What is this shoe called, and where to find it again?

June 11, 2013 12:58 PM

I have a favorite pair of shoes, but they are no longer in production (I've contacted the designer, no dice). I would really like to get another pair, as close as possible.

I'm more a fan of the structural design than the craftsmanship itself, which is a bit on the cheap side. However, what is that specific shape of shoe called? A square toe Italian-style loafer? The toe is rather long, altho downright short compared to most of the offerings through that site. I'm a big fan of the hard square on the toe, specifically. Is there a specific term for that that makes it easier to search for? Most everything I find is either much more Dad-shoe looking or universally panned in reviews for terrible quality (basically everything under the Aldo imprint, altho these are closer to the shape I'm looking for).

What I'd like to know is what shoe-terminology will get me results like my pair, and/or if anyone has specific suggestions of places to look. I'd consider trying to find a shoemaker to recreate the shoes, but something tells me that'd run several hundred dollars more than I'd like.. they were only 60-70 bucks originally, altho I'm not averse to dropping some lump more on shoes that will hold up better.

posted by FatherDagon to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

This might be too exaggerated for you, but the structure of them immediately made me think of Fluevog's Swordfish line.
posted by sparklemotion at 1:02 PM on June 11, 2013

Kenneth Cole's Case Study loafer?

It's definitely a loafer, although that's a pretty broad term. Yea, a square-toe black leathe rloafer is basically it as far as I know. Kenneth Cole sometimes has shoes with more pronounced square toes, but it varies year to year.
posted by GuyZero at 1:06 PM on June 11, 2013

Usually that shape is referred to as "chisel toe".
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:10 PM on June 11, 2013

I've seen quite a few shoes of basically that shape at larger western-wear stores. That would be my first stop to find a replacement. The particularly long, squared-off toe seems to be a common shape for what are basically loafer-converted cowboy boots.
posted by duien at 2:41 PM on June 11, 2013

Some (or all) of them might be too extreme, but I thought of Zotas when I saw your photo.
posted by 41swans at 2:57 PM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]

Searching for a style of shoe is hard. Browsing is where you might have more success. (I found the shoes below by browsing through the dressy loafers sections.) Or I would recommend trying shopping in person for this type of shoe at Nordstrom's or Nordstrom Rack or any upscale department store that would carry Italian brands. Here's a few online that looked promising to me.

Shoe 1
Sort of Shoe 2
Shoe 3
posted by purple_bird at 4:40 PM on June 11, 2013

"Bike toe" is another search term you might like to try.
posted by escapepod at 7:16 PM on June 11, 2013

Response by poster: Those Zotas are pretty close, and actually a lot of the designs look very similar to some other shoes I've gotten from Kaadu... especially the extreme ones. "Narrow Chisel Toe" is getting closer results as well... thanks for the terminology help!

duien - "Cowboy Loafer" was actually one of the first things I had thought to look for, but the results were pretty erratic - is there a specific brand or retailer that might have something like you'd seen?
posted by FatherDagon at 10:40 PM on June 11, 2013

Unfortunately I don't have any info on a specific brand or online retailer. I saw a lot of them at Laredo Western Wear (the location on Buford Highway) which is not really useful to you unless you happen to be in Atlanta. For what it's worth, the store is in a largely hispanic neighborhood and has a largely hispanic clientele, so perhaps carries to a different flavor of western-wear. You could perhaps try calling to find out what brands of shoes they carry -- their website is pretty devoid of information.
posted by duien at 3:24 PM on June 12, 2013