Boat Shoes: Relevant or A Thing of the Past?
Boat shoes are an American staple. From Sperry to Sebago most guys in their 40’s grew up wearing them. Yet are they still relevant?
I personally love boat shoes. When I worked at Nordstrom I owned 6 or 7 pairs of them in all colors and styles. I only got rid of them as I moved to Italy and then to England and somehow lost track of them. I really wish that I still had them all. And to be honest, I don’t even know what happened to them. But as I moved into the world of classic dress shoes, the idea of buying boat shoes took a back seat until now.
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Classic Shoe Brands Introducing Them
While it might be premature to say, it would appear that they are having a resurgence. Crockett & Jones just launched a new collection of them. Carmina offers them as a custom model. And truth be told, I am also working on a collection ideally slated for a 2025 launch. Are they creeping their way into the classic shoe industry? Will other dress shoe brands start coming out with their own boat shoe collections? Time will tell, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Everything comes around. Boat Shoes included.
Historical Boat Shoe Brands Still Strong
Your classic American brands are still going strong when it comes to boat shoes. Sperry, Sebago, G.H. Bass, and Timberland all still offer a plethora of them and even more so, have more colors than ever. Sebago is especially impressive with over 90 options in boat shoe style shoes. Sperry has a pair ‘made in Maine’ that goes for $375. It would appear that their demand stays strong. At least you can count on this in the Ivy League Americana-prep-looks that still hold down a strong sartorial sector of America.
Their Sartorial Appeal
Boat shoes are just easy to wear and pretty comfortable. I say this as your ‘average American.’ I must admit, they are not super European in style. In the US, we have this denim with a polo look and a sports cap that suits the overall style of a knock-around shoe to accompany. And many of us grew up adopting the boat shoe as that style. That is especially the case for those who actually own a boat and go out on them during the hotter Summer months.
Growing up in Seattle, a land full of lakes, going out on the boat is a common thing. You do not even have to be rich to do so. And if you don’t own one yourself, chances are you know someone who does. For more practical reasons alone, the boat shoe makes sense when actually on a boat. Their special cut soles make it so that you do not accidentally fall off!
In my 20’s the above-described look was my staple style, minus the ball cap. So it was easy to grab my Sperry’s and head out on the town, whether to a bar to shoot pool, out to the park, shopping, or the like. They looked good, felt good, and were comfortable. There was no downside. In my now early 40’s, I still opt for that look on the weekends. It is classic and never out of style.
A Potential Resurgence?
It is early days to say for sure, but as all styles come back around, I would not be surprised if boat shoes start to not only come back into popular culture but also make their way into the collections of classic shoe brands. I recently went to try on Crockett & Jones’s new model and they were extremely comfortable. Whether or not I could justify their price point is another story. But if I was rich, it would be a no-brainer. Sadly, still not there yet 😉
What about you? Do you own/like/wear boat shoes? Drop a comment if so!
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
Shop · Marketplace · J.FitzPatrick Footwear
Photo Credits from the Instagram Pages of Sebago and Sperry
Empress
I personally was never partial to these shoes, but I can see now that theres a way to rock them and not look like a grandpa!
StacieBlair
I love these shoes… I tried convincing my brother to buy a pair while we were shopping this weekend!Love your blog and I LOOVE shoes! :)xoxstacieblairhttp://stacieblair.blogspot.com
Victoria
Right post at right time, Justin! Thanx.. We are looking right now for some nice boat shoes for me & my husband.. we want to find something similar.. 🙂 Salvatore Ferragamo's boat shoes are the best!
jeune_premier
i love these shoes even though that i dont have one pair!!!but definitely its gonna be my next buy when it comes to shoes!!
Calvin
Hey, thanks for posting this to show people different alternatives for summer shoes. I am loving the Paul Smith patent blue and Zara boat shoes but I can't find the zara's? Can you let me know where to purchase (hopefully online?). Thanks so much! I'm loving this blog, I'm a shoe snobber for life!
The Shoe Snob
Thanks Calvin, unfortunately it might be hard to find the Zara one's. They are from Spring 2009 and don't think that they are around anymore, I unfortunately did not get them when i had the chance and regret it, but you might have luck searching online, like eBay or just a manual search. Good luck, hope that you find them.
Calvin
There is a shoe by Ralph Lauren that was a SS09 boat shoe and is supposedly called the Telford Handsewn boat shoe in wine/red/maroon but I tried customer assistance and the factory outlets, even internet searches got me nothing, I love that shoe but have no idea how to get this shoe, any ideas from you?[URL=http://img10.imageshack.us/i/rlmaroonwineboatshoes.jpg/][IMG]http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9078/rlmaroonwineboatshoes.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Calvin
sorry about that..http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9078/rlmaroonwineboatshoes.jpg
The Shoe Snob
Calvin, could not find the Telford but it looks like i was able to find the new style name/# for that same model called the Conrad.http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-325-RALPH-LAUREN-MENS-CONRAD-41-8-M-WB-/110515262438?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item19bb3913e6Hope this helps.
Calvin
damn that is exactly it, I never thought guardian angels existed until now, they even have it in several sizes!!!! I feel like I owe you my life.I have a question for you, since you actually make shoes and would know about fitment. I have a wide big toe joint (due to gout, I mean it's not monstrous but its bigger than average people) so I can't really fit in narrow shoes. I do wear a size 10 but the sperry top sider boat shoes are a tight fit for me in 10 (length wise) and the medium width (I believe D) is not good for me, what do you recommend I do for the case of the conrads? would a 10.5M be better for me or 10? Do you feel these shoes would run true to size? or small?
The Shoe Snob
Sounds like the same problem a good friend of mine has and what he does is take a 10 if the shoe runs wide but other than that takes a 10.5. Now he does not have gout, just a big bunion but considering that you do, you always want to be on the safe side and not constrict that toe joint, so i would say take a 10.5 if there are not wide options available or a 10W if they have it. Can't say for sure if they would run true or not, not having any experience with Ralph Lauren shoes but most boat shoes that i have experienced have ran true.
Calvin
I just measured yesterday with a thinner-than-average socklength: 10 6/8width: 4 4/8Do you think I'm more a RL 10 or RL 10.5? and in your experience, is the width freakishly big? I have no idea what is average anymore.
The Shoe Snob
by the measurements i cannot tell, i have never actually measured a person's foot like that to make a pair of shoes, i have only made mine but had my measurements taken by someone else but just from what you told me, i think that the 10.5 would be better considering a 10 on boat shoes are usually a little bit short for you. Leather will never stretch length wise, only width wise.
Calvin
Seems like I was really behind the boat shoe trend as all of the great spring colors were last yearhttp://www.allthingsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/paul-smith-hashbury.jpgI've tried ebaying these, the green and pink are awesome!By the way, I bought the RL conrads, very excited to expect them, I paid $150, what do you think, good price?
The Shoe Snob
Yea those look great!! I like the pink one's too and the blue and yellow.Great! i hope that the RL's fit you properly, i would say that it is a good price, especially for RL and considering they would have cost $300 full price! Let me know how they fit!
Calvin
haha yea man, but its driving me bananas where to find those damn paul smiths!!
Calvin
I just got the RL conrads in and I am so glad to have chosen 10.5, they fit just right!
The Shoe Snob
Calvin I am glad to hear that!! Enjoy them!
Calvin
The hunt is now on for the pink and green Paul Smith red ear hashbury boat shoes. You have any idea? I have thus found tan, red and white but none of them are the ones you want either. There is one pair of pink on eBay in UK size 7
The Shoe Snob
no luck on my end, i tried searching for them online but only found the tan, blue patent and blue one's. I bet that they have them at the Paul Smith Soho store in NYC, you should call and ask them
John
While I'm not related to Imelda Marcos, I am a shoe afficionado and own some 237 pairs, in addition to 108 prs of cowboy boots. I recently purchased both the Navy & Blood Orange Ralph Lauren Telford boat shoes which are wonderfully stylish & incredibly soft & comfortable. They tend to run 1/2 size large in length but true-fit as to width. They're currently on sale at Neiman Marcus for $154.50 and a "steal" at that…They're hand made, lined in glove-soft leather and arrive with really nice shoe pouches for storage. Highly recommended !
Robbie
i love the look of mine but i cant get them to fit comfortably for the life of me! heel in the back is too low so it slips out easily or feels like it will at any moment. suggestions?
The Shoe Snob
Robbie – There could be many factors at hand here and since I cannot be there to look at the shoes and your feet I can only offer what may seem like common problems. First, you may have a narrow heel or the shoe has a wide cut heel. They could be a half size large. Really the only suggestion that I could have is to either really tighten the string laces. If you try hard you can even tighten the back part. You could also add a tongue pad below the tongue to help stabilize your feet. This will press down on the top of your instep to help secure your heel. They only other option would be heel grips, but i don't recommend them, they are usually meant for ladies shoes, but you could try and if they work, so be it. Hope that this helps.
al
I love the Faragamo boat shoes those are perfect.Where can I can find these at a decent price instead of spending 475…I like Zara ones as well nice look
The Shoe Snob
Al – Honestly, it might be hard to find them at all as they are from a couple of seasons ago. But your best bet would be eBay or some site that sells older models for cheaper prices. You might also try Bluefly. Best of luck-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"
James Stewart
I like them but haven’t own a pair in years but when I did I truly enjoyed them
Arthur Catalanotto
Yes I like them and I mostly wear them as dress sneakers in casual settings.