A history of loafers (shoes)
Excerpted from a New England Historical Society article
“The penny loafer may epitomize preppy New England style — after all, John F. Kennedy wore penny loafers on the golf course. And John Cheever, chronicler of New England preppy angst, was known for his wrinkled khakis, blue-and-white striped Brooks Brothers shirt and Size 6 penny loafers.
“But the penny loafer didn’t originate in New England.
“Nonetheless, New England played an important role in the development of the penny loafer, in large part because of its long shoemaking tradition.
“The region’s indigenous people made moccasins by hand for centuries. They also provided the design inspiration for the penny loafer (more about that in a bit). Nine years after the Pilgrims landed, a cordwainer arrived to make shoes for the colonists.’’
'Don't be perfectionist'
“Jazz Stands for freedom. It’s supposed to be the voice of freedom: Get out there and improvise, and take chances, and don’t be perfectionist —leave that to the classical musicians.’’
— Dave Brubeck (1920-2012), jazz composer. He and his wife moved to a bucolic part of widely bucolic Wilton, Conn. in 1961, and that remained his home until his death.
Wilton is an affluent residential community with lots of open land, historic architecture, such as the Round House, and colonial homes. Many residents commute to Stamford, New York City or other places in Greater New York.
William Morgan: The utilitarian and the romantic in the Granite State
A 50-cent picture found in a junk store in Warren, R.I., is the ultimate Granite State winter pin-up. On the rear, penned in real ink, is the legend: “Sue Nardi on Snowplow/South Lyndboro, N.H./Feb. 12, 1950’’
Lyndeborough is a small upland village in southwestern New Hampshire, just above where Stony Brook joins the Souhegan River, which provided power for the 19th-Century textile mills at Wilton, N.H.
The image was printed in someone’s basement or in a school darkroom, as the edges of the image are not parallel. My guess is that this is probably a yearbook photograph.
It is more romantic, however, to imagine that the photographer was Sue Nardi’s adoring boyfriend. (Valentine’s Day was just two days away.)
The fetching Italian-American dressed up for this glamour shot. Despite the snow, she is wearing penny loafers and her trousers are seriously ironed. (Feb. 12 of that year was a Sunday, but surely Miss Nardi would have worn a dress to Mass?)
If still with us, Sue would be around 90 – perhaps still treasuring memories of posing against that essential northern New England implement, a snowplow.
William Morgan is an essayist and architectural historian. He is the author of Monadnock Summer: the Architectural Legacy of Dublin, New Hampshire. His next book, Snowbound: Dwelling in Winter, will be published next year by Princeton Architectural Press.