The boat shoe has been around the block – or, perhaps, the dock – a few times. Coming in and out of fashion more often than tie-dye (which we like at the moment by the way), the boat shoe can be tough to pull off, because they have you balancing the style tightrope of looking like a sailing club dad, or like you're waiting for your sailing club dad to die so you can inherit his pile in the Hamptons.

Sperry boat shoe men

If you’re going to buy a pair of boat shoes, you might as well go with the brand that invented them. Sperry Boat Shoes is to boat shoes what Apple is to smartphones and what Patron is to tequila.

The US firm is essentially the boat shoe granddaddy and has a genuinely unbeatable heritage appeal. For classic, two-lug, leather, and suede versions, this should be your first port of call.