Tabi Loafers

Tabi loafers are the most wearable thing the split toe has produced. A loafer already reads as considered without trying; put the cloven toe on it and you get a shoe that is quiet from ten feet away and unmistakable up close. This edit holds our split toe loafers, a platform loafer for the days you want height without a heel, and the pleated patent loafer for the days you want neither.

Why tabi loafers work better than you'd think

The standard objection to tabi shoes is that they are hard to style. That is largely a heel problem: a tabi heel demands the rest of the outfit cooperate. A tabi loafer does not. It slots into exactly the places a normal loafer goes: trousers, denim, midi skirts, the whole transitional-season wardrobe. The split toe just makes people look twice. Nine outfits and the sock rule are in our tabi loafer guide.

The split toe loafers

Rue Black Tabi Loafers is the monk-strap version: a single strap across the instep, contrast stitching, a flat sole. Ashen Tabi Loafers is the plain one, a black slip-on split toe loafer with no hardware at all, so the toe is the only detail. If you have been curious about the silhouette but not ready to commit to tabi heels, either is the easiest entry.

Platform loafers and chunky loafers

Talia Platform Loafers keep the upper plain and rounded and put all the weight in a slab sole you can see from across the room. Platform loafers are cut to be worn with a visible sock, ribbed or sheer, and look wrong without one. Perrine Pleated Loafers are the soft patent option with a gathered apron and a conventional toe.

How to wear loafers

• Tailored trousers hemmed at the ankle bone: the toe peeks out as you walk, which is the whole effect
• Barrel jeans and a slouchy sock: proportions do the work, the loafer anchors it. Ribbed crew tabi socks for the split toe pairs, sheer mesh socks under the platform
• A midi skirt with opaque tights: the split reads cleanly over a sheer or opaque layer
• Straight denim and an oversized knit: the outfit everyone owns, made specific

Are tabi loafers comfortable?

Yes, and more so than most flats. The structured toe box holds its shape rather than collapsing, so your foot is not sliding forward the way it does in a soft ballet flat. The split itself sits between the big toe and the rest; it does not separate every toe, and it does not affect how you walk. More in are tabi shoes comfortable.

Sizing

True to EU size for most feet. Loafers have no laces to adjust, so if you are between sizes go down; a loafer that is too long slips at the heel. Sizes run EU 34 to 40 depending on the style. The full chart is in the tabi sizing guide.

See the full tabi heels and tabi flats range, or browse ballet flats and mule heels.

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