How the Gucci Loafer Became the Original It Shoe

Like gelato and talking with one’s hands, the Gucci Horsebit loafer is one of Italy’s most adored cultural exports. An early exemplar of la dolce vita lifestyle, nonchalant luxury, and brand virality, it was released in 1953, at a time of rapid expansion for Gucci—just as the house was opening its Manhattan flagship, at the Savoy-Plaza Hotel, on East 58th Street. According to company lore, Aldo Gucci (who, along with his brothers Rodolfo and Vasco, took over the business from their father, Guccio, the founder) brought out the dressy loafers in response to the rise of comfortable knockabout moccasins such as the Bass Weejuns, which he noticed were popular with American prepsters.

The elevated Gucci offering, in black lightweight leather and featuring an almond-shaped toe and a distinctive gilded snaffle that alluded to the company’s equestrian roots, was an instant hit—particularly in Italy. Originally for men, the shoe was soon followed by women’s versions, and both won the hearts—and lire—of newly solvent Italians enamored with the design objects that they associated with their country’s postwar rebirth.

As jet-setting paparazzi bait like Sophia Loren, Jane Birkin, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Lee Radziwill beat a path to the Gucci store on Rome’s Via Condotti, the Horsebit became an early It shoe, and it didn’t take long for its popularity to spread Stateside. As ubiquitous as Gucci is now, thanks to its global retail footprint and enviable digital reach, it’s hard to imagine how unheard of it was in those days for a design to hijack the international spotlight, and to appeal to both women and men.

The Horsebit’s impact went beyond sales figures. It was in step with a changing, more liberal approach to conventional dress codes. Understated…