# How much do your feet slide out of your loafers?



## dparm

This being my first pair of loafers, I have no idea what to expect in terms of "sliding" while I walk. My Clarks Desert Boots do have a bit of sliding up and down but they're obviously lace-up and taller.

As I walk around the house, my feet definitely slide up and down a bit. The fact that it feels excessive makes me think these are simply not the right shoe for me, and that maybe loafers are never going to work.

Is this just going to get worse as I wear them more and more? Anything I should do to fix it, or do they just need to go back?


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## unmodern

A tiny bit of heel slip is acceptable on a new pair---it will go away once the leather sole breaks in. Anything more means the shoe does not fit. Loafers are the most unforgiving in fit: if your instep is too high (=uncomfortably tight over the top of your foot) or too low (=heel slippage), the shoe is never going to fit properly.


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## mcarthur

dparm said:


> This being my first pair of loafers, I have no idea what to expect in terms of "sliding" while I walk. My Clarks Desert Boots do have a bit of sliding up and down but they're obviously lace-up and taller.
> 
> As I walk around the house, my feet definitely slide up and down a bit. The fact that it feels excessive makes me think these are simply not the right shoe for me, and that maybe loafers are never going to work.
> 
> Is this just going to get worse as I wear them more and more? Anything I should do to fix it, or do they just need to go back?


go down a half size in the same shoe


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## Trip English

^ Correct.


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## Doctor Damage

Mac is mostly right, but not always since loafers and laceups are rarely made on the same last. When the last is the same, then the size should be the same (for example, Cheaney has made both laceups and loafers on their 2003 last and I know from experience it would be impossible to size down 1/2 size). I guess a good question would be: who here wears Alden laceups on the Aberdeen last in a larger size than Alden tassels on the Aberdeen last?

Regarding heel slip, small amounts will go away as the soles soften up and flex easier (in fact, that applies to both loafers and laceups). Unmodern is correct that loafers are a lot more tricky to fit and I have virtually given up on them; the best are ones that are so soft they will stretch-to-fit, but that's not so easy to find among classically styled US or UK loafers. I find that if my sock is being pulled down when I take a step, then the loafers are too loose or aren't a good shape for my feet.


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## ballmouse

I actually find loafers are quite tight at the same size I wear other shoes from the same company. I probably need to size up or widen my next pair.

I think I have a high instep, which would explain this dilemma.


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## dparm

Hmm, I just slid my cheapo Aldo cotton insoles (from my Top-Siders) in and it helped immensely. Seems the pressure of my foot against the tongue is really doing a good job of securing things now.

I'll need to keep walking around the house, but this may have solved the problem!


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## DG123

You may need to size down one width. For example, from a D width to a C. Or from a C width to a B.
If a removable insole is giving you a better fit then the width of the shoe may be too wide. Width is not only side-to-side it is also top-to-bottom.



dparm said:


> Hmm, I just slid my cheapo Aldo cotton insoles (from my Top-Siders) in and it helped immensely. Seems the pressure of my foot against the tongue is really doing a good job of securing things now.
> 
> I'll need to keep walking around the house, but this may have solved the problem!


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## Tiger

Lots of good advice listed above. 

If the shoes are new, I would go back to the shop where purchased and try on a variety of sizes/widths until I found the best fit - assuming it's achievable.


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## pweller

As already mentioned, loafers are harder to fit than lace-up shoes, as the laces allow some adjustment. I would suggest that you try on as many different brands and sizes as you can, and see if any of them fit properly. Be open to trying on a few different sizes of each. I tried on a few AE loafers and didn't find anything that fit as well as my cheap-o Sebago's. My size in AE Park Ave is a 9D, but the Sebagos that fit are an 8EEE. I think loafers have to be a pretty close fit in both the width and the length, otherwise you will walk right out of them.


My experience has been that the width at both the toe and the heel is important (but in most cases you only specify a toe width). I also noticed that the Sebagos have more of a cup shape to the heel (i.e. the side profile of the back of the shoe is curved, with the top curving forward slightly). I think this curved shape helps keep your heel in the shoe.

The salesperson at AE even said that some people don't do well with loafers due to the shape of their feet.


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## dparm

pweller said:


> The salesperson at AE even said that some people don't do well with loafers due to the shape of their feet.


That might be me. I am flat-footed and fickle about how my shoes fit. I typically need wide-widths and it's always a battle to find something that fits. I actually had these loafers widened in the toebox so my feet wouldn't rub.


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## The Rambler

sometimes a pinch pad under the tongue helps - it can be removed after the shoe loosens up.


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## Himself

We used to buy Weejuns a half or even a whole size down, and wait for a rainy day to break them in. The wet leather would stretch to fit.


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## martylane

Whenever I wore loafers that would slip at the heal, I'd insert a tongue pad, which would help some. I thought it would be impossible to find a loafer that fits, but I finally did find one (in my case, AE Waldens). So, my advice is try everything you can, price be damned. A loafer that fits is out there.


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## dparm

I actually stuffed some scrap felt into the shoe right at the tongue and that seems to do the trick.

Where does one buy real tongue pads?


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## Reptilicus

Tongue pads can be picked up at any shoe repair place. They work wonders.


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## Barnavelt

I have been battling a loose shoe issue myself and so wanted to add to this thread and bump it for anyone interested. I bought a pair of Kenwood loafers from the AE shoebank in my normal size 10.5 and they were waay too long. I re-ordered a 10 (which they immediately sent before I even returned my 10.5 pair; AE customer service is awesome) and they seemed to fit a lot better, so I proceeded to wear them off the carpet and out of the house (ah the classic mistake). When I realized they were still too long and with lots of heel slip the sole damage was done and they were not returnable.

Fast forward to what worked for me. I bought felt tongue pads from the 'bay for super cheap ($2.00) and combined them with some suede heel pads from the cobbler ($3.00). Together, they work well enough that the heels are not slipping off my feet when I walk. Would I run a marathon in my loafers? No. Do I feel like I can wear them pretty much in any other situation? Yeah pretty much. I am hoping that the "wearing in " of the soles will ameliorate the remaining slight heel slip but for now I am satisfied.

Also, the Kenwoods are absolutely beautiful loafers and I am very pleased with them. As other forum members have experienced, the seconds from the shoebank are of very high quality and I cannot discern what makes them seconds in the first place.

Anyway, that is my experience with trying to "re-size" my loafers down a bit, so hopefully it will be helpful to someone else.


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## dr.turducken

Because of heel slippage, I have given up on loafers. Now I only wear Oxfords or similar lace-up shoes. Not only does my heel not slip, but I can adjust the laces to give my arches more support. 

I wish I could wear slip-on shoes, but, alas, they aren't for my foot.


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## Barnavelt

dr.turducken said:


> Because of heel slippage, I have given up on loafers. Now I only wear Oxfords or similar lace-up shoes. Not only does my heel not slip, but I can adjust the laces to give my arches more support.
> 
> I wish I could wear slip-on shoes, but, alas, they aren't for my foot.


I understand where you are coming from, but I have been swayed by all the enthusing from fellow fora members about their loafers and so was spurred on to find a pair. I often have issues with shoes too, what with two different sized feet and low ankles that often get rubbed by the sides of shoes.

My biggest problem is I can't follow others' admonitions and just go try on as many pair as I can since there are no AE outlets convenient to me. Yes I could just order and send back in a lengthy cycle but just thinking about that process enervates me to no end.

Someday when I am a grown-up I will get my hands on a pair of Alden LHS


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## Doctor Damage

One of the problems is that loafers are rarely made "right" in my opinion. Too many are made on lace-up lasts, or made like lace-ups, when they should be on special lasts and made of thin leather uppers with lightweight leather soles. I have tried loafers of many stripes and in my opinion the only ones which really work well have been soft Italian-made loafers which I can wear all day right out of the box and are soft enough, and softly enough constructed, to mold to my feet quickly and permanently. Getting harder to find at reasonable prices, though. AE fans who have probs with slipping loafers might try their Italian lineup.


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## dr.turducken

Barnavelt said:


> I often have issues with shoes too, what with two different sized feet and low ankles that often get rubbed by the sides of shoes.


My ankles also rub in many shoes, but arch-supporting inserts raise my foot enough to obviate that problem. Of course, they raise the foot so much (which is actually very little, in real terms) that loafers fit even worse than before. Again, laced shoes can handle this.


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## godan

Himself said:


> We used to buy Weejuns a half or even a whole size down, and wait for a rainy day to break them in. The wet leather would stretch to fit.


This is a tried and true version of what we did in the military with Corcoran jump boots. Buy them a half size down, put them on over sopping wet G.I. socks and walk (or run or march) them dry. I have always done this with loafers (and different socks, of course) including Aldens and AE's, and it has always worked.


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## The Louche

My problem involves getting loafers that are a bit tight when new, and subsequently break-in to become a bit too loose. I'm considering gel inserts as I think that tongue pads will limit my ability to slide in and out of the shoes easily. Anybody have success with gel inserts used to tighten Alden tassels?


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## TradThrifter

Havent had this problem with any loafer. I wear them pretty tight with toes barely touching the end up the shoe. I also have a pretty narrow foot.


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## fishertw

Reptilicus said:


> Tongue pads can be picked up at any shoe repair place. They work wonders.


+1--I bought five or six pair online recently and they made the breaking in process of a new loafer much easier related to heel slip.


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## Howard

my loafers slide out sometimes, I know I'm either 10 or 11 but I guess the next time I have to get a size higher.


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