Last Considerations

When you make a lace-up boot, the last can be somewhat forgiving. The lacing lets you adjust and compensate for fit inconsistencies across the forefoot..instep.. ankle. You have a shaft holding the foot in place. You have a heel counter that’s able to provide a bit more structure.

On the other hand, a loafer really has none of that. The shoe has to fit your foot the way a hand fits a glove, really without any help. Your last really has to be dialed in and even then it’s still trial and error. The toe, the vamp height, the seat depth, the heel cup shape, every bit really matters. Seems like it would be simple but heel slip on a loafer is just something you can’t really get away with even with a loafer tongue pad. I’ve had my fair share of loafers I’ve tried to force into fitting. Interesting to see the other side of what goes into that process.