I have been looking for a classy, comfortable and affordable black penny loafer for years. And apparently, I am not alone in this search. Many of my friends have also been on this fruitless hunt.

Every once in a while I find something that seems perfect, only to be bitterly disappointed once I try them on or get them in the mail. They either look a lot worse in person than they do online, feel terrible, don’t fit, or suffer from some other major shortcoming. So, I had sort of given up on finding that perfect black penny loafer. But after a friend recommended that I check out the gorgeous-looking M. Gemi black “Volo” loafers, I caved into temptation and decided to order myself a pair. M. Gemi has lots of incredible-looking shoes, and this one in particular is their “Best-selling Loafer.”

(If you’ve heard of M. Gemi before, then feel free to skip this next paragraph.)

M. Gemi is a direct-to-consumer shoe company that launched less than 3 years ago with women’s shoes, and then launched a men’s collection last year. Their goal (like many direct-to-consumer startups) is to sell Italian-crafted shoes for half of the price that similar shoes go for, and deliver it to your door expeditiously. They also release a brand new pair of shoes each and every Monday! In all, it’s pretty cool and exciting stuff. Of course, as I’ve learned, this is all only in theory. So, how is M. Gemi in reality?