Ah, penny loafers—I've always had a knack for them. Their versatility is simply unmatched, whether you’re pairing them with trousers or shorts, which is why they’ve always remained a staple in my wardrobe.
My only regret was not investing in a high-quality pair sooner. But all that changed last year when I decided to revamp my wardrobe and discovered these pairs from the renowned Austrian footwear brand, Ludwig Reiter.
Although obscure to the English-speaking world, they’re very popular in Austria, Germany and the rest of the German-speaking countries.
Brief History
Ludwig Reiter is a renowned Austrian footwear brand known for making welted, high-quality footwear. The brand dates as far back as 1885 when the founder Ludwig Reiter I (meaning the 1st) and his wife opened their first workshop in Vienna, Austria. The couple later opened their first store in 1919.
Since then, they’ve had many successful transformations and achievements boasting 13 own stores in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Along with approximately 200 world-class, specialised shops and boutiques in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Britain, Japan and the USA, selling their various products.
But I won’t bore you further, with the rest of their history as everything can be accessed on their website’s “About” and “Stores” pages. Let’s delve straight into the unboxing and review.
Alright, so great-looking purple boxes with the logo and brand name on them. They’ve also got the German word “WIEN” meaning Vienna, and the number “1885” which signifies the year the brand was founded written on them.
Inside you’ve got each of the loafers carefully inserted in a navy drawstring bag.
I bought them in black and mocha colours.
Care guides and return instructions are also inside the boxes. But the caveat is they’re written in German, so Google-translation might be needed to translate them.
A closer approach, and you’re hit with the rich scent of high-quality leather.
Hand-held they feel slightly heavier than my older Zara pair.
The upper is crafted with vintage pull-up leather while the lining features a different but equally high-quality leather.
With a little bit of research, I discovered that this type of leather is oil and wax-rich, and has a unique natural appearance that lightens in colour when stretched during wear to produce a unique worn-in effect over time. Source: https://leather4craft.co.uk.
Another strong indication of quality I perceived was their Goodyear welt construction, and traveller outsoles as my older pair of loafers weren’t.
Goodyear welted shoes are shoes that have stitches instead of just glued soles; A leather strip known as the welt is first sewn or stitched with both the upper and insole. The outsole is then stitched to the welt making it easier to be resoled multiple times without damaging the upper.
Testing phase
For reference, I’m 6’0”, about 78 kg and I wear a UK size 8, US 9 and EU 42.
My wife and I had planned back-to-school shopping for our daughter earlier that day, so I used the opportunity to test the black loafers. I teamed them with a relaxed short-sleeved worker shirt and 511 jeans from Levi’s. I then accessorised with my Zolman Moscot glasses, Apple Watch, and a brown Zara belt.
The second day when I tested the mocha loafers happened to fall on my birthday, so I paired them with a Zara polo and Levi’s 501 selvedge jeans.
Great looking shoes—As I’ve got slim feet, I liked their slim silhouette. They’re also true to size, which was satisfying, as I’m normally concerned about this when I’m buying new shoes. 👍
The second day when I tested the mocha loafers happened to fall on my birthday, so I paired them with a Zara polo and Levi’s 501 selvedge jeans.
Observations—the things I liked
Great looking shoes—As I’ve got slim feet, I liked their slim silhouette. They’re also true to size, which was satisfying, as I’m normally concerned about this when I’m buying new shoes. 👍
Downsides
Firstly, the initial snugness and discomfort you experience from most new leather shoes, so they’d need to break in first before you can enjoy wearing them. The second reason is as they were my first pair of premium, penny loafers, I was oblivious to their creasing a lot faster; they looked like I had worn them for a month before.
Granted they’re constructed out of vintage pull-up leather but still…
Granted they’re constructed out of vintage pull-up leather but still…
The third was the insoles— they were as hard and uncomfortable as stepping barefoot on a smooth concrete surface. Another thing I didn’t like was their bright-coloured lining and insoles, especially on the black ones, as they’re prone to staining over time. I’d have preferred a darker tone like black, just like my Zara's.
Other than these though, I genuinely liked and still do them. My only hope, as they crease a lot, is that they last a minimum of five years, so I can get my money’s worth. Otherwise, I’d probably not buy them again.
Other than these though, I genuinely liked and still do them. My only hope, as they crease a lot, is that they last a minimum of five years, so I can get my money’s worth. Otherwise, I’d probably not buy them again.
Oh! and Lest I forget, if you’re ordering them through their website you can only use a credit card or Direct E-banking. I don’t use credit cards but I got my brother to help me place the order and then reimbursed him, so if you’re in my penny loafers (sorry, I mean my shoes 😂), you might have to do the same, or maybe through a friend.
That's all for this review.
As always, thanks for reading, See you in the next one.✌️
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