The Boat Shoe But Better (Again) (EXCLUSIVE)
Sperry, maker of the OG boat shoe, but better. New York retailer Colbo has guided the revival of the Sperry Captain's Oxford, a slicker variant of the yacht classic that speaks to life beyond the basic boater.
This is not a mere reproduction. In the vein of its first Sperry partnership, wherein Sperry's signature shoe was reimagined as a soft slipper, Colbo has transformed the Captain's Oxford into a luxe leather all-day shoe that's a wearable line in the sand.
At its core, this is a faithful paean to Sperry heritage (Sperr-itage?). The Captain's Oxford was Sperry's "very first casual shoe," according to a release, envisioned in 1935 by founder Paul Sperry as a lace-up intended for dry land.
But this Captain's Oxford is also of the here and now.
Here, Colbo has again upgraded an otherwise unassuming moc-toe leather shoe from the materials up.
Now shaped from hardy Horween leather produced by the century-old Chicago tannery of the same name, the reborn Captain's Oxford sits atop a grippy Vibram outsole and leather midsole that all softens and sculpts with wear. Priced at $350, it's available from September 25 on Colbo's website and September 26 on Sperry's web store and, like its flattened predecessor, will likely move fast.
As they've become a slightly-more-formal-than-a-sneaker slip-on for the masses, boat shoes broadly generated an unfortunate air of disposability even in the face of broader boat shoe reclamation. It's not their fault: the boat shoe just so happened to be appealingly flat, effortless, approachable.
Colbo's Captain's Oxford is a cue to think again. Sure, it's not a boat shoe in the conventional sense, eschewing the ankle-encircling laces for a meatier silhouette, but it possesses that same innate ease of wear.
But more than that, this is a tangible reconsideration of what makes the boat shoe such a great crossover style in the first place: easy to wear anywhere.
Colbo's Sperry partnerships get back to the heart of what makes the original WASP-y shoe so good.
Beyond signifiers of monied pedigree, these are boat shoes ideated for effortless action. As good as they look — and, obviously, they do look darn good — they are born of the past and conscious of the future. These are thoughtful kicks that prove the possibility of the plain ol' boat shoe that we've collectively grown to know and tolerate.
Because the boat shoe can be beautiful, as you can plainly see. At the very least, it can be better.
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