I came across this photo on Pinterest recently and it sparked a lot of memories. I had a pair of these oxblood Dr. Marten tassel loafers in the mid-80s which I got from Shelly’s on the King’s Road. Dr. Marten’s have been making this style since 1980 and I’m happy to see that they still sell them.
A few years before that I had some black suede Chelsea Boots with buckles and zips like these — also from Shelly’s.
I’m a little amazed that I used to wear these, but they were part of my Post-Punk uniform along with the big overcoat and Ian McCulloch haircut. They look very “Goth” now but I swear I wasn’t one, though I probably wore them when I saw Siouxsie & The Banshees.
The switch to loafers marked not just a stylistic change but a musical one as well. I’d moved on from the grim and gloomy sounds of my late teens was listening to a lot of Northern Soul, so my look was a combo of Soul Boy and Hard Times. I always wore the loafers with white socks but they were usually paired with vintage 501s.
I had regular pair of DM shoes (everyone did) but the loafers were my “fancy” pair to go clubbing in or if I felt like looking particularly sharp. Back then I used to go to a Northern Soul night above The Alexandra pub in Clapham and I’m sure I danced to this in them.
Download: Just Walk In My Shoes – Gladys Knight & The Pips (mp3)
cryingallthewaytothechipshop.wordpress.com 
My god, you were a stylish fecker, weren’t you! Do you still rock the loafers?
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My favourites are still my Cherry Red Doc Brogues. I think I’ve had about 5 pairs over the years. Have the Cherry Red normal Docs on this morning for the bloody snow.
Tune by the way
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Very swish. Do we get to see the rest of your S&M outfit?
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I don’t wear Docs anymore. But it took me a while to get used to ‘normal’ shoes after so many years in those soles
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Been bopping around in new Creeper Oxfords the six months or so, please kill me.
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You a Teddy Boy?
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Nice loafers. I enjoyed the Hard Times link too.
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At a certain age I too used to buy most of my shoes from Shelleys – travelling miles to the branch on Seven Sisters Road between Finsbury Park and Holloway.
Often I’d visit to just to window shop and try on, before returning weeks later when I had amassed the necessary £s. They had a fantastic range of styles, and I thought the assistants were super cool.
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