Shopping from the past: Collegiate Loafers

Don Lockwood/Gene Kelly in his high vamp loafers

Sir Terence Conran for Tim Little French Calf Loafers

Florsheim Langsford Loafers

Russell Moccasin Loafer Selection (2005 Catalog)

I've been following the serialized publication of the Take Ivy on The Trad blog. Take Ivy documents--in candid snap views--the casual clothing styles worn by Ivy League students in the 1960s (selected, edited and refined to produce a distillated view of that period's preppy look).

Since the Take Ivy options for women are rather grim, I've been studying the men's footwear, namely the high vamp "Yuma" loafers (paired with white socks, madras shorts and/or slightly highwater khaki pants). Here's my favorite photograph of the Yuma-style loafers from High Ivy. In another blog posting, The Trad provides a more detailed history of the Florsheim Yuma moc loafer style.

According to blog comments on The Trad, Florsheim is now offering a Yuma-type model rebadged the Langsford. Other options included the super vamp "Kangagroo" style loafer designed by Terence Conran for Tim Little or a custom pair of Moccasin loafers through Russell Moccasin.

Given that I spend a lot of time sifting through University photographic archives, I'm confident that "Ivy League" was not a prequesite for the classic preppy style of folks crossing campus quads during the early to mid-1960s. At some point in the far future, I hope to make my own appearance in a folder of my own campus archives--perhaps Campus-Bicycles-2000s--sporting a pair of Sebago loafers and Filson whipcord climbing breeches.

Campus scene [Howard University : photoprints, ca. 1960s-1970s]