Ryan penny loafers in leather

I purchased these shoes in 2018. They were great at first then failed miserably after only normal use. I have never worn out a sole of any shoe let alone worn a hole in them. J.Crew customer suggested that I take them to a local cobbler for repair. My warning..if the sole is wearing too quickly return immediately.

I’ve been stalking this site for months hoping my size on the Ryan penny loafer showed up again...and it finally did! I wear a size 7 in nearly every shoe I buy, but these in a 7 run SMALL! It felt like nearly a whole size small. I got my foot in the shoe but there’s no way I could walk in it. A 7.5 might be better but my guess is that I’d need an 8. The shoe felt fine if not slightly roomy in the heel and mid-arch sections but the toe box was stiff and short. On the plus side, the leather was quite nice. I’m so bummed, I really wanted these.

For us older ladies, the “manly” appeal of a shoe like this is an attractive feature, they pair nicely with khakis and a collared shirt, a blazer (I have a couple of nice houndstooth and herringbone jackets from J Crew that look great with these). These aren’t made like men’s shoes that are made to be resoled and last decades, though. These have a glued (not stitched) soles. The leather has a nicely burnished look and mine were of good quality (some other reviewers seem to have received retreads!). I am between a 7 1/2 and 8, and I ordered the 8 in these as they have a somewhat narrow toe and I expect to wear socks with them, they still ran a little large, but these are comfortable and I’m hoping these DO get that nice aged and worn leather look (I’m hoping that the leather uppers do not flake like bonded leather). Two wearing and some nice creases, so far so good.