First Impressions: Thomas George Collection Bourke Penny Loafer

Hands on with another offering from this Aussie brand.

A few months ago, I bought a pair of the Brooke service boots from Thomas George Collection and was quite impressed with them.
Now I’ve had the chance to look over another one of their offerings, the Bourke penny loafers.
These are available in dark brown and black, retailing at $350AUD.
Like the rest of TGC’s catalogue, these shoes are based on the same design philosophy of good quality, no-frills shoe design at an affordable price point.

Given that Covid has wrecked chances of the gents from TGC hosting trunk shows, they were kind enough to send me this pair so I could have a look.
To learn more about the team behind this brand, check out my interview with the team behind TGC.

The TGC penny loader is a sleek, minimalist design.
Soles are leather, and the construction is goodyear welted.
French calf is used for the leather, consistent with the rest of TGC’s offerings.

It’s the same quality of leather that was used for my service boots, which is really impressive for the price point.
The stitching is neat and tidy, for quite a polished result.

I think the minimalism of the design would lend itself more to wearing with dressy outfits.
You could easily wear these with a suit.
However, the minimalism combined with the sleek last would make these seem a touch at odds with a more casual outfit.

If I were to wear loafers with a more casual outfit I’d go for a beefroll style instead;
however, these could bridge the gap between formal and casual better than a beefroll style would.

The inner is comfortable, with good arch support.
It has a cork footbed which is sturdy, moulds to the shape of the foot over time and provides a good base to walk around on all day.
You could wear these sockless without fear of any sharp parts rubbing against your ankle, if you’re so inclined.
Personally I stick to socks, but it’s good to be able to wear no-show socks and not have the ankles pained by constant friction.

Unlike the service boots, these loafers run true to size, and the website is explicit about that in the description.
As I usually wear an EU43 wide, I went for the size 9, equivalent to UK 9.5.
The width of this size was just about spot on for my feet.
However, I did have considerable heel slip.
I’d need quite a chunky heel grip.
Given that, I’d likely need to try sizing down to the 8.5 to get the length right, and hope that the width would remain the same.

There’s plenty of room in the instep of these loafers, which is excellent for me, since I have quite a high instep.

The soles are smooth leather. It looks dressy, but is easily slippy, so factor in an extra little bit of money into your purchase allowance to have a pair of Topy soles installed.
The smooth leather sole does however make for elegant presentation out of the box.

Some small blemishes, but complete perfection can’t be expected at such an attractive price point.

Overall, these penny loafers provide an attractive option for an entry level shoe of good quality.
Compared to the likes of most shoes on offer in Australia, they’ll last much longer and blow most of the competition – especially at this price point – out of the water.
TGC sells direct to consumer with free shipping and returns, making for a very low risk online shopping experience.

Don’t hold out in hopes of a sale, these are great value at retail.
Plus you’ll be supporting some great guys and a homegrown Aussie brand.

You can view the Bourke penny loafer sales page here.