They're called loafersins - a combination of loafers and moccasins, as if you couldn't guess. Borne out of laziness and inspiration, I struck on the idea when one of the tassels on these much loved Bass Weejuns broke off.
I toyed with the obvious idea of replacing it with another set black tassels; but then thought about using a different colour...and, once sartorial logic had gone out the window, I ended up with this rather novel solution. Black shoe laces.
It was Dr Mandi Martin who came up with the name, loafersins. It seemed to make perfect sense since the use of laces somehow softened the whole look of the shoe making it much more moccasin-like than I initially imagined.
I think they're great, but I suspect the traditionalists (those gatekeepers of sartorial correctness) among us will mock my customised shoe. At least I hope they do; if they don't, I'll feel like I've failed in some small way.
