You can probably tell from this poor man's expression that when I approached him to take a picture he thought I was taking the piss, but his highly shined loafers caught my eye like a silver spoon to a magpie. Added kudos goes to his pressed cords and Fred Perry bomber, it's a mod(-ish purists!) look without the museum-y feel.
I also spotted tasselled loafers on one of the PRs for Topman at the Arcadia press day recently, he wore them to great effect with some white sports socks.
Oxblood is a gorgeous colour choice for a loafer, I recently bought some secondhand men's penny loafers and the deep rich hue is amazing. If you're going for tassels then choose shoes with a high vamp for a truly retro look.
Bottega Veneta penny loafers, Browns: £350. Loake oxblood loafers, Amazon: £100. Bass Weejun black tassel loafer, Mod Clothin: £79.99.
There's only one place to get tassled loafers - and has been for many years - J. Simons in Covent Garden. He goes to the US to choose/import the best ones in various styles and colours. And has done since the early 60s.
If you want the Ivy League look, it's the first port of call.
Thanks for the tip Dave, I thought of you when I wrote this post! Checking out the J Simons website as we speak...