Spring’s Surprising New ‘It’ Shoe Comes Straight Out Of Dad Wardrobes Everywhere

Sometimes, fashion throws you a curveball so wrong that’s it’s right. Case in point? Boat shoes. Last seen on your dad, whose holiday personality revolved around the footwear with distinctive side-lacing (whether or not he was near a body of water), boat shoes have finally come ashore.

This rehabilitation from off-duty dad shoe – or, worse, an essential component of the public schoolboy’s weekend uniform – started at Miu Miu, where leather boat shoes, aka deck shoes, were the finishing touch on outfits of polo shirts, Clubmaster spectacles and primary-coloured Speedos. (Mango, FYI, has a pair of brown leather boat shoes that have a lived-in look, as if they've been weathered by the sun, and are selling fast). The first influencers are giving them a test drive on dry land. Lucy Williams wore hers with wide-leg trousers and a worn leather jacket, captioning the photo, ‘Decked out in your dad’s favourite shoes.’ Pernille Teisbaek wore a brown leather pair on holiday with a mini dress, while Blanca Miró opted for Mango's boat shoes with slouchy separates.

Some brands have been pedalling boat shoes since time began (almost). Sebago launched a collaboration earlier this month with Sessùn, offering a patchworked boat shoe of nubuck leather in pink, tan and chocolate with variegated topstitching, not to mention notched rubber soles with non-slip grip, as a fashion girlie update on its classic Ranger. Slip them on with a cheesecloth summer dress and you’ll practically be able to smell the sun cream.

That’s not to say, however, that you have to save your boat shoes for holiday season. Grazia’s Henrik Lischke has been wearing his around the city. ‘After 2009, I never thought I’d see myself wearing boat shoes ever again. Then I came across the uber-elegant suede iteration from Saman Amel and I’ve been unable to take them off since,’ he says. The Swedish brand is restocking its ‘City mocs’ after a much stronger performance than expected. ‘The sleek silhouette (these ones don’t have a rugged sole) makes it easy to pull off the “I just threw this on” preppy look when worn with baggy jeans, but equally work with a pair of tailored trousers,’ says Lischke.

Not a boat person? Not a problem. You can still get onboard with these shoes.

Shop: The Best Boat Shoes

What To Wear With Boat Shoes

It's probably best to avoid being too literal with boat shoes. Where Lucy Williams' wide-leg trousers, for example, are pleasingly low-key, a pair of chino shorts might be a little too literal. Having said that, swimming trunk-style bottoms were exactly what they wore with their sun-weathered deck shoes on the catwalk, as well as short-sleeved polo shirts layered over checked button-downs, a leather pencil skirt and the kind of slouchy, lived-in trench coat that it's best to unearth in a charity shop instead of buying it newly off the rack.

Natalie Hammond is Grazia’s Senior Fashion News Editor. She loves winter, hates summer and can often be found writing about the weather (and what on earth to wear).