Pennies On The Dollar: Jack Erwin’s Affordable Loafer

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And you thought there were a lot of choices for oxford-cloth buttondowns? Now there’s another penny vying for your nickels.

A few days ago I spied the recently released Charlie loafer from Jack Erwin when it started popping up on Google ads. I’d never heard of the company and sent a brief message of inquiry. The $175 shoes are designed in New York (not that there’s much to design with a classic like this, save for the shape of the penny slot), and made in Spain. The leather is sourced from France and Italy.

“The Charlie uses a Bologna construction,” the company said, “which is similar to a Blake stitch, making for a lightweight and flexible shoe. We chose a very high-quality calfskin for the loafer and this style is available in cognac, brown and burgundy.”

Oh, and you thought there were a lot of oxfords and pennies out there? How about brands named Jack? — CC

7 Comments on "Pennies On The Dollar: Jack Erwin’s Affordable Loafer"

  1. Front of these look very low.

  2. I’ve had a pair of Jack’s for two years and they’re a great value for their price point. I have the Carter wingtip boots.

  3. jonathan sanders | August 1, 2015 at 6:46 pm |

    the Jack Erwin Penny Loafer is not Bologna construction. I’m surprised the described as such on their website. It’s a tubular mocassin construction and it can never be confused with a bologna construction

  4. In pursuit of plain language, what is the user-perceived difference between “price” and “price point”?

  5. A single item has a price; a category has price points.

    “What pennies are available for around $200?” is asking about a price point. The Jack Erwin’s price matches the price point, whereas an Alden shell penny’s price wouldn’t.

  6. @jonathan sanders:

    Two points: first, moccasin construction and Bologna construction are not mutually exclusive. Bolognese moccasins are actually quite common – the classic Gucci loafer and much of its progeny, as well as a good portion of Gravati, Santoni and Testoni’s loafers.

    Second, Jack Erwin appears to use terminology very loosely, bordering on misapplication. They indicate that the soles on these shoes are “hand stitched” which is virtually impossible for Bologna construction. I suppose they mean that a human sewed them using a manual machine, but they are obviously not handsewn in the way that they upper plug is.

    All that being said, these shoes seem to have a lot of potential. Anybody tried them? I’m hoping they are basically Bass Wiltons with nicer leather.

    While the aforementioned Italian firms make their fair share of tubular/moccasin/bologna penny loafers, the vast majority have beefrolls and often roll-over stitching on the vamps, like the Santoni Tucker (better for a bit loafer). The flat strap pennies available tend to be non-tubular blake shoes like the Ferragamo Rocco (better for a tassel loafer).

    It would be nice to have something that looks like a weejun, but wears like a Gucci loafer.

  7. William Richardson | August 3, 2015 at 4:40 pm |

    I’ll stick with the classic Bass loafer. Five re-soles over ten years and they are still going strong. Find a good cobbler and wear your favorite shoes for years. These Jack Erwins do look nice though.

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