This post is going to kick it all off (so to speak). So I’ll get in early with the excuses:
I know some people don’t think tassle loafers are proper Mod shoes. This has been debated in various places.
The results are inconclusive as far as I can see. If you could go back in time and take a look, see what Mods were wearing in the 1960s, I’d go by that metric. Although to be honest, if you had a time machine you’d probably have bigger fish to fry.
I know some people don’t think tassle loafers are proper Mod shoes. This has been debated in various places.
The results are inconclusive as far as I can see. If you could go back in time and take a look, see what Mods were wearing in the 1960s, I’d go by that metric. Although to be honest, if you had a time machine you’d probably have bigger fish to fry.
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I’m sceptical because from what I do know, the shoes were first brought out in America in the mid-1950s, following a guy named Paul Lukas’ request for a tassled version of a kind of laced moccasin - which sounds horrific. Anyway, spotting the demand, the two companies he approached (Lefcourt and Morris) started making a slip-on version with tassles. By 1957, Brooks Brothers (of shirtmaking fame) wanted to get in on the act and ramped up production.
This is all interesting, but basically I think it’s just a tiny bit too late for the original Mods in England. If we go by the usual assumption that English fashion looked to the American Ivy League for inspiration and was a few years behind, I reckon there’s only the slimmest of chances these would have made it to England in time for the early 1960s. Happy to be proven wrong of course.
But anyway this is all irrelevant because culturally, tassles are all part of the Mod wardrobe now anyway, regardless of when they were adopted, which brings me onto my latest acquisition:
This is all interesting, but basically I think it’s just a tiny bit too late for the original Mods in England. If we go by the usual assumption that English fashion looked to the American Ivy League for inspiration and was a few years behind, I reckon there’s only the slimmest of chances these would have made it to England in time for the early 1960s. Happy to be proven wrong of course.
But anyway this is all irrelevant because culturally, tassles are all part of the Mod wardrobe now anyway, regardless of when they were adopted, which brings me onto my latest acquisition:
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Recently got these beauties from IKON footwear. That’s from their IKON Original line.
They are the Selecta style, in Bordo, which is the classic tassle loafer style you’ll all recognise - tassled frill fringe and the knotted leather “laces” on top. They do another one called “Quad Punch” but that’s without the frill fringe and has pin holes instead.
Turns out “Bordo” is basically oxblood, but the style is a kind of burnished effect, as if they have been polished in certain places and left darker in others. Anyway this gives the shoes a nice stylish edge over my brother’s (which are also oxblood, but all one uniform colour).
In addition, while these ones are actually lower priced than your Loakes, they also seem to be a lot sturdier and very well-made – the leather is tough and doesn’t give the impression that it’ll all fall apart if someone accidentally steps on your toe. Which, frankly, with some of the cowboys out there, can sometimes be a problem.
They were a snip at £80 from a trusted brand. I’ve had a pair of black desert boots from IKON before so I can certainly say they deliver! Although I suspect now I’ve blabbed about them they might try to put the price up, so get them while you still can!
They are the Selecta style, in Bordo, which is the classic tassle loafer style you’ll all recognise - tassled frill fringe and the knotted leather “laces” on top. They do another one called “Quad Punch” but that’s without the frill fringe and has pin holes instead.
Turns out “Bordo” is basically oxblood, but the style is a kind of burnished effect, as if they have been polished in certain places and left darker in others. Anyway this gives the shoes a nice stylish edge over my brother’s (which are also oxblood, but all one uniform colour).
In addition, while these ones are actually lower priced than your Loakes, they also seem to be a lot sturdier and very well-made – the leather is tough and doesn’t give the impression that it’ll all fall apart if someone accidentally steps on your toe. Which, frankly, with some of the cowboys out there, can sometimes be a problem.
They were a snip at £80 from a trusted brand. I’ve had a pair of black desert boots from IKON before so I can certainly say they deliver! Although I suspect now I’ve blabbed about them they might try to put the price up, so get them while you still can!
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