Seeing Red: The Red Driving Loafer (part 1)

I have a pair of driving mocs in chocolate brown suede. I picked them up from Banana Republic about a year ago. They are constructed rather well, except for the fact that the man-made insole causes one's feet to sweat and slide around in the shoe when going sockless. The problem was solved by purchasing some of the small loafer booties offered by such retailers as Banana Republic or Journey's (although Target sells them for a much lower price in the women's hoisery department, in a large size that accomodates a male foot). The lesson learned here was to buy a loafer with a soft leather insole: no sweating, and consequently, no sliding.

In the Spring of this year, Esquire magazine published their now semi-annual Big Black Book of men's style, and featured a driving loafer in a spread about Italian style (pictured, left). What got my attention about these loafers was their color. Bright red. Nice. After several months of not being able to forget how freakin' cool these looked, I decided I had to get a pair. Suddenly, a new problem presented itself: $$$$$$! The Car Shoe brand driving loafers featured in Esquire go for $420 bucks! Major drat. I looked around and found that Tod's makes a pair as well. $450 bucks! While I may have some $400 shoes in my closet, none of them have a novelty element to them (such as a bright red finish) that would limit my ability to wear them with everything. I'm willing to fork out some coin for versatility, but I can't justify such an expense on a driving moc.


Then, I found these (photo 2). Shoe manufacturer Born makes a red driving loafer (the Lynch) for just a value meal over $100. SOLD! These have an attractive appearance, a leather insole, and are constructed using the Opanka hand-sewn technique, where the upper, the padding, and insole are sewn together in a single process. Sounds good to me.

Now these shoes have been featured on some other blogs; most notably Tweed & Velvet (there is a link in my Blog List), and I haven't received mine yet, so after they arrive I promise a review. One thing that I may do is remove the laces and dye them red for a more uniform appearance... I think the white laces may be slightly distracting from the overall effect. We shall see. It's nice to have the prospect of a comfortable pair of driving shoes. If these work well, I may have to invest in some of the other color options that Born has available. The navy pair looks nice too. Check out the available Lynch models on Born's website, through the link here.
http://tinyurl.com/born-lynch


Until next time,
Cheers!
Paul