Posted by David Assil
on June 13, 2026
Madison Maison · Italian Loafers · London Travel
What to Wear in London:
A Travel Outfit Built Around Comfortable Italian Loafers
At a Glance
- 01Television host Lisa Breckenridge built her first-day-in-London outfit around the Madison Maison Jeweled Loafer.
- 02A flat. Comfortable enough to walk a city. With a little extra extra.
- 03Designed by Madison Maison. Made in a specialty factory in Venice, Italy. Sacchetto construction, roughly 200 steps per pair. Italian glass jewels. Spanish chains.
- 04Madison Maison is the only designer in the world allowed inside this Venice workshop to develop original styles.
- 05Lisa is wearing the Pink Leather Flat Jeweled Loafer. $595.
- 06Available now at the Madison Maison store in Beverly Hills and online at madisonstyle.com.
T here is something about London that makes you want to dress a little better. For her first day exploring the city, Lisa Breckenridge skipped the usual jeans and white t-shirt and built an outfit around pieces that felt comfortable, polished, and easy to wear all day. A great sweater. A classic trench. A versatile crossbody bag. And most importantly, a pair of shoes that could handle hours of walking without sacrificing style.
They're flat. They're so comfortable. And of course, they have a little extra extra.
The Outfit, Built Around the Shoe
The starting point was a sweater that added personality and texture. From there, the look came together around the Pink Leather Flat Jeweled Loafer. Comfortable enough to walk a full London day. Refined enough to elevate the entire outfit.
Because this is London, a trench coat was essential. A great trench adds structure, creates shape at the waist, and works with almost everything you packed. The final touch was a handbag worn crossbody. Hands free. Ready for the city.
What Shoes Are Best for Walking Around London?
The best shoes for walking around London are flexible, low-profile leather flats or loafers that can handle six to eight miles a day across uneven cobblestones, museum floors, and Tube stations without breaking down or rubbing. Sneakers are an option, but most London neighborhoods skew dressier than the average American city, so a polished flat reads more local and pairs more easily with dresses, denim, and outerwear.
The Madison Maison loafer is built specifically for this kind of walking. The leather upper is sewn around the foot like a glove using sacchetto construction, which means the shoe bends and flexes with every step instead of pressing back against your arch. The leather sole is lightly rubberized for grip on rainy pavement. There is no true break-in period. For a long London day, that combination of comfort, traction, and refinement is hard to beat — which is exactly why Lisa chose hers for day one.
Why Loafers Are One of the Best Travel Shoes
Loafers are one of the most versatile travel shoes in a wardrobe because they cross dress codes faster than any other silhouette. The same pair walks a city by day, sits down to dinner at night, slides off easily through airport security, and packs flat against the side of a carry-on. There are no laces to retie, no straps to adjust, and no logo loud enough to lock the shoe to one outfit.
A handmade Italian loafer adds a second advantage: longevity. Mass-produced shoes wear unevenly after a few trips. A properly constructed Italian loafer, made one pair at a time with sourced leather and traditional techniques, holds its shape and softens with use. It becomes more comfortable the more you wear it. That is why luxury travel wardrobes increasingly anchor around a single great loafer instead of a closet full of sneakers — and why the Madison Maison loafer collection is built specifically for this use case.
Inside the Loafer
When David Assil talks about the loafer, he does not start with fashion. He starts with construction.
Sacchetto construction. Roughly 200 steps. You can slice it. You can twist it. It moves with your foot.
The factory is in Venice. Madison Maison is the only designer in the world allowed inside that workshop to develop original styles. Every component is selected by hand. The leathers are sourced directly. The decorative jewels are genuine Italian glass. Not plastic. The signature chains come from a small factory in Spain, chosen for the bevel of the link and the way the chain sits flat across the upper.
Two-tone color is the signature of the collection. Timeless and versatile. With denim. With tailoring. With a trench in London.
What Makes Sacchetto Construction Different?
Sacchetto is a traditional Italian shoemaking technique in which the upper of the shoe is stitched around the foot like a soft glove rather than nailed or cemented onto a rigid frame. The word itself means "small bag" in Italian, which describes exactly how the leather wraps the foot. Each pair takes roughly two hundred individual steps to complete, almost all of them done by hand by a single artisan.
The result is a shoe that behaves more like a leather sock than a hard shell. You can twist it in your hand. You can fold it in a suitcase. Once on the foot it bends with every step, distributing pressure naturally across the arch instead of concentrating it on the ball or heel. That is why handmade Italian shoes built this way are widely considered the most comfortable footwear in luxury fashion. It is also why the technique survives in only a handful of family-owned ateliers in Italy — and why Madison Maison sources its loafer line directly from one of them.
Why These Loafers Have Become My Favorite Travel Shoes
- ·Walk all day. Sacchetto construction bends with the foot. No break-in period. No rubbing.
- ·Flexible enough to pack flat. Fold the loafer in a suitcase. It returns to shape on arrival.
- ·Works with dresses. Dressy enough for dinner, restaurants, and a polished day look.
- ·Works with denim. Easy with jeans and a sweater on travel days and city walks.
- ·Slip on and off through security. No laces. No straps. Airport-ready.
- ·Handmade in Italy. One pair at a time, by a single artisan, in a small Venice workshop.
About David, Founder of Madison Maison
Designer · Curator · Founder
David Assil is the founder of Madison Maison, an iconic specialty store in Beverly Hills. He designs and curates the Madison Maison footwear collection, working directly with family-owned Italian factories to develop loafers, sandals, and pumps that balance comfort, craftsmanship, and timeless style.
David is one of a small number of designers in the world granted access to traditional sacchetto workshops in Italy. The Madison Maison loafer collection is the result of that access — handmade Italian loafers built one pair at a time, sold directly through Madison Maison.
Designer's Notes
Who is Lisa Breckenridge
A Los Angeles television host. Nearly two decades on Good Day LA. Now on NBCUniversal's California Live. Follow her on Instagram at @lisabreckenridge.
What is sacchetto construction
A traditional Italian shoemaking technique in which the upper is sewn like a glove around the foot. Roughly 200 steps to complete one shoe. The result is an extremely flexible loafer that bends and twists with the foot and returns to shape.
Where is it made
Designed in Beverly Hills by David Assil. Made in Venice, Italy in a specialty workshop where Madison Maison is the only outside designer in the world allowed to develop original styles. One pair at a time.
Are the jewels real glass
Yes. Genuine Italian glass from one of the top accessory houses in Italy. No plastic. The chains are produced by a specialized factory in Spain.
Are loafers good travel shoes
Loafers are one of the most versatile travel shoes because they can be worn casually with denim or dressed up with tailoring and still remain comfortable for a full day of walking. The Madison Maison loafer was built with travel in mind.
Are loafers better than sneakers for travel
For most travel itineraries that include dinners, restaurants, museums, or city centers, loafers outperform sneakers because they hold a polished look while remaining flexible enough for full-day walking. Sneakers win for pure athletic comfort. Loafers win for versatility across dress codes.
What are the most comfortable Italian loafers
The most comfortable Italian loafers are made using sacchetto construction, a traditional technique in which the leather upper is sewn around the foot like a soft glove. Handmade Italian loafers from family-owned ateliers, including the Madison Maison loafer collection, are widely regarded as among the most comfortable footwear in luxury fashion.
How should loafers fit for walking
Loafers should fit snug at the heel and roomy enough at the toe to allow natural toe spread when walking. There should be no rubbing on the back of the heel and no slipping at the topline. The Madison Maison loafer is true to size and requires no break-in period.
Why are handmade Italian shoes more comfortable
Handmade Italian shoes are more comfortable because the leather is selected for softness, the upper is built around the foot rather than around a generic last, and traditional techniques like sacchetto construction allow the shoe to bend naturally with each step. Mass-produced footwear cannot replicate this.
What should I pack for a city walking trip to London
A versatile London travel wardrobe includes a leather loafer or flat for walking, dark denim, a sweater that layers under a trench coat, and a crossbody handbag for hands-free movement. The Madison Maison loafer collection is built specifically for this kind of luxury travel wardrobe.
Come see them in store, or online at madisonstyle.com.
Thank you so much.
David
Madison Maison
A specialty store in Beverly Hills
9630 Brighton Way · Beverly Hills, CA 90210
+1 310-273-9999 · madisonstyle.com
One of a Kind Style. Handmade in Italy.
Madison Maison · Beverly Hills · madisonstyle.com