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Controversy trumps indifference when it comes to trends. A great runway show or an “It” accessory has the power to divide, delight, and disgust. Case in point: the boat shoe. Despite its polarizing history of the de facto footwear of men in golf polos, it has spent the past year sneaking its way into the wardrobes of women who have never stepped onto the deck of a sailboat.
Like its predecessors, the L.L.Bean Boat, the boat shoe is part of a peppy revival pulled from the pages of Take Ivy. To pinpoint the return, look first to Miu Miu, where on the spring 2024 runway the brand’s take was styled back to preppy staples like polos and plaid button-downs. Last September, Collina Strada and Monse followed suit in New York, styling boat shoes with trousers, blouses, and flouncy dresses. Substack writer Becky Malinsky zeroed in on Bally’s iteration as an “It” shoe last fall, and in January Jennifer Lawrence was spotted in The Row’s take.
Sperry is perhaps the best-known brand in the boat-shoe wheelhouse, having launched in 1937 and a year later becoming the standard-issue casual shoe for the U.S. Navy. As popularity ebbed and flowed, it served as the footwear of choice for everyone from Paul Newman to Alexa Chung (the latter managing to embrace it with a twinge of indie sleaze). In addition to luxury players, a host of smaller labels like Quoddy of Maine and Paraboot are making versions worth noting now.
