Background to footwear

Top-siders are shoes that were originally designed in 1935 by Paul Sperry. He was watching his dog on the ice and noticed the Cocker Spaniel seemed to have amazing traction. He used the dogs paw surface as the pattern for his new sole design which was called Razor SipingTM; he patented the design and the Top-Sider was born.  A Sperry Top-Side is still available today, and while it is mainly a man’s style footwear, it is also available for women and children.

When you are looking at other brands beside the original Sperry, you may see a Top-Sider referred to as a boat shoe. The most common style is in a brown color with a lighter colored sole.  There are some very distinctive style elements that make a shoe a Top-Sider. The shoes are lace up shoes and the lace is not made of cotton or any other material except for suede.

The laces are also woven into the actual body of the shoe and are visible weaving in and out along the top of the shoe. There are usually two rust proof eyelets that the laces go through in the front of the shoe. It makes sense that they would be rust proof since these are boat shoes and the chance that they might get wet is always there.

The body of the shoe has hand stitching that is visible and how they are done is what is referred to as moc style, which is short for moccasin. These are the foot wear that was worn by Native Americans and has been adopted by many Americans because of the sheer comfort and ease of the design.
The slip-proof bottoms are one of the most popular features of the Top-Sider. It is perfect for walking on the wet deck of a boat, and yet is dressy enough for business casual attire. As a matter of fact, they look quite perfect with a pair of khaki slacks but equally at home with a pair of jeans or shorts.
These days, Top-Siders have kept up with the trends and they are available in a wide variety of colors and designs.  You can buy shoes that combine more than one color, have soles that are colors other than white and combine a variety of material. They can be pastel, bright or even snake design. They certainly have come a long way since they were the preferred shoe of sailors.

Top-siders are a great shoe for every member of the family. The original Sperry’s have shown that they are quality construction.