Whitney Super Lug Sole Penny Loafer (Women)

My mother had me in Bass loafers since the 5th grade. I took a break, but came back to them in a big way about 10 or 15 years ago and own many options. Classics…mules…all colors…they just work. The construction has been consistent and on point. The fit has been consistent and perfect, and my well-arched, size 8.5 narrow feet love them. Break in time has been consistently minimal. So imagine my disappointment when these new lug soles arrived too small in the toe box, too short in length, too wide in the instep (think Minnie Mouse shoes) and too big in the heel…Pinch, gap and slip all in a single step…the trifecta of shoe misfit. We all know Bass has been working hard to rebrand, but who ever imagined they would change their perfect fit? Go ahead, Bass…create fabulously slick ad campaigns if you must, but don’t tamper with the perfection of your time-honored products. Just stick to what made you great and don’t try to build a better mousetrap. You won’t. After all, GH Bass is over 100 years old, and built their brand and reputation on superior quality, excellent fit and ease of wearability long before any of us were born. We’ve all seen extraordinarily successful companies fall hard due to poor judgment and naive decisions made by new execs selfishly looking to make a name for themselves, but alienating company customer base in the process. A tragic sacrifice. I’m not projecting here, just writing in a stream of consciousness. I truly love the brand and wish Bass every success. Oh…and not for nuthin, but the price of Whitneys jumped from $89.95 just a couple years ago to upwards of $165 since the recent re-launch. Yes, we noticed. These shoes are going back, but I remain hopeful for better from the Bass team going forward.

I was very excited to purchase these as they have the “chunky” look while being more streamlined and classic. I purchased an 8.5m, my usual size. Wide widths are not available. I could not get my foot in. My foot is on the wider side and it did not matter how hard I pushed or what I did, the shoes would not fit. Sadly I had to return them. If they had been available in the wide width I feel they would have fit true to size but since I couldn’t get my foot in I will never know. They are too expensive for me to try the next size up.

This is my first time trying Bass loafers and I’m pleasantly surprised! I wanted a plain leather loafer without metal accents, and also liked the lug sole to give me some height. This is a classic looking pair that may take a little breaking in but I’m ok with that assuming they get more comfortable. I normally wear a 7 but ordered a half size down based on the reviews. My feet run a bit wide and these fit well, so they may not work on narrower feet.