When it comes to slip-on shoes, there is a lot of variety available
In any discussion about leather semi-formal/casual shoes, these three types (or any of their variations) are sure to come up
Loafers, moccasins, and boat shoes should not be used interchangeably. Even though sometimes they have a similar aesthetic, there are distinct features that make these shoes different
The main difference between loafers, moccasins, and boat shoes is in the absence or presence of a separate heel part. In moccasins, the soles are thin, flat, and turned up on all sides and attached on the upper. Loafers, on the other hand, have a separate heel added to the sole, while boat shoes have a small heel that generally extends as a part of the sole
Moccasins and boat shoes will always have a moc-toe, wherein a separate piece of leather is stitched on the vamp that reaches the toe. However, this can be found in some styles of loafers as well
Let’s break down these points to understand the differences between these three shoes in detail
Loafers vs Moccasins vs Boat Shoes
Since the overall look of all of these shoe styles is similar, it can often be confusing to identify them. And additionally, manufacturers often take features from one type of shoe and put it in another – which often leaves even me scratching my head trying to put a name to the shoe
The underlying differences, are honestly not a lot though.
To help understand them, it is a good habit to get to the shoes’ individual parts – Lacing, Heels and Soles, Material, Shape and additional Decorations (if any)
As long as you look at the shoes as per the following factors, you should be able to announce if a pair of shoes is a loafer, moccasin, or a boat shoe (neither is an option too :D)
Lacing
All shoes in discussion – loafers, moccasins, and boat shoes – are known for the ease and comfort with which they can be put on.
But lacing still remains an important distinction between the three
Loafers will never have any kind of lacing. If you find a shoe that is loafer-like but has laces present (even if they are fake ones), then those are not loafers
Moccasins on the other hand, may / may not have laces. At many times, the details on the upper of a moccasin and loafer would be similar
And if the shoe does show the presence of laces, it’ll generally have only one/two eyelets on the vamp of the shoe, with the laces tied in a know above them. These are for decoration only and serve no actual purpose in fastening the shoes.
So for all intents and purposes, moccasins also come in the category of slip on shoes
The last shoe style – Boat shoes – was originally made with laces. The peculiar feature of boat shoes is it’s 360 degree lacing. The laces actually go around the entire back of the shoe and open at the eyelets.
The laces can then be used to fasten your shoes as much as you like and then tie them in regular / specialised knots
Two pairs of eyelets are the standard on boat shoes
You might find some shoes that have the 360-degree lacing, but only one or two eyelets on the vamp tied in a knot (like faux lacing). This is one example of the fusion-style I talked about earlier above. While these shoes are also sold as boat shoes I wouldn’t call them so, because they don’t follow the traditional style . Minessota mocs instead
Heels and Soles
Loafers are basically formal shoes that are lower on the dressy scale (aka semi formal), so their overall style and looks are consistent with dress shoes
This means like a pair of loafers will have a distinct sole and a heel attached to it. The sole and heel can be made of different materials like rubber, leather, EVA, etc.
Also, loafer soles will be attached using the same construction methods like dress shoes i.e. cementing, Blake-stitching, Goodyear Welting, etc. being some of the most common ones
Compare that with moccasins, which are completely different. Moccasins do not have a heel, and soles are wrapped up and around. A single piece of leather wraps around the bottom of the shoe until it reaches the top – where it is then stitched on another piece of leather that forms the vamp
When it comes the soles, they are usually thin and made of rubber. At times, moccasins can also have sneaker like white-soles
Boat shoes have thick sneaker like white rubber soles, without a separate heel part. However, a short heel is fashioned out of the same sole piece – which makes it look very elegant
Another striking feature of boat shoe soles are the herringbone patterns on its bottom. These are series of zigzag lines / engravings made on the bottom of the sole. They are said to be for traction and grip, as boat shoes were originally made for sailors and fisherman to wear on their rocky boats
Material
When it comes to material, there is not a lot of difference between loafers, moccasins and boat shoes
All three shoes are generally made out of leather or suede, and boat shoes sometimes are made in fabric too (just like a sneakers)
For boat shoes, the leather is treated to be waterproof – but that might not be the case with all brands so it would be a good idea to verify it first
Toe Detail
Along with the absence/presence of laces and the way heels/soles are stitched, the toe detailing is a clear distinguishing factor between moccasins, loafers and boat shoes
Moccasins and boat shoes show the presence of a moccasin-toe, or simply called a moc-toe. In moc-toe shoes, an extra piece of leather is stitched on the upper of the shoe that extends till the toe.
There are a lot of boots that are also made with a moc-toe – this toe shape seems to have a certain appeal in the shoe-world
Moc-toe is often confused with the apron toe, which is found in loafers and is somewhat similar. Instead of extending completely till the toe, in apron toed shoes – the piece of leather that is stitched on the vamp stops somewhere before the toes. It is as if an apron (of the chosen material) was spread over the upper of the shoe
It is this design that gives loafers their streamlined look. Loafers are also made without the apron toe – such shoes are often called slippers. But their presence in loafers is more common than their absence
Note:
You might find some slip-on shoes that have a distinct heel part, but with a moc-toe. There are often debates on whether such shoes should be called as moccasins or loafers – retailers often use the terms interchangeably for such shoesI think the presence of heel part is a bigger characteristic difference than the moc toe, so these shoes be considered loafers
Decorations
Vamp decorations are of a few types – the most common ones being the saddle, tassel and horse-bit
On loafers these different decorations give the loafers their separate names, namely the penny loafer, tassel loafer or the horse-bit loafer (which were popularized by Gucci)
Moccasins on the other hand have the faux lace knot that we spoke about earlier, but in absence of those they can also have these very same decorations.
I haven’t seen a lot of moccasins with tassels – maybe that’s because they don’t go with the style (Do let me know if you come across a tassel moccasin!). But I’m sure that penny and horse-bit style moccasins are common in both grain leather and suede
And because boat shoes have eyelets and open-lacing on the vamp, they do not have any other kind of detailing. Some boat shoes will have a contrasting colour pattern to make them more interesting
When To Wear Loafers
Loafers are semi-formal in style, which means that they can be worn for all semi-formal, casual or smart casual events.
While researching this post I found some mentions of loafers being less formal than moccasins, but in my opinion, it’s quite the opposite. After all, a nice sleek loafer would look much better with a suit than a moccasin would.
Of course, the suit should still be of a lighter casual shade, and if you like it, you *can* wear the sockless look (although I wouldn’t)
Loafers are chinos are also a winning combination, as mentioned in my post on wearing chinos with shoes
A suede loafer looks especially wonderful with a pair of shorts – and this time even I would go for the sockless look B-)
Jeans. check
Shorts. check
Chinos. check
Dress pants. [sometimes] check
It’s as versatile as it gets, folks. If you want casual-but-refined, loafers are the answer
When To Wear Moccasins
The moccasin shoe, with it’s thin sole, will not be comfortable for walking over long distances. These shoes are best reserved for indoors, or on days when you know you’re not going to walk a lot
A variation of moccasins are the driving shoes or driving mocs.
In these shoes, the thin rubber sole is replaced with a grid of small nubs of rubber. As the name suggests the shoes are good for driving, but walks in them would be just as uncomfortable as regular moccasins
The only exception is if your mocs have a sneaker like sole though. You should be then able to use them outdoors too
Moccasins will be worn best casually with a pair of jeans, shorts or chinos.
And they are usually worn with no-show socks, although if you do want to wear regular socks it’s okay
Because these are casual shoes, the colour is not a restriction and you can go as bold or as basic as you’d like. Suede looks just as good as grain leather, sometimes even better when worn in the summers
When To Wear Boat Shoes
Consider boat shoes as an option for the times you’d usually wear sneakers.
They are just as casual, and perhaps even preppier than sneakers
These shoes were originally made for fishermen, but not a lot of us are out on the sea these days so wearing them in our day-to-day life should be enough to give them justice 😛
Just like moccasins, sock and sockless are both okay here – with popular sentiment tending more towards sockless
Wear your boat shoes with a pair of shorts and t-shirt to that next beach party.
Or head out for lunch in a pair of jeans, a casual half sleeve shirt, and (of course) boat shoes!
Pick Your Favourite(s)!
Which one of these shoes is your current favourite?
Personally I find loafers better because they are more versatile and can also be dressed up. But I’ve been wearing boat shoes more frequently these days, and they seem to be great too
As always, if you have any questions – let me know in the comments 🙂
