Penny loafer

Footwear

Money to pay a taxi
In 1934, the American shoemaker G.H. Bass marketed its own version of the loafer. He decorated the shoe with a leather strap across the front, from which he cut a diamond-shaped piece for decoration. The neat shoe fitted in perfectly with the preppy fashion trend and had a great appeal to American students. The model perfectly borderded the line between formal and casual and became part of the so-called college look – the casual style of students at Ivy League, the eight major universities on the east coast. Female students came up with the idea to slip a coin (penny) into the front of the loafers so they always had money to call a taxi. And voilà: the nickname penny loafer was born.

Image: © Stefanel

 

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