2022 Complete Deal Sled Review
060: Your in depth guide to the best bit loafers for summer 2022
Good morning savages.
When I started in Sales & Trading in 2016, I was young and didn’t know shit about closing deals, business, or the world. I was just pumped to be able to walk to workin NYC in a suit and trap out of my studio apartment on the weekends.
Now the term “Deal Sleds” has been around for some time - so we can’t quite take full credit for coming up with it, but I will say our account had a massive hand in proliferating the influence and spread of bit loafers and deal sleds in the golden age of finance memery (2016-2020).
Those terms among other things: Size, move size, size lord, Vaders (black Ferragamos), Veiny Boys, etc. were huge cultural parts of the Arbitrage Andy brand and account for many years - they still are, however I would argue with the onset of the Covid 19 Pandemic people reeled back a bit from formal office wear for some time.
I remember one of my former colleagues commented on some slick brand new black Allen Edmond Veronas I wore in on my third week: “ bro those are some nice sleds” Ironically enough he was also the one who helped me coin the phrase Size Lord and Vaders which refer to a financier who moves massive size (volume in markets) and Black Ferragamos respectively. We are still in touch to this day for obvious reasons.
The impact and proliferation of bit loafers throughout the world of finance and business is an observable phenomenon that seems to have only picked up more popularity in recent years. You can hardly walk a city block in New York without seeing several pairs.
If you happen to be on Park Avenue at 5pm on a Friday? You’ll be completely inundated with deal sled greatness. If you work a front office job in sales, finance, or fin tech and opt for All Birds or Air Force Ones over a fresh pair of sleds, well let’s just say nobody will want to hear your bitching when you close fewer deals and end up transferring into marketing.
You must respect Deal Sleds and treat them right and in return they will give you everything you need. It takes a mature and veteran size lord to understand the power of quality footwear. In a day and age of complete lack of class, we will help you look sharper, feel more confident, and strike fear into your opponents hearts with the top bit loafers on the market today.
This is a comprehensive review of 95% of the sleds worth mentioning or looking at on the market today but it’s not exhaustive. Keep in mind this list is ONLY for bit loafers, not drivers, Belgians, or tassels loafers (insert angry Euros telling me I overlooked niche euro shoe brands lmao).
Thanks to the Federal Reserve and US Government our sled markets have been inflated. But regardless, it pays to play in the sled arena. This isn’t a generic list you would find with a simple google. These are the tried and true sleds of the trenches.
The Deal Sleds we will cover in depth today include:
Gucci 1953 Bit Loafer - $890
Ferragamo Grandioso - $790
Bruno Magli Enrico - $350
Allen Edmond Verona - $250 - $375
Carmina Horsebit Loafers UETAM - $360
Peter Millar Hyperlight Bit Loafer - $148
Gucci Jordaan Bit Loafer - $920
Smathers and Branson Downing Bit Needlepoint Loafers - $295
Jay Butler The Millbank Loafer - $195
Sandro Moscoloni Esteban Loafer - $60
I receive no commission on any of these recommendations nor am I sponsor of any of these brands, this list was time consuming to compile and is expansive - so it’s available to all of our Arb Letter premium subs for $5.00/month. Let’s get it.
“Deploy your loafers whenever you're tempted to wear anything that's not a shoe, such as espadrilles, trainers or sandals, and they will inevitably improve your look”
David Water