Everyone’s Wearing This Chic Take On The Classic Boat Shoe – And, Miraculously, It’s Still Available

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.

Some brands have been pedalling boat shoes since time began (almost), such as Sebago, Le Chameau and Herring. It's the high street, however, that has backed the boat shoe for spring/summer 2025, with elevated iterations in leather and suede that you can team with socks now and bare ankles when it's time to hit a beach near you.

Massimo Dutti's new-in section is practically a one-stop-shop for boat shoes. My personal favourite? It's Oiled Leather Deck Shoes, which are still available in all sizes and look sun-beaten (in a good way). But Sezane's Caroline Loafers, with a classic lace fastening and rubber outsole, are the smart take that's taken the influencer set by storm, entirely selling out in suede but, thankfully, still in stock in chocolate leather for £165. Martine Emilie Akersveen styled hers with top-to-toe brown, with the exception of a bright white sock. Alice Perrella, meanwhile, opted for white jeans (your dad would never).

Boat shoes, naturally, lend themselves to light fabrics and bare arms (aka, the promise of blue skies and balmy temperatures). That’s not to say, however, that you have to save them 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 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 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. For now, however, boat shoes love nothing more than a cosy sock and baggy jeans combo.

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).