Men's Boat Loafers

The boat shape is the loafer you wear from May to September: a lace threaded around the top, a sole cut for grip, and an upper soft enough to go on with bare feet. Suede, faux leather and leather in roughly equal parts here.

See also: Men's Loafers, Men's Suede Loafers, Summer Loafers, Blue Loafers, Brown Loafers, Beige Loafers

What makes it a boat shoe

Three details, all of them borrowed from a deck and all of them useful on land.

1. The lace around the topline
   It is there to tighten the opening, not to fasten the shoe. Pull it once to set the fit and then leave it alone.

2. The cut sole
   Fine grooves across the rubber, made to hold on a wet surface. On a summer sidewalk that is more useful than it sounds.

3. A soft, low upper
   Cut to sit under the ankle bone so nothing rubs with bare feet. It is the only loafer really designed to be worn sockless.
   See also: Summer Loafers

Wearing it without socks, properly

Use a no-show liner anyway. It is invisible, it keeps the lining from soaking up a whole summer, and it is the single thing that decides whether the pair survives to a second season.

Air them out between wears. A boat shoe worn two days running never dries, and that is what finishes the inside of the shoe long before the outside gives out.