Septième Largeur Reinvents the Boat Shoe

Septième Largeur has recently launched a new collaborative boat shoe with French menswear blogger Menswear Please, offered in three different versions. Well, really two different versions, with one model offered in two colorways.

It is great to see this collaboration, especially as boat shoes have been on my mind for quite some time.

For those of you who have listened to my podcasts, my rants, or really anything where I have talked about the future of The Shoe Snob, you will probably have heard me mention wanting to create some kind of boat shoe.

I have loved boat shoes since I was a teenager and have been wearing Sperrys since who knows when. When I moved to Europe, I kind of left that world behind and got rid of almost all of my boat shoes. In reality, I have missed them ever since.

So it is good to see other like-minded brands having the same idea.

A More Parisian Boat Shoe

Septième Largeur has taken the traditional boat shoe and given it their own interpretation in this new traditional French-chic style that they do so well.

Think commando soles, slightly wider trousers, and that relaxed Parisian way of looking casual while still being elegantly presented. While I personally don’t love the wide-trouser look, I appreciate the overall idea.

The commando sole also makes perfect sense for the streets of Paris. Those cobblestones will chew up your leather-soled dress shoes, which is precisely why you see so many Parisians putting Topy soles on their shoes.

It is nice to see someone take something as established as the boat shoe and reinvent it enough to make it their own.

One Shoe, Two Different Looks

I particularly love the model with the detachable fringe, or kiltie, whatever you prefer to call it.

I think that is a great idea. I have done similar things myself on other open-laced models, and it simply adds another element to the shoe. You essentially get one shoe that can produce two completely different looks.

Take the kiltie off and you have a relatively clean boat shoe. Put it back on and suddenly the entire character changes.

That kind of versatility is always appealing to me.

The other version, with the natural cowhide on the vamp and D-ring eyelets, is certainly interesting as well. It is different, unique and considerably more rugged. It feels more suited to casual, fun styling.

I’m not entirely sure that I would personally wear that one, but I love the idea nonetheless.

We all know I am a sucker for a two-tone, and I have always loved mixing different materials within one shoe, so naturally it appeals to the designer side of my brain.

Are Boat Shoes Coming Back?

I have a feeling that boat shoes are going to have their resurgence.

I don’t really know why they disappeared in the first place. I suppose they were so closely associated with that classic Ivy League/preppy style, which itself largely disappeared over the last decade as chunky sneakers and urban wear took over and somewhat obliterated the traditional American prep look.

But everything comes back around eventually.

And I have a feeling the boat shoe is going to make its way back sooner rather than later.

In fact, I have my own reinvented boat shoe coming early next year. It is very different from what Septième Largeur has done here, so the two aren’t related design-wise, but the underlying idea is similar: take the traditional boat shoe and put it onto a different sole, giving it a different feel and look from your classic Sperry or Sebago.

So maybe those of us getting on board early know something. Or maybe we are all just nostalgic for boat shoes!

Either way, I think Septième Largeur and Menswear Please have the right idea with this collaboration.

Smart, Casual and Comfortable

Ultimately, what I like about these shoes is that they answer a question I think the men’s footwear industry constantly needs to address:

How do you get people out of sneakers without asking them to sacrifice comfort?

And when I say sneakers, I don’t mean a nice leather or suede dress sneaker/plimsoll. I mean a sneaker sneaker.

How do we get someone into something made from beautiful leather that still looks smart, feels casual and is comfortable enough to wear all day?

The boat shoe has always been a pretty good answer to that question.

These certainly look comfortable, and I am sure they are. The commando sole gives you some of the shock absorption and protection you want when walking around on pavement, albeit probably not quite as much cushioning as you would get from a modern foam sole.

But you also get something considerably more interesting on your feet.

And that is what I always enjoy seeing in the shoe industry: reinvention. Taking a familiar model and seeing how different people transform it according to their own personal style.

Septième Largeur does these collaborations quite regularly, seemingly working with a new shop, brand or blogger each year, and I think it is a great idea.

For anyone wanting to dress casually without giving up smart footwear altogether, these make a lot of sense.

Check out the three versions on their site and see what you think.

—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob

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