The shoe will be available to try on in all sizes at the London pop-up, starting tomorrow. All details on that here. 

A couple of years ago, in an article about the appeal of Riviera style in the summer, we wrote about the need for a soft but elegant shoe that can accompany everything from tailored linen trousers to shorts. 

It’s a category that quite a lot of brands have explored, but they can be a bit too smart (eg Belgians) or too chunky (eg regular boat shoes) to bridge all these uses. It’s something we mentioned to Joseph Pollard – the ex-design head at RRL who now runs shoe brand August Special – and that started a conversation around developing something together. 

To fit the brief, the shoe had to be soft enough to wear without socks – to simply slip into at the back door of the summer house – but also elegant enough to wear with our beloved bespoke tailoring. 

It would be unlined, in a mouldable veg-tanned leather, but designed to look slim on the feet and made to a high quality, with fine stitching and construction. Inspiration came from traditional boat shoes, but also the kind of low-profile, laid-back shoe Ralph Lauren did particularly well in the nineties (below) and I’ve worn vintage versions of. 

The nice thing about those shoes was they were casual in design (leather lacing, hand-stitched apron) but the low vamp and slightly elongated last made them elegant as well. 

For our summer version, we took that idea and an old pair of boat shoes I had, and created a new, custom last that emphasised comfort in places like the width at the joints, but used elements like the shape of the apron to push the more refined style. 

If you look at the shoe below, it’s interesting to compare the shape of the apron (that ‘U’ of stitching on the front) with the width of the shoe overall. It’s the apron that catches the eye and makes the shoe look elongated, but the shoe itself is actually fairly wide and comfortable. 

During the design iterations with the shoemaker in Italy, Joseph helped us push that shape of the apron, to make it slimmer and longer, moving the point of it right to the end of the toe. It wasn’t a standard design but it really helped drive the overall look. 

Other aspects we worked on consistently were creating a larger heel cup – wider and roomier but not big at the top – and lowering the toe spring to give it a really flat, laid-back feel. 

“There’s a lot in the dynamism of a shoe that comes from these decisions,” Joseph told me. “Trainers are angled forwards, for example, to give the impression of speed. By contrast, I like how low and still this shoe feels, like it’s not in a hurry to go anywhere.”

So, the shoe is an unlined loafer in veg-tanned leather, made in moccasin style with self-tying leather laces. The vamp and counter are hand sewn, and there is a Maine-guide style seam as an extra design detail. 

We used a small, family-run shoemaker in Italy that Joseph has worked with in the past, and actually used to make some of the Ralph Lauren shoes we were inspired by. 

They make at a higher level than most of the similar shoes you see outside Italy, with finer finishing, more stitches per inch, and details like a rounded edge to the sole through the waist. 

The sole is blake-stitched, which for me is the best in this kind of lightweight summer shoe. They can be resoled fairly easily as a result, at least two or three times. 

The leather is deliberately left with minimal finish, so it will age quickly and beautifully. The shoes will noticeably acquire scuffs and marks, but these mellow and become part of the patina, making it feel like an old favourite. 

Interestingly, the rubbing on the inside of the shoe can also cause the leather to darken slightly with friction, but this fades. You can also use a waterproofing spray if you might wear them in the rain; more generally, a little clear or tan shoe cream will be useful every few months. 

Style-wise, we find the shoes can be worn with everything from jeans to tailoring. During our recent trip to LA myself, Lucas and Manish all wore the shoes, and you can see the variety of outfits in the images in this article. 

At the top, Lucas is wearing them in a semi-smart outfit with white jeans and a navy cotton sweater (our hand-framed model). Above, Manish is wearing them with a linen suit (Art du Lin from The Anthology) and a white linen shirt, so an elegant summer look. 

And I’m wearing the shoes with blue jeans, but with both a very casual look on top (untucked chambray shirt, below) and a smarter one (tailored linen jacket, further above). I’d wear them, personally, with shorts as well.

Fit

I know the first question readers will have will be about sizing. We’ve tried to break this down as fully as possible below, using all three of us as examples, as we all have slightly different shapes of feet. 

General advice:

• The shoes are listed in US sizing, as per August Special’s other shoes 
• Generally US sizes are a half or full size above UK sizes. These are generally a half size bigger, so a UK 9 or EU 43 equates to a US 9.5
• The shape is moderately slim, an E width, but the unlined construction means they mould easily and can expand to wider fits
• The laces are functional and can be used to tighten the top line of the shoe slightly. We wouldn’t recommend doing so by more than a centimetre, but it does make a difference. If the laces then look a little long they can easily be cut shorter

Our sizing:

• Simon is a size 9E in Edward Green and Crockett & Jones, a 43 in European brands, and a 9.5D in Alden. He has a slim, long foot and often struggles to get loafers that fit around the toes but hold the heel in the back
  • In this shoe he takes a 9.5. He considered a 9 as the heel held a little better, but tightening the laces slightly made a difference and 9.5 was the right choice
• Manish has a wider foot so is usually between a 8.5 and 9 depending on width. He wears a 9.5D in Alden’s Aberdeen last and a 9E in their Van last. He wears a 9 in Edward Green and his August Special Augie shoes are US 10.
  • For the boat shoes, he considered a 10 again but had some heel slippage, so the 9.5 was best overall for him
• Lucas is a 10.5E in Edward Green, 45 in most EU brands, 11 in Barrie/Trubalance and 11.5 in Aberdeen last from Alden.
  • He normally takes an 11.5 from August Special but he took an 11 in these, as he plans on wearing them mainly without socks and found the 11 gave him a snugger heel grip which was his priority, with still room at the front

Care

• The boat shoe is made in a soft calf leather with only a light wax finish. It is intended to age noticeably and quickly, creating a personal patina
• If there is a chance of wearing it in the rain, a waterproofing spray such as Saphir Super Invulner is advised
• Shoe cream will be useful in the long term to maintain the leather. Perhaps once or twice a year depending on use
• Use of shoe trees will keep the shoe looking smarter, if that’s desired. The team have not been using them
• The shoe is blake stitched and so the sole can be replaced at many shoe-repair shops. If done carefully, this can be done two or three times

Product details

• Boat shoe made in Italy with hand-stitched apron and counter
• Italian veg-tanned calf leather
• Blake-stitched leather sole
• Unlined, but with full leather sock lining
• Functional moccasin-style leather laces
• Made in coordination with the US brand August Special
• Available only at Shop.PermanentStyle.com

NB: When trying shoes on at home, please only do so on a carpeted floor. Shoes with scuffed soles cannot be accepted on returns or exchanges