Boat shoes and their ilk (deck, moc, canoe etc) have become a bit of a trend in the past year. Miu Miu, Bally and Loro Piana launched styles in the fashion world, while the likes of Ghiaia, Crockett & Jones and Saman Amel have introduced more classic-menswear ones.
I can see why they’re popular – people want comfort, but they might also be tired of the ubiquity and cheapness of trainers. Boat shoes offer the best of both worlds: a soft, lace-up shoe that’s smarter than a sneaker.
I’ve never worn boat shoes that much, largely because most styles are too chunky for the slimmer and dressier clothes I prefer. The toe shape is usually broad and round, the stitching prominent, and the high ‘wall’ (how the toe goes straight up to that row of stitching) doesn’t help either.
Still, I have had a few, including a pair from Ralph Lauren I featured a couple of years ago, which I wear with shorts, and a slimmer, low-vamp pair I got in Japan last year. They were shown with our cream Hand-Framed Sweater.
The recent popularity then spurred my interest in other makes, such as the Quoddy collab from Beige and Loro Piana’s high-end version (above). As soon as readers start asking about something, I tend to interested too. It’s both selfish and a service. I subsequently styled a pair from Paraboot for Clutch, and discussed Yuketen when I reported on Paris shows.
So all in all, I have a fair few to talk about. Here are seven, with my thoughts on the style, quality and value of each.
Sebago: Best budget option
£150
Traditional boat shoes look best when they are well worn, beaten up and comfortable sans socks. That’s the classic aesthetic, and while it can look a little old-mannish, it does depend a lot on what you wear them with. Black jeans and a western shirt, for example, largely remove the association.
I picked up the Sebago shoes shown here cheaply on eBay (not the classic Docksides, but similar) purely to try them out, and I was very impressed with the way they meet this aesthetic at a decent price. They’re not quite the top quality, but they’re certainly better than pairs I’ve had in the past from immediate competitors like Polo or Sperry.
Castellano
£127
I’d say the opposite about these from Spanish brand Castellano. I like the low vamp and long last shape, which is why I bought them in the first place, but they made my feet bright orange the first time I wore them, and that’s only just stopped happening entirely after perhaps 40 wears. They’re cheaper and it shows.
The shoe is soft and comfortable – easy to wear without socks – but the sole is thin and feels brittle, even compared to other leather-soled shoes. Of course the sole makes them a bit more of a loafer, but the categories of boat, deck, moc, loafer etc overlap, and I’m going largely off ways I wear the shoes rather than anything else.
Paraboot: Best overall
£190
The Barth probably hits the sweet spot for PS readers. It’s a high quality boat shoe at a pretty accessible price, and the perfect traditional style.
How do you assess quality here? Well primarily the upper, where finer wrinkles in the calf are a good sign, just as they are with dress shoes. You also want a good combination of softness and substance, then tight, uniform stitching and a quality sole. The sole here is natural rubber, and watch out for which models are Blake-stitched so can be resoled.
The only thing I dislike about the Barth is that little green label, particularly given ‘Paraboot’ is already written on the edge of the sole. But you can’t have everything and I’m sure some will see it as a traditional style detail.
Ralph Lauren Millard boat shoe
£165
Like the Castellano, this is also the opposite of the shoe that came before. I bought this ‘Millard’ model from Polo because I liked the style – tobacco suede, beige stitching, curled ends on the laces, plus internal things like good arch support. They were and are a great summer style with shorts.
But over time they haven’t really softened, remaining quite stiff and hard to wear for long periods. This probably betrays a lower quality suede and/or internal construction, and while I still wear them, I use my Alden LHS loafers – which perform a similar function for me – much more.
Quoddy / Beige canoe shoe
€291
This collaboration between the Maine manufacturer company Quoddy and Parisian shop Beige produced a great shoe, but personally I found the fit didn’t work quite as well.
Aesthetically, I love the choices Beige made to update the Quoddy style: black Chromexcel leather, white stitching rather than tan, yellow lining. It gives them real style and successfully separates them from that old-man look.
But they weren’t as comfortable as the Sebago or Paraboot (which Beige also stock) and gave me a few blisters. Although, it should also be said that they are one of the few models that can functionally tighten using the laces around the top of the shoe, which is useful for someone like me with narrow heels. Also they have no external label, unlike Paraboot.
Yuketen Blucher
£495
Yuketen is fascinating. These are beautiful shoes, probably in the nicest leather I have ever worn barefoot. But they’re also made like a traditional moccasin, which makes them rather impractical. Plus they’re expensive.
The leather is thick, cool and moulds to the foot. It makes them a pleasure to put on every time. But they’re also kind of soft and sloppy, with a soft, low sole. They have a similar feel to actual moccasins, which is great when you’re padding round the house or in the garden, but not so good for walking around on concrete all day.
A great shoe, but with probably only niche appeal.
Loro Piana Sea Sail
The finest
£785
If money were no object, I’d wear nothing but these. As I mentioned in a recent piece I’ve been tempted to try Loro Piana shoes, and ended up buying this colour of the Sea Sail. They were everything I expected: perfect materials, great shape (slimmer, smarter) and I think the most comfortable shoe (outside of a trainer) I’ve ever worn. But of course not good value.
The ox-leather upper is soft and supple, but it’s the other parts – the leather lining, the construction, the sole – that set this shoe apart from the others on the list. The Sea Sail has the perfect combination of a structure that holds the foot, support in the heel and arch, and softness elsewhere. It’s a very well-designed and well-made shoe.
The only negative from a functional point of view – and I think it will be significant for some people – is that the lining is less smooth than most boat shoes and as a result they’re not that comfortable barefoot. They’re designed a little more like a trainer in that respect, and better with socks.
Despite having seen and owned and tried more boat shoes than most people, I of course have not tried most boat shoes, or deck shoes, canoe shoes, moccasins etc. So do please let everyone know your experiences too.
I have also tried the new Saman Amel model, but not enough for them to make this list yet. I’ll cover those in the future.
