How the Belgian Loafer became the yuppiest status symbol shoe

How the Belgian Loafer became the yuppiest status symbol shoe

What started out as a simple piece of footwear worn and assembled by monks in the monasteries of Belgium went on to become a solid hit on the stony blocks of New York’s upper east side

Words: Finlay Renwick

In the wake of the greatest Ponzi scheme ever conducted, more than 400 of Bernie Madoff’s possessions were put up for auction. Held inside a soulless Miami convention centre in 2010, there was a Steinway piano, numerous golf clubs, a Rolex Cellini Moonphase, and around 37 pairs of Belgian loafers. The latter were finished in croc, suede, ostrich leather and soft velvet, and many were monogrammed with the initials BLM: Bernard Lawrence Madoff.

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