Another iconic pair of shoes that reflects the preppy or Ivy style of clothing is the horsebit loafer. Some argue that you should never wear loafers with socks since they were one of the first kinds of shoes to bridge the gap between dress and casual. Today, these models are still popular with both men and women. A horsebit is the part of the shoe that sticks up over the sock-line of the foot; therefore, it's also called a "sock protector." Horsebit Loafers were originally made from the hoof of a horse. The word "loafer" comes from the old English word for a small slipper, which was also made by taking the hoof off a horse. In fact, the original purpose of making loafers was so that people could hide their poor farming skills by pretending they were rich gentlemen! These days, most horseshoes are made out of metal instead of wood, but some manufacturers still use wood if they think it will look better. There are also animal-free alternatives such as plastic or rubber bits. People usually choose horsebit loafers because they want something classic yet modern at the same time. They know that they will last forever since there is no replacement part for a horseshoe.