The fiery passion of Petrarch's poems is no match for my love of the topsider. Boston has ruined me and reignited my irrational love of the boat shoe. I do not own a boat nor do I belong to a yacht club, BUT I would find a way to embezzle the cash, to buy the boat, to join the club, and purchase the swank champagne flutes - which would be the proper sipping equipment - so that I might legitimately sport the shoe. Fortunately, you needn't bother with all the accroutrements of boat culture. If you simply need the shoes - or would like to while away the day browsing through a superabundance that would make Captain Ahab click his heels and forsake the whale, then visit: www.sperrytopsider.com
A Brief History of Topsiders:
They were invented in 1935 by boating enthusiast Paul Sperry. Sperry wanted to design a shoe that could handle the slippery situations on the deck of a boat without leaving unsightly scuff marks. He created a white (look ma, no marks), grooved sole that mimicked the cracked textured of a canine's foot. Eventually, the Navy caught the Sperry bug and began manufacturing the shoes. Soon after, topsiders became available nationwide and the brand is now owned by the Stride Rite Corporation.
Why I Love Them:
*they can be both ironic and sweet
*they are available in a veritable rainbow of hues
*their earnest slogan: "get wet"
*some have laces, some don't - options are essential to the modern consumer
*they are sturdy but neat
*they take time to break in - so you feel like you've earned the right to wear them
*they now come in patent leather
*if the shoe had a nose, it would point up - it's okay to wear them in fancy places
*nevertheless, they say - "Approach me!" (they never forget to announce themselves without an exclamation point)
*with their sporty utility and squeaky assertiveness, they subscribe to the optimism of life boats and silver bullets
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