Benchmade Tassel Loafers

If you’ve ever met Fred, you wouldn’t take him for a guy who spends $800 on shoes. And you'd be right. He drives a 25 year-old Bimmer, wears a $300 vintage watch, and avoids ATM fees like synthetic fabrics. Frugal? You could say that.

There is this pomp and circumstance about a benchmade tassel loafer that distinctly says, "I care." Perhaps it's the ornamented aura they induce when you slip them on; or the Goodyear-welted construction and double leather sole; or the full calfskin lining for comfort and longevity (because let’s face it, we’ll rarely be wearing socks). Maybe it's the fact that they're crafted with Chicago's Horween cordovan (arguably the best cordovan in the world today); or that they're kept on a shoe form far longer than today’s standard; or it could easily be the over 200 separate operations spanning eight weeks.

Though the tassel silhouette’s emergence in the 1950s gave way to gradual acceptance by the East-coast prep culture, Crockett & Jones has been crafting shoes in Northampton since 1879. Now in its fifth generation, it remains a family business that also makes shoes, like these, for the likes of Ralph Lauren. These loafers just feel well made. Their grade is a thing of beauty. We'll typically walk a mile in another man's shoes in lieu of buying new; however, Fred fell in with these at a deal he just couldn’t walk away from.