# Advice on Ferragamo Loafer/Driver Sizing - Specificaly, Length vs Scuffs



## BostonHedonist (Aug 20, 2015)

Typical advice you find online says one should take .5 to 1 size down when going from true size to Ferragamo sizing, when purchasing mocs, loafers or drivers.

Recently I bought a pair of Ferragamo drivers. 








In most AE sizes I take a 9. In my unlined Alden for BB Shell LHRs I took an 8.5. These I bought in an 8. They're breaking in nicely and are comfortable- if a bit snug on my wider foot. Seem like really the perfect fit lengthwise, according to traditional, western standards.

HOWEVER. I've heard that due to the relative fragility of the front part of the toebox in drivers and some mocs, it's advisable to err on the side of slightly-too-long. The idea is that a longer, curved toebox leads to fewer scuffs.

Does anyone have opinions on this matter?


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

I've not heard of such a thing. I have a pair of SF brown suede bit loafers. 

I'm a 9.5D generically. With loafers, I typically size down to a 9D and with the SF I found myself sizing down to 8.5; a full size. Regarding the toe box scuffing issue, I've not had issues with this.


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

Buy the size which fits you. Period.

I always laugh when I read that old myth (propagated by Flusser, among others) that when buying loafers you should size down from lace-ups. Total nonsense. Flusser owes everyone who ever bought a pair of loafers one size down a new pair that fits properly.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

Doctor Damage said:


> Buy the size which fits you. Period.
> 
> I always laugh when I read that old myth (propagated by Flusser, among others) that when buying loafers you should size down from lace-ups. Total nonsense. Flusser owes everyone who ever bought a pair of loafers one size down a new pair that fits properly.


Weird, I size down my loafers a half size. I do this organically. I have never read or heard anything from Mr Flusser.


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

I always size down a half size for sturdier loafers and usually a full size for mocs, boats, etc. Been working for forty or so years. My two pairs of drivers are both impractical because their soles are useless for even short walks on gravel or groomed trails, but neither has suffered toe scuffs. They have had opportunities, since I drive either a stick shift AWD or a 4x4.


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

I don't arbitrarily size down. I've just found that this works. 

I always try on before I buy so none of my shoe purchases, save a few which I was already sure of fit, have always been from brick and mortar.


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## Guest (Dec 26, 2021)

Methinks to size up. I bought four pair of the drivers recently. Different models of course. 

I needed a shoehorn to get the 12s on. I went back to the F store today and located a size 13. Much better fit. I don’t need a shoehorn to get the size 13 drivers on. I re-ordered all other shoes in 13, except for one model which is now discontinued. 

I’d hate to find out two to three months from now that the 12 size shoes don’t break in much more leaving me with chafed Achilles heels and sore toes. Like the other comments state, go with the size that you know. 

My other drivers from Allen Edmonds are 13. And Ferragamo’s have historically run a little bit small on me


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## drpeter (Nov 21, 2008)

Guest-793616 said:


> Methinks to size up. I bought four pair of the drivers recently. Different models of course.
> 
> I needed a shoehorn to get the 12s on. I went back to the F store today and located a size 13. Much better fit. I don't need a shoehorn to get the size 13 drivers on. I re-ordered all other shoes in 13, except for one model which is now discontinued.
> 
> ...


My experience with leather shoes is that they tend to expand a bit after some wear. When new, they may be snug if the sizing is accurate, or perhaps tight and uncomfortable if the size is too small for one's foot. So a snug or tight shoe will become quite comfortable as one wears them over weeks and months. What's more, the leather and the insole will begin to conform to the shape of one's foot. It is also important to note that differences in whole or half sizes translates to fairly small physical differences in size.

There will be some variation in all this, depending on all sorts of factors including the make of the shoe, the type of last used, and your feet (especially if you, like me, have different sizes for each feet). Buying shoes is always a bit of a gamble, in my experience. But in time we find the right brand, last, etc., which will suit our feet best.


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