tlb Mallorca Artista Loafer
With the satisfaction of finally finding TLB Mallorca, a shoe brand that checks all the boxes for laced shoes, I was curious to see if their penny loafers would fit the bill as well.
Shoe Facts
・117 Artista Loafer
・Comes in a variety of leathers
・Goodyear Welted
・8 SPI
・Calf lining
・Vegetable tanned leather insoles
・Leather heel stiffeners.
・Comes in Goya last.
・Standard Single Leather Sole
MTO Options
・Available in most leather options TLB provide, now also Hatch Grain.
・Double Sole, Storm Welt
・Leather Sole, JR Sole, Rubber City Sole
As the 117 Artista loafer can be altered to ones wishes with the customisation option, and comes in a variety of leathers and colours in their off the shelf section, I won’t go into much detail on that part. But to summarize my impression on the matter, I have the 117 Artista in black boxcalf, brown vegano and recently, brown suede leather. I highly recommend all three in terms of quality.
If you would like to know just a little more about my experience with the leather, read my review on the Artista Oxford, where I go a little further into the details.
The Look
Right off the bat, I can tell you that the 117 Artista loafers from TLB Mallorca are perfect. I don’t have any incentive to say this but the fact that I am just overwhelmed to finally find that one loafer. These check the boxes of the whole list and more. I honestly can’t think of anything I would wish to change (except free samples, he he).
As such, when I am talking about penny loafers to people not familiar or whom aren’t that enthusiastic about them, the one model I envision is the 117 Artista penny loafer and my opinion on why penny loafers are great is limited to this model. Quite a few people I know completely changed their mind on penny loafers upon seeing the Artista one, further affirming how great they are.
The Last
The TLB Artista loafers are made on the Goya last, which has a slightly rounded toe. Upon receiving my first pair I was almost certain there were slight alterations to the last compared to other models on the same last, but further inspection proved they were the exact same.
The reason I am pointing this out is the fact that the last works so well on both loafers and oxfords while resulting in a completely different perceived shape, besides the obvious fact that they’re inherently different shoe models. This amount of roundness is exactly right for what I want the toe on a loafer to look like. This also includes the distance from the outsole to the stitch ornamentation, which is just high enough on the toe creating that perfect balance.
Comparison
The penny loafer that in my opinion comes closest to the Artista is the Sydney last from Crockett & Jones. Comparing the two, the toe on the Artista is just a little less narrow. Further comparing the two, you can also see how the stitch ornament is slightly higher on the Artista. Lastly the tongue is about half an inch longer. All in all these features are what to me sets the two apart and why I side with the Artista.
The Construction
The 117 Artista loafer comes with the same construction as the rest of the models in the Artista line; a high stitch density at 8 SPI and Goodyear welt construction.
The latter is not a given, seeing as the model is quite tapered.
What I mean is, if you look at how amazingly close cut the edge of the outsole is at the waist and around the heel, this refined feature usually is only possible with a blake stitch or when glued.
Furthermore, the loafers also comes with the same bevelled waist as seen with the other models in the Artista line.
In my opinion the Artista penny loafer ends up being a refined and elegant loafer that works perfectly when dressed down with jeans, and dressed up with either a suit or odd trousers and a jacket.
Size
As for size, TLB Mallorca comes true to size and I generally suggest sizing down half a size for loafers, which I have done myself. TLB offers half sizes so pinning down that perfect fit shouldn’t be difficult. In my case my laced shoes, which are a half size bigger, are definitely a little more roomy than the loafers, so there is the possibility the size of my loafers is my true size.
One point to add to this is that it seems the loafers has a slightly tighter fit when they come with the rubber city sole. In either case, as in with either leather soles or the city sole, they fit perfectly, but I’ve just noticed that the ones I have with a city sole seems to fit a little more closely around the feet.
If you like a penny loafer with a sleek and elegant look, while still preserving the classic penny loafer look, I can highly recommend trying the 117 Artista from TLB Mallorca. Also, if you want to know more about penny loafers you can have a look here and if you are interested in other models from the Artista line from TLB Mallorca read about them here.