Start with three outfits you already wear
Choose a work outfit, a relaxed outfit and the outfit you find hardest to finish with shoes. Include the trousers or skirt, socks and any bag or belt you normally wear. This gives the colour a specific job before you browse Ferragamo loafers.
- Mostly dark combinations. Compare black first if you want the shoes to continue the darker colours already in the outfit.
- A mix of navy, denim and earth tones. Put dark brown beside black and see which you would reach for more often.
- Mostly cream, beige and lighter casual clothes. Include tan immediately. You do not have to buy two darker pairs first.
If you already own a black shoe that covers work, ask what the new loafer would add. Repeating black can still make sense when you want a different shape, but it should be a deliberate choice.
Compare black and dark brown on equal terms
Black when you want a darker finish to the outfit
Polished black calf is a traditional office choice, as Crockett & Jones explains. For your own shortlist, try black with the outfit you wear most, rather than assuming it belongs only with a suit.
Colour alone does not settle formality. Ferragamo also describes a black Gancini loafer as a casual, boat-inspired model. Look at the whole shoe: a contrasting sole or prominent ornament may matter more to your choice than the word “black”.
Dark brown when black duplicates what you own
Try dark brown with those same outfits, particularly if you want an alternative to an existing black shoe. Compare a reddish brown and a less reddish brown against your actual clothes; do not treat every “coffee” or “chocolate” label as the same shade.
Keep the model and finish as similar as possible during the comparison. If you prefer a brown suede loafer to a glossy black one, you may be choosing texture as much as colour.
Choose tan when it solves your everyday outfit problem
Tan is worth choosing first when your lighter outfits are the ones that need a shoe. Put it beside cream trousers, beige chinos or the denim you actually wear. Then repeat the comparison with your darkest regular outfit: do you like the contrast, or would you leave the shoes at home?
Do not choose tan because you expect a particular patina, or reject it because of a fixed conditioning schedule. For this decision, judge the colour you are buying and ask about the finish of that specific pair. The illustration below explains the lighter palette; its depicted ageing is not a prediction for a product.
Check the actual pair before choosing the colour
- Material and shine. Read the material description and compare close-up photographs. Ask the seller if the finish is unclear. If the terminology is stopping you, read the guide to leather types and finishes.
- Decoration. Compare the ornament with accessories you already use; matching every metal colour is optional. Ferragamo identifies the grosgrain bow with Vara. If you are still choosing between that detail and Gancini, resolve the Vara and Gancini choice before comparing colours across different shoes.
- Fit. Loafers lack lace adjustment, making heel fit important. Try the exact model with your intended socks and walk in both shoes. A preferred colour is no reason to accept an uncomfortable fit.
When two colours still work equally well, choose the one you would wear with your most frequent outfit. Before ordering, confirm the exact model, colour, material, size, width and seller’s return conditions.
How this guide was built
This guide was written by AI for Chexlow, using Ferragamo’s official product and collection descriptions and Crockett & Jones’s loafer guidance. The outfit comparisons are editorial suggestions for choosing a first colour, not manufacturer rules or results from wear testing.
Edited by the Chexlow team · Images are AI-generated illustrations