Price: $245
Why Buy?
The Beckett Simonon Perry offers great materials for the price, and is more versatile than a traditional Belgian loafer.
Why Avoid?
The Beckett SImonon Perry isn’t a traditional Belgian loafer, and the narrow last might make sizing difficult for some.
Specs
| Model | Perry |
| Height | 2.5 inches |
| Materials | Suede, leather |
| Size | 12 |
| Weight | 517 g / 1 lb 2.2 oz |
| Construction | Blake |
| Country of Origin | Columbia |
History
Loafers come in plenty of different shapes and styles, but few are quite as distinctive as the Belgian and tassel varieties. Both take the basic slip-on design in a different direction, with one favoring a softer, more understated profile and the other adding a little more decoration and structure.
The Belgian loafer is probably the less familiar of the two. Popularized in the United States by Henri Bendel, it was designed as a more refined, almost slipper-like take on the traditional loafer. Its defining feature is the small bow across the vamp, paired with a particularly slim profile and soft construction. They’re a little eccentric, a little dressy, and certainly not the sort of shoe you see every day.
The tassel loafer, meanwhile, has a somewhat more conventional place in men’s footwear. Emerging in the mid-20th century, it takes the basic loafer design and adds a pair of decorative tassels to the vamp. While there are plenty of variations, the traditional tassel loafer tends to have a more structured upper and a slightly more substantial appearance than its Belgian counterpart.
Beckett Simonon has a long history making tassel loafers, but more recently decided to advertise the Perry Belgian loafer. Is the Perry the choice for you? Or is the more classic tassel a better option? Let’s dive in and find out.
Disclaimer: Beckett Simonon provided this pair of Perrys for the purpose of review, however this is not a sponsored post. Everything below is true to my own opinion, and Beckett Simonon was not able to review or edit this article before it went live.
Looks
Upper
The entire construction of the Beckett Simonon Perry is a blend of a traditional Belgian loafer and a classic tassel loafer.
At first glance, the Belgian influence is obvious, from the leather piping around the apron and throat of the shoe to the almond-shaped panel. However, spend a bit more time with the shoe and the tassel loafer comes through.
This is perhaps best noticed in the embellishment. Rather than a small bow front and center, these feature a pair of tassels. If this is positive or negative is really in the eye of the beholder. It’s hard to say they are a Belgian loafer without the bow. However, at the same time, there is a practical reality here. Unless you own a hedge fund, the bow can definitely be seen as a bit over the top.
My pair came in the Chestnut suede, and that’s the one I’d strongly recommend. Suede is the standard choice for Belgian loafers, and the chestnut color is perfect for fall. However, if you do want to switch it up, you have a number of options including a darker brown suede, or leather in black, bordeaux, brown, oak, and tan.
The only visible stitching on the upper is two small lines at the very heel of the shoe holding on the finishing panel, and two equally small lines inside between the one-piece lining and the heel panel. My pair has one misplaced stitch, but it’s effectively impossible to see.
Inside, the vachetta tan lining comes in a classic tan, matching the suede heel panel designed to keep your foot from slipping out.
Mid- and Outsole
As you move down the Beckett Simonon Perry, you’ll find that the shoe continues to straddle the line between Belgian and tassel loafer – but this time it’s your choice.
My pair came with the leather sole, died mid-brown from the factory. This option leans perfectly in the slim, casual vibe of a Belgian loafer. The rounded edges of the outsole are aesthetically perfect for this pattern and pair well with the tight cut to the body.
When people ask why go for blake stitch construction, this is exactly the reason why. This design isn’t possible on any other style of stitched footwear.
Underneath, a 270-degree stitch holds the leather sole on, while nails and glue do the same for the black diamond pattern heel cap.
While I strongly recommend getting the leather sole if you want this shoe, there are real trade offs in doing so we’ll get to later. If you’re a person who can’t accept those tradeoffs, Beckett Simonon also offers the Perry in their chunkier rubber loafer outsole.
This two-piece outsole has a leather midsole design added to a studded rubber. This outsole will undoubtedly last longer and be better in poor weather. However, it adds significant visual weight – being both taller and sticking out from the upper.
Summary
The Beckett Simonon Perry calls itself a Belgian loafer, but really, it’s something different entirely. Full Belgian loafers have an air of being the shoe equivalent of go-to-hell pants. Fun for sure, and I don’t blame anyone for wanting a pair, but not exactly practical for an everyday pair if you’re not Bernie Madoff.
The Perry takes some of the features that make a Belgian loafer stand out – the separate apron, the slim outsole – and pairs them with features that are a bit more mainstream such as tassels and a more formal last shape. A bit of bravado for the man who still needs to work for a living.
As for styling these, you’ll certainly want to know how you will wear them before you click buy. A shoe that is a combination of the niche tassel loafer and the very niche Belgian loafer probably won’t be the most versatile pick.
My suggestion is to wear them with elevated casual fits such as linen suits. However, I’ve seen everything from tuxedos to jeans with them, so long as you’re willing to put yourself out there.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
The Beckett Simonon Perry fits very narrow, and isn’t particularly long. I got mine in my standard US 12 that I wear in other Beckett Simonon and I can only just make them work with the slimmest socks I own. I really wish I could have gone up to a 12.5, though at time of writing only whole sizes are available.
If you are a half size you’ll definitely want to go up, rather than down. Unfortunately, if you’re a wide footer, you may not be able to get this particular pair to work for you at all. This could be especially disappointing since you need to wait for these to arrive – though returns are free if they ultimately don’t work out for you.
I know lasts are expensive for a brand focused on affordability, but I would love to see Beckett Simonon offer these in a wide option so that more people can comfortably wear them.
Comfort
Assuming you’re able to nail the fit, the Beckett Simonon Perry is surprisingly comfortable for a shoe so focused on minimal design. There is a bit of padding in the insole, but the real champion here is the flexibility of the outsole combined with the soft upper.
Even right out of the box, these are incredibly flexible, and given the construction, I fully expect them to soften even further with time.
I certainly wouldn’t want to run in these, but for a shoe that will likely be used as a dress shoe, I’d put these in the more comfortable category.
Materials & Construction
Materials
The Beckett Simonon Perry certainly delivers on the materials, especially for the price.
The upper of this color, along with the tassels, is made entirely with a water-repellant calfskin suede. The brand opted for a medium length nap, which provides a great amount of texture while still offering something wearable in a more formal setting. Like all water-repellant suede, the hand feel isn’t the greatest, but that’s an unavoidable trade off.
The suede features leather piping along the apron and shoe opening. The leather feels great, with no visible seems.
Inside, the shoe is primarily lined with a tan vachetta leather. This softer, almost fluffy feeling, leather is the go-to for shoe lining as it absorbs moisture and helps blunt hot spots. This lining is matched with a suede heel panel – this time with long nap – to provide a bit more friction and keep your heel in place as you walk.
Under foot, there is a fairly substantial padded insole. I’m not sure this is needed on a pair of slim loafers like these, but hey – it’s there if you want it. Below the insole is a steel shank.
The outsole of the Perry, at least in this make-up, is a slim leather outsole. It’s not going to offer the same amount of wear as a thicker leather sole, but this design helps deliver the flexibility and classic look that make the shoe work. If durability is a concern, you always have the rubber outsole option.
Finishing everything off is a stacked leather heel with a synthetic rubber top lift. The material is styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), a synthetic-infused rubber commonly used in applications where abrasion resistance is important.
Construction
The Beckett Simonon Perry is made using blake construction. In this style of construction, the upper is sewn directly to the outsole.
The benefits of blake stitch are that it offers the best flexibility of all stitched footwear, allows the outsole to be trimmed closer to the upper, and is more affordable to manufacture. As for downsides, blake construction requires a special machine to resole, so your options are going to be more limited, and since the stitching goes directly into the upper you’re going to be able to resole fewer times than other construction methods.
Blake construction also doesn’t have the same weather resistance as something like Goodyear or Stitchdown, but if you’re wearing your leather soled suede loafers in a nor-easter I don’t think the blake construction is going to be your biggest problem.
Pricing
As I’ve had my hands on more and more Beckett Simonon shoes, I’ve really come to like their footwear, but I’m still not thrilled with their pricing model. The “official” price of these shoes is $370, though they never sell them for that. The every day price is $249, but even that isn’t the real price.
Go to their website today and you’ll get a pop up for a discount of 10-20%. Alternatively, there are often sales bringing the price lower.
This is frustrating because it cheapens the experience and gives outlet store “compare at” vibes. For about $200 these are a great value. Thursday is probably the closest direct competitor at this price point, but I think Beckett Simonon has the edge in materials, particularly the suede and lining. Blake stitched options from Allen Edmonds, Rancourt, etc. all float around $400.
Given how long Beckett Simonon has been using this model it might be impossible to switch, but I really wish they would just let their shoes stand on their own pricing.
Wrap Up
The Beckett Simonon Perry proved to be a strangely difficult shoe to review. At its face value – Becket Simonon’s Belgian loafer offering – it has a lot of flaws. Compared to other Belgian loafers it’s way stiffer, way more structured, and lacks the little bow. If you really want a Belgian shoe style loafer and just wanted to save a couple of bucks, you’ll probably be disappointed.
However, the shoe itself doesn’t feel like a poor attempt at a Belgian loafer. It feels like a purposeful attempt to take a much more wearable tassel loafer and add a bit of the eccentricity of the Belgian loafer to give it a little flair. If this is what you’re looking for, the Beckett Simonon Perry is an excellent choice.
