THE BOAT SHOE RETURN

Growing up, my dad stubbornly defended his choice of wearing THOSE boat shoes, whilst I opposed the idea, stating we were indeed very far away from sea. So it astounded me the other day, finding myself buying a pair of these maritime themed shoes, in a city, far away from the ocean.

*Isabella Papaz with her* *Manebi* *Boat shoes*

Having had probably the wettest London spring I can remember, I am surprised the streets have not flooded more and that watersports haven’t conquered tennis nor cricket. Fast afloat I can confirm my Hunter boots have had more use, than its usual rare Glastonbury peak, and whilst my RAINS raincoat have become my new preferable jacket I still found myself in shock the other day, far away from any shore, finding myself on a (finally) dry day; purchasing some long debated boat shoes.

*Miu Miu SS24 Show, featuring boat shoes in a fabulous way!*

For that I blame fashion and no other than Miuccia Prada more precisely, for her absolute sublime Miu Miu SS24 show that indeed did bring these shoes back into fashion, but where do these leather creations come from?

Sailors used to struggle to maintain a foothold on the decks, hence boatmen always preferred barefoot sailing, however entering the nordic shores that option appealed less. In the early 1930s, a sailor named Paul Sperry, was struggling with this exact problem and one cold winter day he took his dog, a cocker spaniel, out for a stroll and amazed by the dog’s grip, he realised that he managed to move OK on the slippery surface. He realised the natural cracks and grooves on the paws formed a herringbone-like pattern that gave it grip while on the ice. Sperry then hit upon the idea of cutting similar patterns on the soles of the shoes he used while boating and the boat shoe we know today was born. First soles were black but soon Sperry realized these left marks, hence the distinguished white sole has been an eminent style of the boat shoe eversince.

As owning a yacht was a desirable toy for most, the idea of showing you had a boat came easily wearing the boat shoe and it therefore became an epitome choice for the preppy-chic leisure wear. Fast forward and the overall shift towards relaxed dressing means the boat shoe is now in ever-increasing demand by everyone who wants to stay comfortable yet stylish and also recently fashionable, thanks to Miu Miu. Here is our guide I hope can inspire you to helm the streets (or coasts) this summer.