The new life of boat shoes How a timeless shoe became a modern vehicle of authenticity

Classic men's shoes are big this year. We didn't need Miu Miu's viral show to tell us, but after years of streetwear and collaborations, the only thing a sneaker signals is its tendency to heed the sirens of marketing. The leather shoe, seen everywhere, has returned not only as a sign of timeless authenticity but also as a renewed proposition by designers of price-for-value, of a product whose preciousness and materiality can be appreciated. The result has been the emergence of a new style that combines preppy aesthetics and the relaxed proportions of streetwear, and has seen the resurgence of what were once "leisure shoes," primarily the classic boat shoe made famous by Timberland, which have replaced the canvas sneakers and slip-ons that occupied the scene a decade ago.

What fashion showed at this juncture was not so much the reassuring aspect of formality but its more versatile variations. Above all, after the invasion of astronomically priced sneakers and hoodies, the desire to find a firm foothold in a fashion culture in which the cycle of trends is increasingly like a crazy wheel, flowing too quickly to be followed or taken seriously. This is how the new life of the boat shoe began.