Slippers, as you’ll soon discover, can mean many things to many men. The defining image the word conjures up for most is typically an oversized wool- or shearling-lined loafer (or backless mule) that is worn around the house to keep one’s feet warm.
With a thin sole and backless construction, mules are the most casual of slipper styles. Just slide your feet in and off you go.
Yet while the silhouette is simple, the variety of mules you can get is pretty expansive. Fur-, shearling- and felt-lined styles are common and a godsend padding across cold stone floors on a morning. They can be crafted from a number of different fabrics, including leather, suede and even cotton and linen when it comes to lightweight summer styles.
Luxury brands have recently dabbled in the mule slipper, not least Gucci whose furry maximalist leather mule was doing many a round a few seasons back. You’d struggle to style out the average mule slipper anywhere but the warm confines of your home.
Whether you’re a sleek leather mule kind of guy or of the chunky fur-lined persuasion, you’ll find plenty of great options in our brand list below.
When slippers aren’t padding around the house or pretending to be loafers, they are usually lording it up in the shape of the Prince Albert slipper (not to be confused with the piercing), so called because Queen Victoria’s royal consort was rather partial to them.
The Albert slipper is a slip-on style with a heel, usually constructed from velvet and featuring an altogether firmer leather sole, wooden block heel and quilted lining. They were originally worn by Victorian aristocrats as house shoes, as a means of keeping the dirt out of their homes.
A leather version of the Albert is actually called a Churchill, if you wanted to bore anyone with a useless fact, but for the most part, black velvet is the standard. Many modern styles now also feature embroidered motifs across the toes, such as martini glasses, skulls and crossbones, or one’s initials.
Numerous different colours are available today, but the most popular are black, navy and burgundy.
Velasca is an Italian shoemaker that is democratising luxury footwear, cutting out the middleman with its direct-to-consumer model to offer premium shoes and boots at a fair price. Each of its designs are handmade by artisans in the famed Marche region of Italy, ensuring quality and attention to detail.
Its slippers sit on the formal side of the spectrum, with the brand offering both opera pumps and Friulane shoes.
As the name might suggest, Mulo is best known for its backless shoe styles, especially its diverse collection of super-comfortable slippers. No matter the style, each slipper starts life in London where it is designed, before entering reality via artisans in the brand’s Portuguese workshops.
From suede sheepskin slippers perfect for cold-weather climates to soft leather mules and corduroy house shoes, Mulo’s designs are decidedly contemporary and look right at home in a modern setting.
Loungewear specialist Derek Rose is famed for its premium pyjama sets, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t consider the British brand’s slippers when searching for some luxury slip-ons to wear around the house.
Rose’s handmade styles include both closed-back and mule options, crafted from soft suede with a sheepskin lining, or calfskin leather with a suede lining, as well as a few Harris Tweed options.
Launched in 1993 in Palm Beach, Florida, Stubbs & Wootton are a specialist formal slipper maker, with one of the broadest and most eclectic collections in the world. Being from Florida, the brand’s style naturally has a fun and playful aesthetic, with vibrant colours and designs perfect for daywear, as well as a host of sumptuous eveningwear options.
Leather soled and with stacked wooden heels, you’ll find plenty to love at Stubbs & Wootton.
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