OK, it might be the right time to pick up some lug boat shoes
Meeting #21: Boat shoe styling and options; thoughts on “playing the hits”
Welcome back to The Prep Club, after a brief hiatus, the club has reconvened today for a discussion around a transitional footwear staple, and further discussion about the nature of “classic” pieces.
Pick up a copy of last week’s Club Chair Bulletin here, or on the way out, for a London report and some fun acquisitions of mine.
Small Favour: If you wouldn’t mind, please share this post, or the club as a whole, with a friend who you think might be interested, it would mean a whole lot. Please also subscribe if you haven’t yet, again, it makes a big difference.
[Not] The Shoe of The Summer
A lot of the trends we’ve had this summer are somewhat recycled from last year, which I find pretty neat actually. A sign that we’ve maybe slowed down a touch from the hypersonic, TikTok-fuelled clout chase that we thought we were living in from here on out. Also, a sense that fashion in the twenty-twenties is settling down, we have a decent sense of “cool” that Gen Alpha will be mocking us for in a decade’s time.
This all preempts a discussion about footwear, see, if you asked a number of well respected style publications last year what the shoe of the summer would be, they probably would have told you a lug sole boat shoe. The ALD x Timberland collaboration was hot off of the press, and Timbs boots were gaining traction in streetwear looks, it made sense. However, that didn't really happen, we took a turn to smaller shoes and got Fisherman’s sandals and Mary Jane’s instead.
So how about a year later, any change? Not really, there’s definitely a decent hipster following, and a swathe of publications trying to make them happen, but nothing close to being the “shoe of the summer” and that’s exactly why I think its a great time to get a pair. Are they a scalding hot pickup? Nope. Do they look excellent with just about anything you might wear day-to-day? They do indeed.
Let us establish a specification
There’s an issue with the ALD x Timberlands. For me, the platonic ideal of the lug boat shoe is in brown or burgundy leather. The silhouette is so closely linked with that spec, a warm brown or burgundy upper, set atop a light-tan lug sole, the net result being maximum versatility, and an iconic status, more on this later.
The soles are not a deal breaker, we’ll explore some different colours soon, but they should be a lug, the slim soled boat shoe is a different beast entirely.
Alongside the iconic status, I think these just work excellently as a brown shoe. That is to say, I reckon these look better in brown than something like a beef roll loafer does, thus, those interested in a reasonably minimal shoe collection (those = myself) might opt for a black loafer, and a brown boat shoe.
What are we wearing them with?
My recent fascination with these with a video on the gram from @thestylearchivist, giving us a glimpse at them through the Parisian eyes.
This is the hipster following we were taking about earlier. Cool thing here is that there are styling ideas to find online, they just require some searching, if you’re here though I’m sure you’re no stranger to tracking down good references. Here’s a few pulled from various spots, including the above video.
As you are likely aware, here at the club we find versatility highly desirable in a shoe. It’s pretty easy to stick these with just about any prep-ish look and feel pretty secure in that outfit. I think that’s in part thanks to the icon status, the “just-looks-right” factor. It is just pretty damned hard to go wrong with brown, or the burgundy for that matter.
In keeping with the ivy tradition, a white sock is always going to be a welcome pairing, or a bold statement colour as per the poster-paint accent movement, blue, yellow, red, green. Light or mid-wash denim, khakis, fatigues all sound pretty good to us. They’re gonna love a wider hem, being a touch chunkier.
Some Options
Let’s hit you with a few ones you could go for then.
Timberland 3-eye lug
If not the original then certainly the classic. These days you are likely not getting best-in-class quality with these, mass production simply won’t allow it. However, what mass production does allow is for tonnes of these to find their way onto the second hand market for sub £100 prices. Check the soles for wear before you buy, set up a saved search and get a bargain, if you fancy a low-risk engagement with this piece. You’ll also net maximum recognisability, the “just-looks-right factor”. Also a darker brown then others presented here.
Sperry 3-eye
Of course the Chris Echevarria collaboration quickly follows any mention of Sperry these days, we’ll come back them in a bit. These are a very rugged expression of the look, generally chunkier, and with hiker-style braided laces. Also a darker tan for the sole.
Sebago Ranger
Another big name in the boat shoe business. These are a two-eye, running a little slimmer, but still repping the tan lug sole. The waxy finish leans more rugged too, which is in-keeping with the general look, but certainly a slightly different move. Probably a bit trickier to pick up second hand, but not impossible in the slightest. Secondhand options also show previous versions available in a more traditional grain leather.
Sebago Acadia
Second offering from these folks, the current Acadia model is more in line with the classic. Three-eye construction and a colour half-way between the Timberland brown and Burgundy, so perhaps a nice choice if you are torn between the two.
Paraboot Malo
Taking a step up the ladder of quality and looking to Paraboot, as it seems we are won't to do around these parts. These are the slimmer two-eye construction, and lack the tan lug which we established as part of the look, but the seemingly ideal balance between chunk and slender really warrants a consideration. The slimness is achieved by them being Blake Stitched, worth noting if you plan to make these a forever pair.
Sperry x Chris Echevarria Two Eye
Very sadly sold out currently, whether they will come back remains to be answered. With a lovely full grain/suede combination, slim two-eye construction, double-welt, and tan lug, these are probably the best candidate for a forever pair. Here's hoping you can buy them again at some point.
Yuketen Hex-eye
Heading back to the three-eye construction, these also get a more reddish leather and a beef roll, which is a fun touch. The Cortina Lug-Soles in a sort of olivish are interesting too. These sit at the highest end of cost and quality, though they are half-price at Mr Porter at the time of publication [CHECK BEFORE PUB]
Playing the hits
So this idea of the “just-looks-right factor” has gotten me thinking about the nature of classic garments in classic colours. We’re talking black Weejuns, blue and white uni stripe oxfords, brown lug boats, camel polo coats, Breton t-shirts, brown/grey herringbone sport-coats, white trainers, navy blazers, khaki chinos, grey flannel suits, white socks, tan Bean boots.
Certain clothes exist in the theatre of the mind in specific colours/patterns, and that recognisability results in this esoteric sense of correctness. We end up with this sort of canon of motifs that can be pulled from, when constructing an outfit, to give distinct nods to aspects of a given fashion tradition. You put that outfit on, and all of a sudden you are wearing THE garment, whatever it is. Iconic status is a tool which one can utilise when constructing an outfit and curating their wardrobe.
A couple years ago I saw Paul McCartney at Glastonbury Festival. I recall thinking at the time of how he was going to follow his set eighteen years prior, wherein he played a vast canon of Beatles hits long into the night. Well, his response was not to do the same again, but rather to present an overview of his entire career, weaving wings and solo tunes in and amongst the Beatles numbers. I think this is sort of the approach one can take to using iconic pieces in outfits, mixing the classics in with the fresh, obscure, or out-there, finding a balance somewhere between an absolute textbook, and totally wild look.
I sort of happened on this balance by accident the other day. I have a pair of floral patterned jeans as part of my work uniform, on my lunch break I needed to run a couple errands and ended up sticking a university stripe Oxford and GATs on with these jeans, and the result was a pleasant surprise, without a doubt as a result of the balance.
You’ll have to excuse a slightly rudimentary reconstruction, the pants live at my workplace at the moment so recreating the look for the camera wasn't possible. I hope you can get a sense of what I mean though.
To summarise, there’s the option to use iconic status to amplify outfits, to unsubtly reference specific traditions, without necessarily engaging in total cosplay.
So, perhaps it is time to add the boat shoe to your wardrobe, under the right circumstances, and if you go for an absolute classic spec, maybe you can use that iconic status to your advantage.
That’s all for this week’s agenda, pick up a copy of last week’s bulletin if you haven't already. As always, thank you kindly for your attendance.
Club adjourned, see you next time.
Although they are clearly from another league, I feel like JM Weston Deck Derbies and visvim Wallace Deck-Folk are also worth mentioning for a complete picture!