Shoe Care & Accessories

Seven things that are not loafers: two brushes, a cleaning eraser, a microfiber glove, a full care kit, a steel shoehorn and a ten-pack of socks. Nothing here goes past twenty dollars, and most of it exists so the pair you already own gets a second year.

See also: Suede Loafers, Leather Loafers, Patent Loafers, Faux Leather Loafers

What to use on what

The material decides the tool, and reaching for the wrong one is how a good pair gets ruined.

1. Suede and faux suede: a dry brush, never a cloth
   The nap has to be lifted, not flattened. One direction, thirty seconds after each wear, and the toe never goes shiny.
   See also: Suede Loafers, Faux Suede Loafers

2. Smooth and patent finishes: the glove, then the brush
   Microfiber lifts the dust without scratching; the brush works the polish in afterwards. Two minutes, twice a month, and that is the whole routine.
   See also: Patent Loafers

3. Scuffs and heel marks: the eraser
   It takes off the black rubber marks a brush leaves behind, on suede and on smooth finishes alike. The cheapest thing on this page and the one most people never think to buy.

The two that are not care

A steel shoehorn, because the back of a loafer is the part that collapses first, and it collapses on the day you push your heel in without one.

And ten pairs of socks, because a loafer worn barefoot is a loafer you will be airing on a radiator by Thursday.