Boat Shoes

Monday, March 19, 2012

I've been toying with the idea of boat shoes for awhile, for those days when ballet flats feel too dressy but flip flops are too casual. In terms of style, they certainly appeal to my preppy and tomboy sides. I've mainly heard positives on the comfort level, with varying experiences on the breaking-in period. So the hunt begins...

I first visited my local DSW and tried on a pair of Sperry Intrepid in my usual size 6. I found them to run true to size and width for my normal-to-wide feet. They were as comfortable as many had mentioned (hard to tell if they will need to be broken in until I wear them for an extended period of time). The shoe vamp was low and short, so combine that with my narrow heel, my foot was flip-flopping out as I walked. Tightening the laces helped but that means I won't be able to lazily slip my foot in and out with the laces tied.

While I was mulling over the pair I tried on, I suddenly had an ah ha! moment. Why not give the kids' version a try to save some money? I ended up ordering another style in kids, the Sperry Top-Sider Bluefish in size 4 wide US Big Kid (sold here) in two colors: linen/spring plaid (below left) and linen/oat (below right).


The kids' Bluefish came in two widths, regular and wide. I chose the kids' wide based on reviews and they are indeed comparable to the normal width in women's. If you have narrow feet, I'd recommend giving the regular width in kids' a shot.

I wish I had also ordered the Intrepid along with the Bluefish for side-by-side comparisons. Basing solely on memory and feel, the kids' Bluefish did not flip-flop on my feet like the women's Intrepid did, so I'd venture to guess that 1) the shoe vamp on the kids' Bluefish is higher than the women's Intrepid or 2) the women's Intrepid has been stretched out from numerous wears in store. It's entirely possible that the kids' Bluefish will stretch out with time, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. Now I just have to decide which color to keep. Would you vote for oat or spring plaid?

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21 comments

  1. I vote plaid! I got the women's bahamas last summer in gingham/madras.

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  2. I vote spring plaid :)

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  3. The plaid is cute, but I think the oat is much more age-appropriate and versatile, plus you might feel better wearing them in fall/winter. I would go with oat.

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  4. Although, pink is not always my choice of color, I vote for spring plaid in this case. It'll balance out the manliness of these shoes. They're adorable, Cee!

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  5. I have a pair in the traditional oat color, I bought them over a year ago and have work the heck out of them! They are so comfortable (no need to break them in for me) and are so versatile, I can wear them to work, school or out running errands with so many different outfits. I say go with the oat instead of the plaid, the pink will corner you in somewhat as far as using them in outfits.

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  6. pink plaid is definitely my choice but oat seems more versatile so i vote for the oat color.

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  7. I vote for the oat pair. The pink is cute but could be seen by some as a kids kind of "cute."

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  8. I'm for the oat. Pink plaid is pretty color and pattern and I know you can style it so well but you could wear the oat more in my opinion.

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  9. I vote plaid! I got the navy blue ones with the plaid panels - will have to take a pic soon but keep leaving them in the car as my comfy-gotta-run-after-my-toddler-in-the-park days :)

    Re: curtains. I definitely vote for DIY curtains (ready made curtains are crazy expensive!) and think the fabric depends on what mode you're in. If you're just looking for something to cover the windows and it doesn't have to be fancy, go for the sheets. If you need fancy, go with the heavier duty fabric. Do not pay more than 50% of the regular price for it though! They always go on sale and even if they aren't, there's always a coupon around. Also, just because you're going to DIY curtains doesn't mean they have to be boring. There are plenty of patterns out there (do not pay more than $0.99 per pattern - again with the sales) that will make them look as fancy as you wish :) Sample patterns: http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/home-decorating-pages-106.php?list=0 Other brands besides McCalls: Butterick, Burda, and Simplicity. Hope this helps and sorry for the immensely long response eating up your comment space!

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    1. Oh my gosh, THANK YOU SPG for sharing your thoughts. It hadn't crossed my mind that curtains would need patterns, so that was really helpful. And equally helpful was that I was willing to pay $6/yd for fabric, lol. Good thing I hadn't pulled the trigger yet. Will definitely be shopping around with your tips in mind!

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  10. This is soooo funny because I just bought two pairs as well. I actually bought two that are almost the exact same pairs as yours. I couldn't decide which I liked best, so I kept them both!!

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    1. Hehe, I think 2 would be a bit much for me... at least right now ;)

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  11. I love the plaid one. I was actually searching online for a Sperry boat shoes this weekend! I was considering a rose gold pair.

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    1. Have you tried DSW? One of the pairs I tried on was a gold pair.

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  12. The plaid! If you're gonna do Sperry's...ya gotta go color! I'll have to check out the kid's options because I also tried a women's style (at DSW no less) and my heel slipped out like crazy. Maybe kid's is the way to go for my narrow feet & heels as well. Thanks for the post!

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  13. I just bought a pair after seeing your post! But I can't figure out how to tie the shoelaces, they keep coming loose! Do you have a particular way of tying them or is it just clumsy me?

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    1. The shoe laces are much too long, right? I have the same problem! Are your ends too long so you end up stepping on them as you walk? I tie mine so the "loops" are pretty big and as long as the "ends" and then make sure I tug the part where they meet pretty tight. The end result isn't aesthetically pleasing but so far they haven't come undone prematurely. Hope that helps!

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  14. Nice shoes and very good color combination of Kids Boat Shoes. These shoes are looking very lovely.

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  15. Thanks for sharing a valualbe information about the boat shoes.

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I'd love to hear from you. Constructive criticisms welcome!

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