of leather should I ask him to use? Thanks!

If I remember correctly you are a student. How does a student not have an occasion to wear brown shoes? Do you have no informal clothing or never leave town?

Clemens wrote:As always, thanks for your most helpful advice Costi.

You are most welcome, Clemens. I am so glad when I see my advice is so useful...

Clemens wrote:I don't own a single pair of brown shoes because I don't have any garments that would require brown shoes at the moment.

You're missing out a lot...

I hope you are not preparing for a carreer as an undertaker

Clemens,

Just in case translation is causing confusion: you say that it is not uncommon to see "loafers" worn with dinner jackets in Spain--in Marbella that may be true, but it may be that you are seeing something else. Traditionally, there are two kinds of black slip-on shoes (no laces) that are correct with dinner jackets: the evening pump, usually in shiny patent leather, but sometimes in polished calf, with a grosgrain bow. The opening of the pump comes very far toward the toes:



The other kind of traditional slip-on for dinner dress is the Albert slipper, again in patent or calf, with or without the grosgrain bow (although the calf version without bow is dangerously close to a house slipper):





Are these what you have seen? If so, these are correct anywhere including the UK (the last example is from John Lobb, St. James), but NOT with anything other than white or black tie (or a dressing gown or smoking jacket at home).

If you have seen moccasins or Gucci-style loafers with dinner jackets, perhaps on the Mediterranean coasts, this would be an example of a regional informality (as Costi says, very degagé) that would still not be correct for most black-tie occasions in the northeastern U.S. or major cities in the U.K.

So I believe Costi has advised you well: if you are going to get true "loafers" (by definition a casual type of shoe) for your first bespoke investment, you might do well to get a style and color that will be versatile, so you can wear them more frequently than you will be likely to wear your dinner jacket--this way you will be spending the money where it can be the foundation of an enduring bespoke shoe wardrobe. You can get evening pumps, or dress balmoral oxfords (patent or lightweight calf):





in a good ready-to-wear model (assuming your feet are not difficult to fit) to wear with your dinner suit now, and perhaps replace them with bespoke when your bespoke shoe wardrobe is larger.

Or: you could get the bespoke evening shoes now as a pure indulgence, but you would probably be disappointed if you thought you could wear them anywhere else (unless you chose calf oxfords, and then you might wear them with sober dark suits).

But you will also probably be disappointed before long if you buy bespoke black loafers (such as moccasins):





and begin to feel out of place wearing them at black-tie events.

Good luck!

Clemens wrote:So you would agree that Loafers are acceptable to be worn with a Dinner Jacket in the UK? How about the style of the loafers, should I go for a normal black or more a patent leather? (Which I don't like much) And what about the leather, what kind of leather should I ask him to use? Thanks!

Loafers are perfectly acceptable worn with a dinner jacket in the UK. They are all I wear as do my family and many of the people I mix with. I know some die-hards here do not think them right but they have been worn for as long as I can remember.

The shoes I wear are black calf well polished not patent.

The shoes in your picture look good to me though personally I do not wear tassels with a dinner jacket and I do wear socks! I know you must have been talking about a different context.

William