16 ways to wear the boat shoes you bought and haven't worn once

By reader request!

Have I mentioned that I love my readers? I love my readers. Here was an ask that made me wonder, “Why didn’t I think of that?” And I am so grateful that you did.

Because of course, Prada : Barn jacket : : Miu Miu : Boat shoes. We have our beloved Irene to show us all the ways to wear the former. But how about the latter? And I do feel pretty darn qualified on this one.

Memories light the corner of my mind

For starters, Sperry, the original maker of the boat shoe, was a longtime Honor Code client of mine. I learned that Paul Sperry created the original design, with its trademark no-slip tread, when he saw that his dog’s grooved paw kept him from slipping on deck. (And I’ve owned this Sperry x Boy Band trompe L’oeil pair for a long time, wearing them in the summer in New England.)

But it’s also a shoe that carries a deep nostalgia. My dad has always worn them. More recently with his foot troubles, he’s gone into full time sneaker mode, but when I think about growing up and picture my dad, he’s wearing these shoes for his favorite type of adventures, returning sandy-footed from our Florida beach days or stepping onto a boat for a sunset cruise in Maine.

They’re also among the prep items I so associate with growing up. In 7th grade, it was the Sperry boat shoe, which is very Miu Miu adjacent. By 8th, the tide had turned to the LL Bean blucher, or, less frequently, its camp mocs, which my new Miu Miu’s could almost be mistaken for. At my all girls’ school, we favored many traditional “boy” items. The more broken in, the better. I still recall friends I thought looked so cool with one moc secured by silvery gray Duck tape.

For all these reasons, as I mentioned to

Jalil Johnson

recently in this delight of a story on spring/summer mood, Miu Miu’s ss/24 runway called my name. Honestly, anything that reminds me of dad has me at hello. And from what I’m hearing, it called to many of you, too. I bet many in my generation heard that call, what with all its powerful adjacent memories: Clinique Caylyx perfume, Absolut ads on the wall, Eric Clapton’s Greatest Hits … shall I go on?

We bought the shoes. Now what?