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MENS GUCCI LOAFERS
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In the mid-Sixties, an upmarket men's fashion movement made its sartorial mark well away from the influences of Carnaby Street. New shops around Savile Row began providing clothes that were seriously expensive, richly colourful and, in their own ways, stylishly elegant. The newspapers called this "The Peacock Revolution". There were three accessories Peacock men lusted after: a Tank watch from Cartier, a gilt cigarette lighter from Dunhill and, the height of elegance, a pair of sleek black or brown pigskin loafers from Gucci. At that time, when the best shops only stocked lace-up Oxfords or elastic-sided Chelsea boots, Gucci's loafers decorated with a golden snaffle, stood out. To own a pair implied you had good taste, sartorially and socially. There was just one shop selling them in Bond Street. Everyone, as they say, wore them; actors, aristocracy and anyone who cared about how he looked. In those days, when men wore black patent shoes for black tie events, liberated Peacocks wore their black Gucci loafers instead. Gucci was then internationally renowned as the maker of superb leather and canvas goods; the Italian family's empire had not yet expanded to include clothes or perfumes, and the glamorous face fronting the company was Paolo Gucci, a charismatic son. However, as in all good soap operas, jealousy soon took over and the family was torn apart with rivalry, betrayal and even an accidental shooting as fathers, sons and cousins fought each other. The business passed out of Gucci hands. Gucci's loafers owe their success to their simple definitive lines. They are a design classic. Toe shapes may move away briefly from the original almond shape, and heel heights may vary over the seasons, but the stylish design proportions remain. With some justification the New York Times once claimed the loafers were a status symbol that carried the company to fortune. |
