Boat Shoes: Why The Hate?

[Jay]

Oh, I don't have a problem with them being worn beyond their original intention. If we only wore clothes for their intended purpose, fashion would be very limited.

Don't get me started on the polo shirt...

[Sam]

I have a polo shirt that's striped and collared like a rugby shirt. You would LOVE it Jay!

[Jay]

I have a polo shirt that's striped and collared like a rugby shirt. You would LOVE it Jay!

I'm wincing. You know my thoughts on the rugby shirt.

Actually, I don't have a problem with the polo shirt per se. I own a couple of quite 'smart' ones; very slim fitting, nice material. They work very well with the Italian Riviera trend for this SS. I think it's the way that they (and boat shoes too) have been appropriated by the masses and seem to be thrown on with no thought.

I hear a lot on this site, about brogues been cliche, identikit fashion choices, but if I'm about town, the one shoe I'm likely to see absolutely everywhere is not the brogue by a long way, but the boat shoe. And all too often they are tatty - which for an unstructured shoe in the first place makes the wearer seem like they don't care about what they are wearing (which, to be fair, they probably don't).

[Sam]

Nicely said. Except the bit about the rugby shirt. I still enjoy Gant and Michael Bastian. Call them gaudy all you want yellow trouser man

I would consider a pair of navy leather boaters to wear with pale jeans and white trousers, but I'm in your corner on this one for the time being.