While the preppy redux might have momentarily slowed last season, the sails are definitely in motion when it comes to what shoes we’re wearing this summer. The latest trend to crawl back from the archives? Boat shoes.
Like the name suggests, the shoe du jour has practical sailing origins. In the 50s, original brand Sperry designed the first-ever boat shoe, featuring a non-slip sole designed to be worn on actual boat decks. In the decades that followed, boat shoes made their way into the wardrobes of rich dads living by the seaside, perhaps tending to the boat moored to the lake in their front yard. And in 2024, much like many sartorial arbiters of this kind of lifestyle (cable sweaters, cashmere skivvies, and nondescript but-eye-wateringly-expensive caps), boat shoes have been co-opted by the quiet luxury movement (actual Hamptons holiday house optional).
Inklings of a revival came courtesy of Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2024 show, when models took to the runway in swimwear, throw-overs, glasses and, you guessed it, boat shoes. Next, an iteration of the shoe cropped up again on JW Anderson’s Spring/Summer ‘24 runway, this time worn with mini skirts and jackets, and again on the Bally runway the same season. And it seems there’s data to back up this re-emergence. According to Instagram trend analyst, @databutmakeitfashion, the shoe style has been steadily increasing in population since April, 2024.
Of course, it’s not the first time fashion has developed an affinity for dad shoes in some variation. In recent years, we’ve seen New Balance sneakers, moccasins, and loafers rise fall in (and out) of fashionable favour. Beyond footwear, the likes of jorts, brown leather jackets, and rugby shirts are also all items once exclusively found in men's wardrobes that have experienced a fashionable renaissance in the last decade.
Read to embrace boat shoes? Set the trend in motion with five styles we're shopping this summer, below.
Miu Miu faded unlined suede loafers
The Row Lucca leather moccasins
Isabel Marant Fitza embellished suede loafers
JW Anderson suede moccasin loafers
Car Shoe leather-grained driving shoes
RM Williams Islet moccasin
Feature image: GoRunway, Instagram.
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