Each print issue of Harper’s Bazaar features “In the Market,” a column highlighting the best new items of the season shot exclusively behind-the-scenes in the Bazaar fashion closet. For the start of 2024, senior fashion and accessories editor Jaclyn Alexandra Cohen gives us an up-close look at the season’s best investment loafers and brogues, all with modern updates.
It’s rare to find a shoe that can weather any season, event, or time of day—but that’s where designer loafers and brogues come in.
Loafers have always been considered a wardrobe essential, yet designers are finding new ways to make these time-tested shoes feel modern. On recent runways, some pairs have been elevated—literally—to new heights, from Loewe’s kitten-heeled penny loafer to Gucci’s iconic horsebit loafer, set on a towering platform. Others swerved in a sophisticated direction: Hermès topped its loafers with a Kelly closure, while Margiela applied its Tabi toe to a loafer silhouette.
The result is a lineup with options for everyone, whether your style has a preppy undertone or leans more minimal and polished. Try Miu Miu’s monk-strap brogue for a collegiate blazer-and-pencil-skirt look, or the Row’s laced derby shoe to streamline an oversize knit dress and soft coat.
This season’s best designer loafers and brogues were in heavy rotation in the Bazaar fashion closet, for winter-issue photo shoots and our own wardrobe building. Below, I break down the 17 top pairs across loafers, brogues, and derby shoes.
The Updated Penny Loafer
Penny loafers aren’t just defined by their inherent nostalgia factor. Crafted from sturdy yet luxurious leather, these pairs are characterized by the horizontal strap (or “saddle”) straddling each shoe, with a slit cut into it. Fresh updates range from Marina Moscone’s stacked heel to Margiela’s Tabi to Phillip Lim’s shiny two-tone finish. Think Ali MacGraw in 1970’s Love Story, with a 2024 twist.
The Stacked Heel
Marina Moscone Loafer
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The Two-Tone Loafer
3.1 Phillip Lim Alexa Penny Loafer
The Tabi Toe
Maison Margiela Tabi Loafers
The Oxfords and Brogues
You may associate functional, charming oxfords and brogues with Savile Row suiting. But on the latest runways, these shoes were styled with dresses and more ladylike styles. Each season, Erdem makes the case for wearing oxfords with feminine silhouettes. Gabriela Hearst joined in this time, collaborating with Tricker’s to design the perfect wing-cap oxford.
The Longwing Brogue
Thom Browne Leather Sole Longwing Brogue
The Wing-Cap Oxford
Gabriela Hearst Wincap Oxford Shoe
The Perforated Oxford
G.H.Bass Blake Leather Wingtip Buck
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The Two Buckle Brogue
Erdem Brogue With Two Buckles
The Monk Strap
Monk shoes dress up the traditional loafer silhouette with a horizontal strap that overlays the instep and intersects with the shoe’s tongue. And as we saw on Miu Miu’s fall runway, the style has no bounds: Whether they’re worn with a pencil skirt and cardigan set or leggings, a hoodie, and a chic wool overcoat, for your best commuter look, monk-strap loafers are equal parts walkable and polished.
The Strap Dress Shoe
Miu Miu x Church’s Double Monk-Strap Shoe
The Embellished Cap Toe
Jimmy Choo Finnion Studded Leather Monk Shoes
The Modern Loafer
Contemporary twists on loafers all have one feature in common: decoration across the vamp, such as a horsebit, fringe, buckle, or tassel. The silhouette is still classic in the vein of a Nancy Meyers movie wardrobe, but the embellishments add a bolder twist.
Some examples I saw and loved? Gucci released a version of its horsebit loafer set with sparkling embellishments to celebrate 70 years of the style. Celine’s Triomphe loafer now comes with fringe and a lug sole, while Hermès loafers are topped with the iconic Kelly buckle. And for the ultimate preppy tassel, Grenson always delivers.
The Updated Fringe
The Embellished Horsebit
The Kelly Buckle
The Preppy Tassel
Grenson Merle Loafer
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The Derby Shoe
Derby shoes, with an open lacing system, are less formal than the other laced shoes that came through our fashion closet. Paired with trousers or white jeans and an oversize wool coat, these pairs will get you where you need to go in comfort, while keeping you looking put-together. Whether stacked like the Row or chunky like Prada and Tod’s, each pair’s heel adds a pep to your step that is also distinct from other designer flats.
The Modern Derby
Prada Brushed Leather Derby Shoes
The Ghillie Brogue
The Color-Block Strap
Tod’s Leather Derby Shoes
Now 30% Off
Jaclyn Alexandra Cohen is Harper’s Bazaar’s Senior Fashion & Accessories Editor. Outside of the office she can be found downtown with her twin sister, figure skating somewhere or on the hunt for the perfect striped top. Follow her on Instagram @jaclynalexandra
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