If you met me today, you might be surprised to learn that my style used to skew extremely preppy. For more than a decade, my closet was chock-full of Lilly Pulitzer dresses, Ralph Lauren cable knit sweaters, Vineyard Vines button-downs and the like. I’ve since donated many of these pieces, but there are some traditionally preppy staples I still wear on the regular (think: my beloved L.L.Bean Boat & Totes and Barbour jackets). There’s one preppy shoe, however, that I never got on board with, and so was surprised—and not in a good way—to see trending for spring and summer: boat shoes. Yep, I’m talking nautical-inspired slip-ons from brands like Sperry, Sebago and, in its most current iteration (as touted by British Vogue), fashion houses like Miu Miu.
I Cannot *Believe* This Shoe Is Trending for Spring/Summer 2025
I draw the line at this preppy staple
Boat shoes have always rubbed me the wrong way—not least because they look like walking blister machines. My reasons for disliking boat shoes are varied. On a practical level, they’re often worn, especially in the spring and summer, without socks. If you’ve ever worn a boat shoe (or even seen one up close) you know that this material is not one that plays well with warm temperatures and bare feet. While I haven’t owned a pair myself, I’ve seen firsthand that these babies get gross…fast.
From an aesthetic standpoint, I just can’t get past boat shoes’ inherent—in my brain, at least—link to the entitled, preppy (read: douchey) guys I went to college with. You know the type; the kind of man-child who would give The White Lotus’s Southern Tide-clad (IYKYK) Saxon Ratliff a run for his ill-gotten money. Sperry boat shoes were their uniform, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see a pair without thinking of seersucker shorts, frat basements and a disdain for the middle class.
Here’s my biggest thing: There are so many shoe styles that have a similarly preppy sensibility but that are so much more elevated and chic. I swear by my G.H. Bass Weejuns loafers, for example, which feel like a grown-up version of boat shoes. So too do leather espadrilles and even, depending on how you style them, classic Keds.
Per usual, if you’re a diehard boat shoe lover (or you’re wearing them while working on slippery docks, as was originally intended), please continue wearing them. If you’re like me and would rather sit this trend out, might I recommend opting for one of the below styles instead?
Shop Boat Shoe Alternatives
