The Boat Shoe

NB: When trying shoes on at home, please only do so on a carpeted floor. Shoes with scuffed soles cannot be accepted as returns or exchanges.

A shoe designed for versatility in the summer: a lightweight, unlined, low-vamp moccasin. 

Soft enough to slip on sans socks, yet smart enough to wear with a linen suit, the boat shoe was made in collaboration with August Special founder Joseph Pollard, previously head of footwear and outerwear at RRL. 

The design was inspired by models from Ralph Lauren offered in the 80s and 90s, as well as an old pair of loafers of Simon's. The veg-tanned leather is deliberately left to patinate quickly, giving it lots of character, and the leather laces are functional, allowing a little tightening around the top. 

The vamp and counter of the shoe are hand sewn, and there is a Maine-guide style seam as an extra design detail. All made in a family-run factory in Italy.

Fit

We’ve tried to break this down as fully as possible below, using all three of the PS staff as examples, as we all have slightly different shapes of feet. 

General advice:

• The shoes are listed in US sizing, as per August Special’s other shoes 
• Generally US sizes are a half or full size above UK sizes. These are generally a half size bigger, so a UK 9 or EU 43 equates to a US 9.5
• The shape is moderately slim, an E width, but the unlined construction means they mould easily and can expand to wider fits
• The laces are functional and can be used to tighten the top line of the shoe slightly. We wouldn’t recommend doing so by more than a centimetre, but it does make a difference. If the laces then look a little long they can easily be cut shorter

Our sizing:

• Simon is a size 9E in Edward Green and Crockett & Jones, a 43 in European brands, and a 9.5 in Alden. He has a slim, long foot and often struggles to get loafers that fit around the toes but hold the heel in the back
  • In this shoe he takes a 9.5. He considered a 9 as the heel held a little better, but tightening the laces slightly made a difference and 9.5 was the right choice
• Manish has a wider foot so is usually between a 8.5 and 9 depending on width. He wears a 9.5D in Alden’s Aberdeen last and a 9E in their Van last. He wears a 9 in Edward Green and his August Special Augie shoes are US 10. 
  • For the boat shoes, he considered a 10 again but had some heel slippage, so the 9.5 was best overall for him
• Lucas is a 10.5E in Edward Green, 45 in most EU brands, 11 in Barrie/Trubalance  and 11.5 in Aberdeen last from Alden.
  • He normally takes an 11.5 from August Special but he took an 11 in these; he plans on wearing them mainly without socks and found the 11 gave him a snugger heel grip which was his priority, without squashing his toes

Care

• The boat shoe is made in a soft calf leather with only a light wax finish. It is intended to age noticeably and quickly, creating a personal patina
• If there is a chance of wearing it in the rain, a waterproofing spray such as Saphir Super Invulner is advised
• Shoe cream will be useful in the long term to maintain the leather: perhaps once or twice a year depending on use
• Use of shoe trees will keep the shoe looking smarter, if that’s desired. The team have not been using them
• The shoe is Blake-stitched and so the sole can be replaced at many shoe-repair shops. If done carefully, this can be done two or three times