Joseph M. Madda
Charles Lindbergh, JFK, Steve McQueen, and Paul Newman wore them. On the distaff side, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly wore them. More recently, Michael Jackson wore them in the opening of his Thriller music video. And throughout my teens and early 20’s, I wore them.
I am talking about the greatest loafer ever made, the “Weejun” slip-on, the all-leather shoe crafted only by G. H. Bass company of Maine. In the 60’s, if you wanted the ultimate in preppy style on your feet, you sported Bass Weejuns. Socks (just like today I see) were optional.
The unusual name is said to originate, of all things, with Norwegian peasants’ foot-ware. Through a chain of events, the style came to the attention of the Bass company, already known since 1876 for rugged, outdoorsy shoes. In 1936, Bass debuted their new slip-on style, for “loafing in the field”. It caught the eye of American celebrities and early baby boomer youth alike, unexpectedly zooming up in popularity to be an arbiter of casual cool.
Bass Weejuns are still made today, although production is overseas now instead of Maine. Alas, the venerable Bass company itself is no longer, sold three times (1978, 1987, 2013), now owned by G-III Apparel Group, an American company with numerous famous apparel brands.
The Weejun shoe is slipper comfortable because it is a “moccasin style” construction. A continuous leather upper cradles your foot all the way around and then attaches to the all-leather sole and heel below. A leather strap with its famous quarter moon slot over the vamp, just below the tongue, gives it the signature “penny loafer” look. (But, please, DO NOT insert a coin; are you a ten-year old?!). Because the sole and even the heel were entirely smooth leather, you had to scuff them up a bit to avoid early pratfalls.
Over decades, Bass made numerous variations on the original 1936 version. For example, so called “beef rolls” of curled leather bookend the strap on some. I never liked those. No, the one I mean is now called the “Logan Flat Strap Weejun”. Simple, classic, very American Mid-century Modern to my taste, a paean to postwar prosperity and want-to-be Ivy League class.
Weejuns came and still come in various glossy finish leather colors. To my mind, the only one worth discussing is the “oxblood” finish, deep brownish red, not quite blood red but not far off. Very sensual. And please, not cordovan! That purplish tone is so common! The twenty-year-old pair I have now is indeed oxblood. And listen up! Weejuns look best polished. Many a time over several decades, I have opened the little metal can of Kiwi brand oxblood color shoe polish and got to work on my cherished loafers. I hate neglected footgear.
Why talk about a shoe? You know the answer. My Weejuns are a fond reminder of my optimistic youth, too long ago. That mythical time of Camelot, before Vietnam, Watergate, 70’s stagflation, and all the rest made things considerably less sunny. After all, casual, confident cool is always attractive.