Herring Shoes Journal

The horsebit loafer is a standout, iconic shoe. The horsebit was originally used by Guccio Gucci to set his leather goods apart from the competition. His son Aldo added the brass decorative trim to loafers to elevate them to boardroom and city slicker level. If you are interested, you can read more about this in our History of the horsebit loafer journal article.

Generally seen on the sockless feet of men during the summer, the loafer is a little more enduring for women, giving them a smart option to wear into autumn. Loafers are also favoured as an up-market house shoe in the place of more slouchy slippers. In short, the horsebit loafer is a beautiful shoe that is meant to shout aspiration and style, and it can be worn with almost anything.

A favoured shoe choice for princesses Grace and Diana and acting royalty Audrey Hepburn… Katie Holmes, Zoë Kravitz, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Aniston, and Sienna Miller, and models Bella and Gigi Hadid, and Hailey Bieber have followed in their style icon wake. If the horsebit loader is good enough for them, then it is good enough for our customers!

We have created our own version of the Gucci-inspired horsebit loafer with the launch of the Scarlette. The Scarlette is made using super-soft, glove-like, flexible leather for the upper and a rubber sole to give wearers an effective grip. Of course, we have added our version of the horsebit trim as the final flourish.

The black version is the perfect go-to shoe for workdays, as a welcome but smart relief from high-heels, but also looks great with jeans and ankle skimming trousers. Try them with socks with a skirt for a true preppy look or just to keep you a little warmer as the weather gets colder. Socks with loafers are considered perfectly acceptable these days!

However, you may get more versatility from our soft gold version. A metallic shoe goes with anything and never really looks out of place. A neutral shade through and through, you can dress up or dress down the gold Scarlette…she will not mind!