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For the past several seasons, a footwear debate has raged with varying levels of sincerity. It posits that we’re now living through a “post-sneaker” world, in which the luxury trainers that proliferated throughout streetwear’s reign will be replaced by loafers that sit on chunky, Vibram soles.
As a reflexively anti-sneaker fogey myself (aside from running gear, of course) I should welcome the pendulum swinging back towards tradition. Only that the loafers marked as heirs apparent are frequently so oversized and avant-garde as to visually read as little different from the sneakers they’re replacing.
So, where might a man find a loafer that’s post-sneaker but not post-modern? As with all moderate designs, the answer again comes from Scandinavia. Morjas is a Stockholm-based shoe brand whose Romance language name derives from the Swedish-Spanish heritage of its founder.
I had the opportunity to test-drive its tassel loafer—which like the brand’s other Goodywear-welted footwear—is made in a family-owned factory in Spain. While not so chunky as other casual loafers, it features a round, spacious toe that proved far more accommodating to my spade-shaped foot than the typical, tapered tassel. Though it packs more real estate up front—as a consequence, I went a half-size down—it remains fitted enough through the waist and heel to avoid the dreaded heel-slippage, even through its break-in period.
Morjas Tassel Loafers
Morjas
Stylistically it’s as classic as it gets, with tassels that sit pleasingly high up on the vamp and twin rows of stitching around the apron. While I could have chosen calfskin, I opted for suede, in a rich snuff shade that feels at once conservative and laidback. It can be ordered with either a leather or rubber sole—the latter a dressy, discreet version—but my inner traditionalist pulled for leather, imagining I might have an easier time pairing it with a suit.
I have, of course, not worn them with a suit. Even though I could—not a formal pinstripe but for sure a linen two-piece, or a flannel come fall. What I’ve paired with thus far is the actual clothing I wear day in and day out as a self-employed writer, meaning frayed khaki shorts and sun-faded polos, worn-down jeans, and oxford shirts with the sleeves rolled up. Casual kit that, by all means, I could be wearing with a sneaker, but feel a bit more special when combined with a pair of leather-soled, Goodyear-welted loafers that are every bit as comfortable.
