Johnston & Murphy

Hayes Penny Loafer

Men's

I've been a diehard Cole-Haan customer for 25 years. As a true traditional dresser, my favorite was always the "Pinch" penny loafer. I've bought more of them than I can remember. However, I watched their product quality drop over the years after they moved production to Mexico, and later to India. The soles and heels wear incredibly fast, and rebuilding them costs nearly as much as a new pair. Appearance-wise, this J&M "Hayes" penny loafer is an almost identical replacement for the C-H Pinch. Sizing, though, is completely different. I wore 9-1/2 D Cole Haan's for years. But as I aged, I guess the shape of my foot changed, and I found that a 10 D worked best. In comparison, these J&M's seem to run very big. Admittedly, I bought these shoes from a major brick-and-mortar retailer, because I prefer to test fit shoes that I’m not familiar with. The 10 D was huge. I tried a 9-1/2 D, but they were too loose as well. The salesperson asked me to try a 9 W, and surprisingly it fit perfectly. It took some forceful shoe-horning, but once on, it was very comfortable. I especially like that the J&M's are pre-flexed. The more forgiving heel counter and sole make them more wearable right out of the box. The Cole-Haan's always took a month of twice-weekly wearing to break them in. Normally, I put a protective coat of quality polish on my shoes soon after buying them. I tried that with these shoes, using the very same cream polish I’ve used for years. I quickly learned that they have a soft, sticky, colored coating that turns to chewing gum when polished. I had to completely strip both shoes using lighter fluid and a towel scrap, and then re-apply cream polish, in order to achieve a decent finish. Using lighter fluid on these shoes is a must-do, and it does not harm the leather or the factory applied color. During the polish ordeal, I also discovered that the leather used for the upper toe pieces is really poor. It isn’t nearly as smooth and glossy as the main body of the shoe, and it actually shows markings that are typical of a low quality hide. That’s very disappointing, because I’ll ever be able to totally correct the problem – lipstick on a pig, if you know what I mean. If I hadn’t already worn them once and slightly scuffed the soles, I would return them. Unfortunately, the only alternative is the Cole Haan, and I have no desire to go there again. I just hope these J&M's prove to be more durable.

Timeless classic with quality construction. I'm in my seventies and have worn Johnson and Murphy penny loafers since I was ten years old. This is the best one yet.

Very comfortable, but that doesn't begin to make up for the fact that these shoes squeak like nothing I've ever heard before. My work colleagues tell me they can hear me coming from halfway down the hallway. Totally unacceptable.

A well-constructed shoe, built to last. A little stiff at first, just as it should be.