Sir Rod Stewart knows it takes a real man to wear jazzy slippers – here’s how to do it

I must declare a vested interest in this particular topic; it’s only fair in the interest of full disclosure. To the upwards tune of around fifty-plus pairs of slippers. From neat little leather varieties to opera pumps, glitzy evening slippers to the Venetian furlane; some men collect vinyl, I collect slippers.

So it’s with no small degree of bias that I endorse Sir Rod Stewart’s decision to stay wedded to his ritzy slippers as he marks his 80th birthday. Not for him the fluffy, “let’s-get-you-to-bed” grandpa variety; as he stepped out last week to toast his ninth decade he opted for a gold pair, lavishly jewelled and embroidered. Good on him, when the alternative at that age is all too often sedate and “settled by the fire”. It’s part of his flamboyant showman style, and should be commended.

It takes a real man to walk a mile in a pair of jazzy slippers. They’ve been a part of men’s fashion for centuries, since the court of Louis XIV, decorated in crystal buckles to offset those powdered wigs. They’re synonymous with a certain after-dark glamour – perhaps why I like them – but they’ve also been part of traditional English style, too. The Duke of Windsor, for example, was fond of a pair, worn alongside his Fair Isle knits and cord trousers.

Winston Churchill was a fan, with his custom pair by Nikolaus Tuczek going on to fetch £40,000 at auction in 2021. In recent years even Prince William – never one to really up the ante in terms of bold style choices – has walked in the debonair footsteps of his father in his own pair of sleek evening slippers by independent British label Arthur Sleep and a pair embroidered with fighter jets for the Top Gun premiere, courtesy of Northampton-based historic shoemaker Crockett & Jones.

Slippers for men are pleasing in that they’re a little bit dandyish, a touch indulgent and a softly-softly approach in lieu of agonising, clomping Oxfords. They can be fairly discreet, or full blown peacockery if you so choose. Here’s how to step up your slipper game in varieties you can wear beyond the cosy environs of hearth and home.

Everyday slippers

I don’t mean the shearling-lined varieties from M&S for when it’s time to turn in, wonderful though they are. But sleek, neat little suede or leather varieties in black or suede tones, usually crafted from two pieces of leather and easy to slip on and wear with just about anything.

I’ve seen Japanese business men in Tokyo don them with sleek suits, but on British soil your easiest “in” is wearing them with casual ensembles like jeans. They’re lightweight and soft of sole – although leather will obviously be more hardy – so they’re not for battling Storm Eowyn, but they work well with a pair of ribbed or knitted socks too. They’re fairly anonymous rather than statement-making, making them your gateway slipper drug.

Leather Grecia slippers, £75, Herring

Evening slippers

The likes of the retiring Mr Stewart favour an all-out assault of footwear flamboyance; he’s worn brocade beauties from Gucci, ones studded with gemstones and various opulent slippers in between. By all means, go all out if the occasion demands it. But it needn’t be the full-scale Liberace with bells and beadwork on; look at versions in black patent, perhaps with a discreet grosgrain bow, or simple varieties in navy velvet from Crockett & Jones. There are also more masculine wool iterations from the likes of Ralph Lauren – perhaps in tartan – that lend a more traditional, sartorial note. They don’t have to be full frou-frou.

Velvet slippers, £295, Crockett & Jones

Opera pumps

If a traditional pair of wool slippers is your tenor, consider your opera pump the one that hits the high note as a mezzo-soprano. Opera pumps hail from Regency times and are traditionally part of white and black tie affairs. They’re distinctive in the make-up, in that they’re lower on the vamp so more of your foot is exposed, usually featuring a jolly grosgrain bow.

They’re considered exceptionally formal, although the maestro of fanciful footwear Manolo Blahnik – maker of just about the most beautiful shoes in the world – wears his with a suit for everyday. I’ve also noticed the Bright Young Things of today’s society wearing them with jeans. Fittingly La Bohème.

Velvet opera pumps, £750, Arthur Sleep

Furlane slippers

If you’re fond of a touch of sprezzatura style, or just want to support a craft that’s inherent to Venice and celebrates La Serenissima, the furlane slipper (pronounced foor-lan-eh) is an icon of the city. Named after the Friuli region they were crafted in, these soft velvet slippers became the go-to for gondoliers thanks to their rubber soles, designed to hold firm on slippery gondolas.

During the Second World War, stripes of bike tyres were employed in lieu of rubber and in some of the traditional shops they’re still produced as such. They’re soft-soled and don’t quite have the uprightness for eveningwear, so better for warm evenings on holiday or entertaining at home.

Velvet furlane slippers, £110, Piedaterre

And a (foot) note on socks

A sweaty hoof in a pair of evening slippers rather defeats the debonair purpose of them. Pros wear little invisible “sockless” socks within, or a pair of silk or thin wool socks to look suitably smart alongside.

As Sir Rod once sang, you wear it well.