The Authentic Original

Okay, it's time to get back to basics this summer. Way back. All the way back to 1935 with the birth of the "authentic original" Sperry Topsiders. That was the year that yachtsman Paul Sperry noticed that his cocker spaniel didn't slip as he ran across the ice on a winter's day in Connecticut. Upon closer inspection of the dog's paws he noticed small slits that obviously gave him traction in slippery conditions.

Sperry had been experimenting with different kinds of soles for shoes that he could wear on the slippery-when-wet, painted deck of his newly-acquired yacht. After watching his dog on the ice he was inspired. He made small razor cuts in rubber soles and experimented with cuts in various directions before deciding on herringbone pattern that can be found to this day on Sperry brand boat shoes.

Although they have long been a staple of the preppie wardrobe, like button-down collar shirts and madras shorts, they seem to wax and wane in popularity with the rest of the general population, but this summer they seem to be back in style. I don't usually notice other people wearing them since I've have had them in my wardrobe since the 60s. But then I was still wearing button-down collar shirts in the late 60s and early 70s when they were impossible to find outside of, maybe, thrift stores. Fortunately Sperry Topsiders have never really gone out of fashion and they don't look out of place whether on the feet of preppies, yuppies, hipsters or boaters.

You can read the original story about Paul Sperry and his dog in PDF format here: paul_sperry_story.pdf