I am not so fond of loafers as they are too casual in my eyes ( who loves to wear suits!), but summer is clearly the season for loafers because my favorite blakc cap toe oxford just cannot play well with the climate and feeling, It makes me an unwelcomed customer in an amusement park.
Before this pair, only the Alden 563 is my workhorse.
Loafers are so loved because of its convenience, but for me, the chic feeling and lovely colour are the key.
Pattern
Tassel loafer is the second most popular loafers tightly after penny loafer, but except the interesting models from J.FitzPatrick and Corthay, most brands just take the very similiar pattern desgin if not identical. The only noticeable difference is how the tassel is attached to the upper and the where the strap pokes out.
For most loafers, the stitches on the apron is the key feature, not only the shape but also the technique.
Butt seam is the most usual one and my favorite. It is not hard to execute and not very exquisite, but it is very classic and beautiful.
Around opening of ankle, there is always piping for a better and complete look, and black is the default. This pair of Carlos Santos uses the same leather as the upper, and the sock lining is the same.
This detail is the brand feather which is very good and only appreciated by in the know.
Last
362 is the dominant loafer last of Carlos Santos, many people love and appreciate its comfort.
From this angle, it may seem too round.
But when the shoes are on the feet, do you still think it is too round? Not at all, it is very elegant.
If you want to check how really last of your shoes is, use backlight so that no pattern can distract you.
Leather and Colour
The suede is Repello from English tannery Charles F. Stead, the very popular choice among very brands. Repello is famous for its water resistance. I suggest you don’t try its performance on purpose as suede is a open fibre leather and it absorbs liquid quite easily. Don’t skip spraying some waterproof product.
The colour look navy by the first sight, but when the suede fibre leans to different direction, the colour becomes light or dark.
When the direction make it dark, it is close to purple and this colour make me a lot of headache to pair.
Construction
When I learnt the construction, every new one made me excited. This pair is the rarely seen Bolognese construction, the illustration is as below:
In short, a great description, Leather Sock. The leather your forefoot stepping on is the same as the upper.
So the snug feeling is more pronounced and very soft from the beginning.
But I still find something new in this pair as you can see, aside the Blake stitches there is another finer line of stitches, I doubt it is to connect the overlapped area of upper.
If this area is where the upper overlaps, the feet should feel it, however I don’t have any. Maybe the overlapped is at the side not the bottom.
Outsole
Bolognese is a variant of Blake construction, so the outsole is directly soled to upper.
The appearance is sleek and narrow waist by nature.
Narrow waist always gives an more refined feeling no matter how it is achieved.
The outsole is compound with rubber in the forefoot and leather at the waist. The leather is painted to purple to generally match the upper.
The functionality is very good and supported by some people may add rubber sole on top of leather sole.
I am not a fan of compound sole as it is not beautiful most time, such as the example from Sons of Henrey.
I prefer Goodyear construction to Blake not because Goodyear is more time consuming, but the sole is thicker so that I can stand taller.
The thickness of this pair is just acceptable to me, if any thinner, I may quit.
Fit
We have seen the elegant silhouette in last section, and its room inside make it suitable for most people’s foot. With the leather sock construction, all elements harmoniously mixed.
Another feature is the grip of the opening of both sides
It is good for fit, but very painful for break in as it wears the skin under ankle joint to bleed.
Outfit
I like to wear loafers bare foot as it is a very casual model, and white trousers match everything. I chose navy stripped shirt to match the shoes.
The result is not very satisfactory for two reasons.
One, the fabric of the trousers is linen and not purely white but actually oatmeal, it contaminate the blue.
Two, the shoes are too dark, much darker than my shirt, the match did not work out.
I came to a conclusion that it is more formal than I thought, and not suitable for brisk summer easily. So I changed my mind.
I put on my favorite and go to navy suit, the formality should be enough.
Still not so good.
On one hand, the sleek loafer does not answer very well to formality in my perspective, it is more psychological.
On the other hand, it is still the colour issue.
Tone on tone is too difficult for me.
Carlos Santos official advertisement showed that fade jeans is good, I agree and the shoes look a little faded as well so the colour is lighter.
And I will give pure white trouser another chance.
Conclusion
As a brand, Carlos Santos is not as famous as Edward Green or Crockett & Jones, but the quality is quite sound, and this pair of navy suede enrich my wardrobe.