I don’t know if I ever had considered what a boat shoe would look like with a fat Vibram sole and a covered lace box and trail-running lacing tech, but Engineered Garments and Sebago are the music-makers and the dreamer of dreams, so now I know, and I’m also into it. I was actually on my way to try them on one day but MTA budget cuts had my wallet’s back and the M train wasn’t running and I didn’t feel like navigating a (very easy) transfer and this is a bad story, but I also think about them at least once every other day. They’re confusing but familiar; clunky but manageable; strange like a creeper, but not goofy. And, judging from the lookbook shots, they apparently look great with everything.
Available in three colorways — Beige Taffy, Black, and Exotic Black — these boat-adjacent shoes are made in the Dominican Republic and come with a toggled lacing system, a covered lace box, a thick vibrate sole, and, depending on color, either a suede or an embossed leather upper.
We’re not short on summer footwear options this year, but if you’re looking for something that checks pretty much every box*, these are high on that leaderboard.
(*It doesn’t check the open-toe box, I do understand that, but without understanding the state of folks’ feet, I’m not sure if that’s a universal box or just like an extra credit box. Like, if “open toes” were a topping, it would cost extra.)
Available in Beige Taffy and Black for $335 CAD (~$278 USD), and Exotic Black for $425 CAD (~$352 USD).