You heard it here first, but boat shoes are back! According to Amanda Constantine, the Good Housekeeping Textiles Lab’s home and apparel reviews analyst who’s also an expert in all things fashion, boat shoes were making their way on the runways last spring—and they've slowly been trickling their way down to the masses.
“The go-to ‘preppy’ shoe worn in the 2010s that we’d once pair with khaki shorts and a polo shirt hasn’t changed much—but this time around, people are having more fun with how they style them,” Constantine said. “They’re adding colorful charms and laces, pairing them with knee-high socks, wearing them with dresses and mini skirts.”
Warmer days will be here before we know it, and I can’t wait to don my favorite pair of boat shoes with some cute crew socks. And now that the Sperry x Aritzia AO Boat Shoes are on sale, I might just have to add another pair to my collection.
Sperry, the brand quite literally known for making the original boat shoe, and everyday luxury fashion brand Aritzia collaborated on their own boat shoe this past summer. Our editors and analysts are fans, and we actually named them the best boat shoes in our favorite slip-on shoes roundup recently.
“I wore these slip-on shoes during a trip to Maine, and not only did I receive so many compliments on my shoes, but I also comfortably walked more than 12,000 steps around Portland wearing these boat shoes,” said Editorial Commerce Editor Isabella Cavallo.
Besides comfort and style, Cavallo raved about the fit. “Once I tightened the shoe to fit me well, I rarely needed to retie them. Instead, I just slip these shoes on and off each time I wear them. I also liked this design because my feet are long (size 9) yet very narrow, so this helped keep the shoe tight to my foot while staying comfortable.”
The Sperry x Aritzia boat shoes come in nine neutral hues, including four limited-edition colors. But note that only the Halo White shoes are on sale. They are 30% off, making them $84.
Each style comes with laces that match the shoes’ color, along with extra multi-colored laces that you can keep off or customize with. You can get the style in women’s sizes 5 through 11.5, but the Halo Whites only come in 5 through 11, with only a few of the size 5 size left and size 11 already sold out online. So if you want (especially on sale), you’ll want to act fast!
