The Triumphant Return Of The Boat Shoe...That Never Really Left.

Over 7 decades ago, in 1935 Paul Sperry invented a shoe for the man who loved the thrill of sailing on the open water and named them Sperry Top-Siders. With a white rubber sole for stability and to help avoid scratching the deck of a boat. Paired with a leather upper and leather shoe strings, the original boat shoe was very practical for sailors; So much so that even today Sperry Top-Siders are part of the US Naval Academy's casual uniform.


But much has changed since then and in the past 2 years we have seen a big resurgence of the "boat shoe" and its not just for boats. Other brands like Tods, Lanvin, Converse and Rockport have come out with their own version of the boat shoe which has taken off amongst the wealthy and the casual buyer alike.

I actually had this pair a few years back

The best thing is that you don't need a boat to own a pair anymore. "Deck shoes" as they are sometimes called can be seen on the feet of young urban dweller all over the country. They are made in a simple silhouette and doesn't take much more than a well fitting pair of jeans/pants to make it look good.



Boat shoes now come in either high or low top, a wide array of colors and are made out of various materials all while staying true to the rubber bottom, or a variation of it. Recently the well known fashion brand Band of Outsiders has gone back to the roots of the boat shoe and has collaborated with Sperry Top-Sider for their own twist on the boat shoe. Being made in a wide array of colors and materials the boat shoe is on its way to becoming the new sneaker. There isn't a color that you wouldn't be able to find and Band of Outsiders is making your search for the perfect outfit just a bit easier.


Band of Outsiders x Sperry Top-Siders Spring/Summer 2010 collection has a lot of gems including this very very nice pink nylon/suede colorway that caught my eye immediately. Normally I probably wouldn't be too interested in a pink shoe but the choice of materials and contrasting colors drew me in so much so that it made me write this post. The grey pair made from sweatshirt material is not too shabby either. Very Cool.






Nice spin on the original

Oh yeah, I'm a size 9 by the way *wink wink*

Source: The Sartorialist
Source: Highsnobiety
Source: Sperry Top-Sider

Nike SB Dunk Hi "Skunk"

It took me a few seconds to get what was actually going on with these dunks and even though I'm pretty much over the whole "SB Dunk" phase of my life, you have got to respect Nike's ingenuity to slip things under the radar. As a Quickstrike release, due out in April 2010 and designed by Todd Bratrud, I didn't really understand why it was being called the "Skunk" until I saw the picture of the seemingly "high" skunk on the insole and really paid close attention to how the material looks on the shoe. The inside is an illustration of a green skunk. OK, then there is a stask pocket right behind the tongue, so it didn't take much longer for me to figure out that the "skunk" that they were referring to wasn't actually the animal, but the type of Marijuana. The material they used for the entire upper of the shoe seems to imitate the look of marijuana with hairs on it. Then Nike set it off with a purple swoosh. This shoe must be crowned the official weed-head sneaker of the decade. But remember Nike was the 1st to make a low top dunk sb out of hemp, so they have been riding the marijuana wave for a little while now. How much does anyone want to bet that these release on 4/20?







Bonus : Nike SB Dunk Low "Green Hemp"

New Lanvin Hi-Top Heat

This season Lanvin man is dropping an interesting navy/red "Zig-Zag" pattern on their hightop model shoe. Lucas Ossendrijver and Alber Elbaz were inspired by the street and their friends whom they wanted to dress in a " smart - untidy " style. I think that pretty much sum up my style so I would def rock out with these. Check em out. Available now at Colette. Very Cool

Not Cool : Pierre Hardy "Colorama" Sneakers

I haven't done a "Not Cool" post in a while and although I have seen a few things unworthy of sitting at the Cool Table (Jordan 2010) I just REALLY do not like these. Some people say Pierre Hardy shoes look like Lanvin shoes, I disagree. I never really liked the design on this model and although I wear a lot of wild shoes I'm not feeling these. So agree or disagree but these just aren't cool to me. Also they are called the "Colorama"...C'mon son....Pause. They are limited to 500 pairs and are available now at Colette for those of you who disagree with me...which is fine.

Christian Louboutin Men's Shoes

Fellas, It's always dope when you see a bad chick, looking good in a mean shoe. And recently the meanest shoe out for the ladies has been almost anything by Christian Louboutin, you know...the shoes with the red bottom. Well it seems that Mr. Louboutin has ventured into making Men's shoes. I saw these some time ago and came across it again recently and I wanted to know what you think. I'm not sure If I could see myself in a python shoe although I must admit they are kind of dope in my opinion. So maybe I would. As far as the leopard print kicks, i think i could kill those. But I'm not really sold on the shape of the shoe though, either way I hope we have more to choose from soon enough. Let me know what you think.

Nike ‘Tongue n Cheek’ Air Max 90 by Dizzee Rascal x Ben Drury

British rap star Dizzee Rascal is oce again collaborating with Nike on an Air Max 90 to commemorate his latest "Toungue in Cheek" LP. An immediate eye catcher, the soles are finished with the ‘Dirtee Stank Recordings’ fly beneath the shoe’s transparent sole with white trim on the outsole, midsole and behind the tongue. The shoe is made of such strong materials as white suede and soft leather with tactical perforations on the toebox and collar, while the pink tongue– embroidered across the left and right shoes in the distinctive letterform– captures the ‘Tongue N’ Cheek’ theme literally and figuratively. Once again, Drury utilizes the power of 3M (as per his AM1 three years ago) in the form of Dizzee’s figure embossed on the heels and stitching on the laces this time around. These will be available on September 18th in a limited run of 1948

Source : Hypebeast

Sperry x Band of Outsiders Rubber Boat Shoe Collection

Similar to what Nike/ Jordan brand has done with their "one piece' shoes, Band of Outsiders has reworked the boat shoe once again with a seamless one piece type of shoe called a rubber boat shoe. The shoe will come in 3 colors, the Walnut Desk Print, Notebook Composition Print and Painted Trompe-L’oeil Print.