Footwear predominantly refers to garments worn on the feet. Footwear in the manner of shoes primarily serves the purpose of alleviating locomotion and warding off injuries. It can also be used for fashion and style statements for oneself or for displaying a person’s social status in society.
Key Takeaways
- Moccasins are soft, slip-on shoes made of leather or suede with a distinctive Native American style featuring a stitched seam around the toe.
- Loafers are also slip-on shoes, but they are made of leather and have a low heel and a more formal appearance.
- Moccasins are comfortable and flexible, ideal for casual wear and outdoor activities, while loafers are more versatile and suitable for casual and formal occasions.
Moccasins vs Loafers
Moccasins are a type of footwear made of animal leather. It is originally made of deerskin that Native American hunters used. It comes with laces or tassels for an aesthetic look. Loafers are a type of slip-on shoe made from leather. They do not come with laces and are worn casually or formally.
Mocassin mainly refers to a type of shoe made of deerskin or any kind of leather. The leather needs to be used in the sole, sides, or top, depending on the design. The shoe consists of a sole, leather side, and top, with a stylish design.
The term Loafer mainly refers to a type of shoe that is made of leather. These are a type of slip-on shoes. They have a comfortable sole and optionally come with heels too. However, loafers predominantly do not have laces. They can be used for casual, semi-formal, and formal occasions.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Moccasins | Loafers |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Moccasins, on the other hand, were shoes worn by Native American hunters and tradespeople. | Loafers have their origins in Scandinavia. |
| Laces | Moccasins can come with additional tassels or laces entirely for a designing purpose and not tying. | Loafers do not have laces. |
| Fabric | Moccasins are known to have been originally made out of deerskins and rubber soles. | Loafers are always supposed to be made from leather. |
| Style | Depending on the fabric and color, moccasins look more or less formal. | Loafers are the more casual style of the pair. |
| Heel | Moccasins are predominantly flat. | Loafers may or may not have heels. |
What are Moccasins?
A moccasin is a type of shoe that is mostly manufactured using soft deerskin or leather. It comprises a sole that is made using leather. The leather used is the one that has not been worked.
The shoe is normally connectedly stitched at the top, at times with an additional layer of Layer. Moccasins are meant to be soft as well as flexible. Moccasins come in a wide range of designs and styles.
The shoe’s upper part has embroidery, patterns, artificial laces, or jewelry. Moccasins can be used indoors as well as outdoors. Moccasins were a type of shoes that were worn by the North Indians living in America. Hunters wore footwear, and people were involved in trade and common settlers.
It was in the latter part of the second century that the moccasins had gained popularity. It went ahead to become popular footwear for sports, casual occasions, and formal occasions as well.
They also come in the category of slip-on shoes. Black, brown, white, and burgundy are some of the popular and most like colors in Moccasins. These types of shoes can be worn with or without socks, depending on the person’s choice.
What are Loafers?
A Loafer is also a type of slip-on shoe that can be worn with or without socks. There’s no specified way. These shoes are manufactured using leather or suede. A loafer is more of like a moccasin with an addition of a flat heel.
According to reports, the origin of loafers can be traced back to Scandinavia. They primarily belong to the category of casual shoes. But these too can be used for indoor and outdoor uses.
They go with not only a casual but a formal wardrobe as well. Suede loafers are versatile, along with being adaptable. Patent leather Loafers are ideal for formal occasions.
Loafers come in abundant designs and styles. Although, unlike moccasins, they do not have any laces. There are different types of loafers, such as – Penny Loafers, Tassel Loafers, and Gucci Loafers. Black, Brown, and Burgundy colors are also the most popular and preferred colors for Loafers.
There are a few other excellent color choices, too, such as Navy Blue, White, and Emerald Green, to name a few. Loafers are supposed to be soft, comfortable, stylish, and versatile all at the time because footwear being kind of an all-rounder, is one of the most popular and preferred footwear.
Main Differences Between Moccasins and Loafers
- Moccasins were traditional footwear worn by hunters, traders, and common settlers in North America. Loafers were originally worn by fishermen in Scandinavia.
- Moccasins optional come with additional embroidery, tassels, or laces entirely for a designing purpose and not tying. Loafers do not have laces, either for tying or style.
- Moccasins are known to have been originally made out of deerskins and rubber soles. Whereas, Loafers are always supposed to be made from leather.
- Even though both shoes are meant to be casual and formal, moccasins are more on the formal side than loafers.
- Moccasins, in general, do not have heels. On the contrary, loafers may or may not have heels.
- https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1179/cos.1977.11.1.28
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5387021/
Last Updated : 16 June, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
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