Lemaire Men’s Piped Crepe Slippers – Black

A piped slipper is a house shoe that has been given enough structure to leave the house, and the piping is what does it. Running a corded edge along the seam where the upper meets the sole stiffens that join, so the shoe holds its opening instead of collapsing the way an unpiped slipper does, and it draws a fine visible line around the whole shoe that makes it read as constructed rather than as soft furnishing. The upper is a supple leather and the sole is crepe, which is the decision that determines where this shoe can go. Crepe is natural rubber left with its texture rather than molded smooth, and it is soft, quiet, and grippy underfoot with a slight cushion to it, so a slipper on a crepe sole can cross a pavement without either looking wrong or wearing through. The fit is the other half of the idea. A slipper has no fastening, so it has to be cut close enough to stay on by shape alone, and close-fitting supple leather over the top of the foot is what makes a slipper behave like a glove.

The crepe sole is the whole argument. It makes a genuinely soft shoe wearable outdoors, which is a narrow and useful category that very few houses make properly.

Lemaire's footwear is at its best in this register, which is an ordinary domestic object built properly enough to be worn seriously.

Supple leather upper on a crepe sole, with piped seams. Made in Portugal. We hold no composition and no leather type for this shoe.

A slipper with no fastening stays on by cut, so it should feel close over the instep from the first wear and will ease slightly as supple leather relaxes rather than stretching out. Crepe gives a little underfoot, so the shoe feels softer than its sole depth suggests. We do not hold a size chart for Lemaire footwear.

Black makes the piping the only thing to see, since a corded seam in the same color reads as a fine raised line rather than as a contrast. That makes this the more formal of the two and the one that will go under tailored trousers without comment.

Crepe is natural rubber and it is the part that needs thought: it picks up grit, it is degraded by oils and solvents, and it should be kept away from heat, which hardens it. Brush the sole rather than washing it, and keep the uppers clean with a soft cloth. Our fabric care guide covers leather, suede, and nubuck.

The Piped Crepe Slippers in dark brown are the same slipper in a different color. The Women's Flat Piped Slippers is the leather-soled version. Everything we carry from Lemaire is listed together.