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Kendall Jenner has a black pair from The Row, Hailey Bieber a wide square-toe pair from Jil Sander, and Cara Delevingne wore Topshop’s iteration to attend the high street brand’s autumn/winter 2025 catwalk show in London last month. That’s right – the ruched loafer has become a sleeper hit among the fashion set.
Designer labels such as The Row, Prada and Miu Miu, for which the loafer have long been a key category, might have set the tone for a looser, more relaxed version of the stiff, structured loafer with their AW25 collections, but the high street has caught on to the creased, ‘lived-in’ appeal of the ‘gathered’ loafer.
Marks & Spencers’ suede chocolate brown loafer has already sold out; though there are still plenty of sizes in its black and white leather versions, as well as its dark brown tassel loafer. H&M has picked up the cues, dedicating an entire section on its website to the flat shoe; predictably, they’re flying off the shelves. And the same is true for Next’s ruched loafers, which are proving to be bestsellers.
While the classic penny loafer will never go out of style, the ruched loafer trend taps into that ‘undone’ aesthetic the fashion set is obsessed with. They want to look elevated but in a nonchalant way, and a pair of soft-leather loafers teamed with dark denim and an oversized cashmere crewneck is effortlessly chic.
That’s not to say the ruched loafer won’t work in a more professional environment. Quite the opposite actually, it’ll add a little more personality to the otherwise pared back (but perfectly office-appropriate) outfit combination of tailored trousers and a crisp shirt. Especially when you go for a pair of loafers in a colour other than black
The best ruched loafers to shop on the high street
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