With spring comes a shift in your wardrobe; a change all of us sitting at home are eagerly looking forward to. As warm winter woollens make way for light, airy linens, loafers start to re-emerge from hibernation.

The new Crockett & Jones Spring/Summer collection has a wide range of smart-casual loafers suitable for both the formal and relaxed moments in your life. Right now, you can wear them at home or on your weekly trip to the supermarket! And once the world returns to normal, you’ll be able to wear them to the office, your favourite pub, a friend’s BBQ, or anywhere else in-between. A smart-casual loafer really is the most versatile shoe there is.

A material that has made its return this spring is woven leather, used in our Kensington loafer. It is very comfortable to wear as the woven structure shapes to the foot with the utmost ease, and it is highly breathable. The city rubber sole keeps the shoe functional making it a perfect travel companion for holidays. Quite apart from its striking looks, a lighter-weight, malleable material like this is a great alternative to suede too.

My personal favourite from the new collection is the Selby butterfly loafer. Crockett & Jones has made this idiosyncratic kind of loafer for many years, even if they were not always part of our own retail collection. With its two interwoven straps across the bridge of the foot, it’s perhaps a little more distinctive than a penny loafer, though just as versatile.

Two customers who purchased the Selby in Black Calf recently stand out; a Japanese gentleman who paired his with a black, drapey, street style outfit with white socks, and a subtly-dressed businessman matching his to a charcoal suit. Both outfits were worlds apart in terms of style, yet the Selby was a perfect fit for both. The street style ensemble was given an air of refinement it would have lacked with the black designer sock-shoes you see so often nowadays. The businessman’s outfit (charcoal suit, light blue shirt, navy grenadine tie, dark socks) was given that extra ‘something’ – a hint of elegance, playfulness almost, whilst staying perfectly professional and without being loud. Both gentlemen knew exactly what they were doing in terms of their personal style.

On a different note, the new Jersey tassel loafer is less understated and more cheerful, in their confident shades of smooth nubuck. As they are unlined, the Jersey model is very comfortable and easy to wear with invisible socks, making it the perfect summer shoe.

As you are now most likely working from home in relative isolation, have a look through our new models to see which ones would suit you best once the current situation is over. We’ll look forward to welcoming you back into store before too long.

In the meantime, stay safe, sane and well shod.