Review: Meermin Suede Penny Loafer
Your first/next pair of loafers
Note: Meermin sent me these loafers for review.
Loafer Week continues here at AWWD HQ. If you listened to this week’s episode of High Twist you’ll get an idea for how much I love loafers. Loafers are probably my most worn shoe these days—yes, even in especially in the summer. They’re always part of my travel wardrobe, there are at least three pair by my front door at any time, and I’ve been singing their praises to my friends and, really, anyone who will listen.
Admittedly, most of my loafer experience has been with higher priced shoes—Alden, Baudoin & Lange, Belgians. I don’t like recommending things that I haven’t been able to at least get my hands on, or better yet wear (especially with shoes). When asked about a first pair of loafers, or simply finding loafers around $200, I didn’t have a great answer. That is no longer the case. Meermin makes a great loafer at an even better price.
Despite wearing a lot of loafers, I haven’t had a penny loafer in my wardrobe since high school. I was looking for a penny similar to my beloved, and beaten up, chocolate suede Alden tassel loafers, and these dark brown Superbuck suede loafers fit the bill perfectly. I was especially curious about Meermin’s Ultraflex sole since I do a fair bit of walking in my loafers.
Onward.
Initial Impressions
Admittedly, I was a bit lukewarm when these first arrived. While the outer box arrived in fine shape, the actual shoe box had a large cut and the bottom was separating from the walls of the box on the front side. Before even opening the lid, I did note that this box felt substantial (more on that later). Meermin does include shoe bags with the loafers, but the shoes were not inside of them.
As I inspected the shoes I noticed several scuffs in the suede that look like they’re mostly from transit. Not a deal breaker, but I expected a slightly more pristine look out of the box. I know that suede will eventually get scuffed—UYS as my friend Benj would say—but I want to be the one to scuff it. There were also a few little sticky spots in the suede. Again, not a major issue, but not something you’ll find on higher suedes either.
Style
Scuffs aside, these are great looking penny loafers. The toe is pointy without being overly aggressive. It’s not necessarily classic Ivy loafer round, but the machine-stitched moc toe help it wear well with more casual outfits like jeans/chinos (or gasp shorts), but also dress up equally well with wool trousers and a sport coat, or even, casual suiting.
The color is a milk-chocolatey brown, with a bit of variation thanks to the texture of the suede. There is a piece of smooth, darker brown leather to finish the edges of the upper; it’s not exactly piping, and I would prefer it to be a bit smaller, but it doesn’t detract from the overall appearance of the shoe.
The thicker Ultraflex sole is visually more imposing than a traditional leather sole. It isn’t as chunky as a lug sole, but it is noticable. If I were looking for a pair of loafers that I needed to dress up more than dress down, I’d go for a leather sole with something like a TOPY protector to keep from busting my ass on smooth floors.
Perhaps most importantly, the cutout is functional, and has enough space for a penny to peek through. What’s the point of penny loafers if you’re not keeping some change in there? Of note, I keep a birth-year penny in the slot of my left loafer. Why? I’m not entirely sure, I’ve done it since I was a kid with a penny to spare.
Construction
I’ll start with the uppers and work my way down.
The Superbuck Suede is good for this price, with a decent nap to it. It takes to a suede brush and eraser nicely to get light scuffs out. It is less consistent in its texture, and less soft to the touch, compared to my Aldens or Baudoin & Lange, but it feels much nicer than many other suedes I’ve felt at higher price points while out and about. After a few weeks of wear these are looking great.
The lining is full grain calf leather and the insole is vegetable tanned leather. Both are smooth and soft. It feels just as good to wear these loafers with bare feet as it does with socks (absolutely Z E R O no shows or ankle socks with these, please) . A brief aside regarding going sans socks with loafers: you should try it, it’s great. Unlike canvas or synthetic sneakers, the tannins in leather are antimicrobial, so as long as you’re not wearing the same pair of loafers every single day (something you shouldn’t do with any pair of shoes really), they’re not going to get funky.
Now onto this Ultraflex sole that Meermin has created. What the heck even is Ultraflex? In this case it’s a combination of Goodyear welting a vegetable-tanned leather insole with a calf-lined memory foam insole, to a city rubber outsole. If that sounds like a lot, it kind of is. And, it explains where the aforementioned weight comes from.
I’ll report back in six months, but so far, after a few wears, construction on these feels solid. In fact, these feel much better than some shoes that cost nearly double.
Fit
Okay, so how do they feel to wear?
A quick caveat: Everyone’s feet are different, and talking about how shoes fit is subjective. If you have particularly narrow or wide feet, the last options from Meermin might not work for you. Given that I only have these two feet attached to me, I can only say how these loafers fit my feet.
That said, these fit me quite well. When I first slip them on in the mornings I have a bit of room in the heel and mid-foot, but after some walking and the usual expansion of my feet throughout the day, they fit nicely. It will be interesting to see if and how much these stretch out over time, but with a few weeks of wear, they have only softened, not stretched.
I mentioned it earlier, but these suckers are HEAVY in hand, at last compared to some of the other loafers in my closet. I do noticed the weight less once they are on my feet, and I will gladly make the trade-off in a smidge of extra weight for the comfort of these soles. Standing around in these is no problem, and I’ve walked a couple miles bar hopping around Austin in them and my dogs weren’t barking at the end of the night.
In an ideal world, you’re able to try on a pair of shoes before you spend $200, $600, or $1500 on them, but that’s not always the case. Getting sizing right on shoes can be tricky, but Meermin has a solid “Shoe AI” to help you find the right size based on other shoes you might have in your closet. They have dress shoe brands, but also major sneaker brands for comparison, which can be helpful if you don’t have a lot of hard sole shoes in your closet.
Meermin also makes returns easy with a fifteen (15) day return window and a flat $15 return fee. It would be great if it were free, but I think that at the price point on their shoes, $15 is reasonable.
Value
Ranging from $195 for leather soles up to $215 for the Ulraflex sole, I think that Meermin loafers represent an unbelievably good value for the money. These punch above their weight class in terms of fit, finish (shipping scuffs aside), and comfort. It will take a while to determine longevity, but based on other reviews I’ve seen online, if taken care of, you’ll be loafing in these shoes for years to come.
If you’re looking for your first pair of penny loafers, look no further, or if you’re like me and are always looking to add another loafer to your closet (maybe a snuff suede tassel or a black horse bit), definitely give Meermin a look.
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