Why Boat Shoes Are The Ultimate Transitional Piece This September
Cut through the noise with styling advice you can trust from Editors who know what they are talking about. From upcoming brands to watch and high-street brands of quality to heritage fashion houses with flair and vintage options to consider, inform your shopping with ELLE Edits.
So far, 2024 has been filled with buzzy shoe trends aplenty: Alaia’s ballet flats firmly returned the silhouette to the sartorial zeitgeist, Chloé brought back platforms and hypey trainer collaborations constantly reach sell-out status. With this, on the reverse, comes a breadth of unexpectedly successful variants; the 'ugly' footwear trend is equally as prevalent. Toe-bearing mesh footwear has been spotted on the streets alongside jelly shoes, not to mention the sudden cropping up of Vibram FiveFingers. Within this Marmite shoe group you will find your dad’s favourite: the boat shoe.
Once merely associated with Sloane Rangers, New England yachties and Ned Flanders, the boat shoe has truly undergone a makeover this year, and its resurgence comes after Miu Miu’s SS24 show. Designer Miuccia Prada spotlighted the shape throughout the collection alongside preppy looks of polo shirts and librarian-chic glasses. Boat shoes also appeared on the Bally SS24 runway, and more recently in the Fendi menswear show for AW24.
FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE
As a result, the style has been transformed from dorky Dad necessity to fashion girl essential. Alexa Chung recently wore a two-tone pair with straight leg jeans, Lucy Williams sported hers with a worn-in leather jacket, while Emma Chamberlain went full nautical mode in a sunshine yellow gilet.
The demand for boat shoes is high; according to LYST searches have increased 373% so far this year. For Archie Hewlett, founder of footwear brand DUKE + DEXTER, reinterpreting the boat shoe always appealed to him as the shape needed a much overdue revamp.
'Our playbook on the footwear side has always been to take classic silhouettes and make our own,' he says. 'Nowadays, there are a handful of legacy brands that effectively own the mass boat shoe market - so we wanted to bring freshness. As the shift from sneakers continues, there’s more of a spotlight on casual formals. Boat shoes fit into that versatility and play perfectly as a sub for sneakers.'
Teamed with a practical sole, the hardy material of a boat shoe means that the style will see our wardrobes through to a (hopefully) long Indian summer, and when it comes to styling, they are surprisingly versatile. Perhaps avoid Breton stripes for fear of looking like a pool boy and opt for muted, tonal colourways to keep them feeling chic. Or, for ELLE UK’s contributing fashion editor Natasha Wray, the only way to wear boat shoes is to totally embrace Dad-core.
'Boat shoes will always remind me of my Dad in the mid-1990s,' muses Wray. 'He wore them with dark blue Levi's and for this season, I'd recreate his look with a white socks, a tucked in denim shirt and a brown leather belt. Back then, my Dad's (and mine) were by Timberland. But now, I am craving a pair by Miu Miu. As it gets cooler, they are perfect with a pair of sporty shorts and a cashmere jumper.'
For those willing to make an investment, The Row and Tods have hopped on the bandwagon alongside Miu Miu. If you missed out on the Mango dupe, look to heritage brands for affordable alternatives. Sebago, G.H.Bass and Timberland are renowned for their boat shoes in endless colourways. It’s time to set sail on another of fashion’s most unlikely resurgences: the boat shoe is officially back.
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
You Might Also Like
