# Sperry Topsiders... the original color is awful



## Nathan Detroit (Oct 12, 2005)

It seems they are telling us that the dark brown, white sole is the original. It looks pretty awful to me. What do you all think of the "tan longhorn"? Of course, then you don't get the white sole...

https://www.sperrytopsider.com/jump.jsp?itemID=185&itemType=CATEGORY&path=1,2,143,185


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## Nathan Detroit (Oct 12, 2005)

How could anybody compare the classic Sperry with these beautiful Quoddys?

https://www.quoddytrail.com/BoatShoes.htm


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## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

Nate, thanks for sharing your opinion.

In fact, the dark brown/white sole is the original. I happen to think it looks the nicest of all the varients that have come after it. 

If you insist on wearing the original, then you must buy the Sperry topsider in dark brown and white sole. I would suggest, however, if you think the Quoddys look better, by all means, make them your boat shoe of choice.

JB


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## HistoryDoc (Dec 14, 2006)

I think the original looks great. To each his own.


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## Tom Bell-Drier (Mar 1, 2006)

I also prefer the white soled original, although granted I prefer the sole once it has gained a little character rather, rather than the straight out of the box, pure as the driven snow, white.


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## Palmer_Woodrow (May 24, 2007)

As a sailor, it is a matter of function first feel second and looks last. The originals look great and feel great even wet on deck. Sailors, for whom the shoes were designed, aren't interested in a fashion show. We want traction on deck on a shoe built to last and withstand the wear and tear or salt, water, sun, and stress.


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## rojo (Apr 29, 2004)

It never occurred to me to like or not like the original dark brown with white soles. That's just the color they are. They're what my father, grandfather, and I wore sailing. I can picture my grandfather now, when he was in his 90s and too old to climb aboard a sailboat, sitting in his wheelchair with his Sperry Top-Siders on his feet. Whether he still wore them because they were comfortable or because they made him feel like maybe he was about to go sailing again, I never asked.


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## xragman (Jan 27, 2007)

My absolute favorites were a version in Kudu and Maple. These had a thicker, cream, rather than white sole. Absolutelutely, fabulous.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

I know these are not Sperry's, but I just got these from Polo:

And yes they are *orange!!* :icon_smile_big:


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

*Top Side!*

Admittedly, the problem lies in me, and not in the shoes. But I've owned several topsiders from Sperry, from Mainsail (a division of Sperry Topsider), Timberland, from Nordtrom's (Norsport brand), and even from Florsheim. In terms of overall quality, I liked the construction of the Timberlands best.

Right out of the box, these stone coloured shoes look incredible with khakis.








This is the colour of my most current pair. They look better with jeans than with khakis for some strange reason.








Unlike the suede version, these need breaking in before they look good. They actually look better when dirty than when they are new. Unlike the suede version, however, these last a good long time and never need much in the way of cleaning/ touch up.








Navy topsiders were kind of a fad in the 80's, but they look really good with a lot of the bright, GTH coloured clothing typical of the Trad/Preppy look. Probably safe to say that Navy is more Preppy than Trad.

...Especially attractive on women with lambswool knee high socks in bright colors to match a sweater with a fair Isle yoke. Wish you could have seen them on some of the girls in Orchestra class back in high school. Wowsers!

The authentic, original, authentic originals.

Some alternate views.


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

I like the original Sperry topsiders best, but whatever floats your boat.


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

I don't dislike the original Topsider color combo, but I probably wouldn't buy it because it looks totally out of place in my current wardobe.

To each his own...


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## Untilted (Mar 30, 2006)

I hated the dark brown color at first. However, as time passed by, I grew to appreciate the original look.


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## fauxpaspa (Jun 15, 2007)

dpihl said:


> Admittedly, the problem lies in me, and not in the shoes. But I've owned several topsiders from Sperry, from Mainsail (a division of Sperry Topsider), Timberland, from Nordtrom's (Norsport brand), and even from Florsheim. In terms of overall quality, I liked the construction of the Timberlands best.


the timberlands also have a padded, leather 3/4 length footbed that offers good arch support. i've read that topsiders are somewhat wanting in this respect.


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## HistoryDoc (Dec 14, 2006)

The Timberlands are (right now at least) $20 cheaper. I compared them side by side after I bought my topsiders last weekend. I decided I liked the profile of the sperry a little better, and the Timberlands were quite a bit heavier. To each his own.


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## fauxpaspa (Jun 15, 2007)

HistoryDoc said:


> The Timberlands are (right now at least) $20 cheaper. I compared them side by side after I bought my topsiders last weekend. I decided I liked the profile of the sperry a little better, and the Timberlands were quite a bit heavier. To each his own.


if the timberlands are $20 cheaper then they are a steal because they're usually $20-30 more expensive ($65 vs $90).

i must confess that i do like the look of the dark brown uppers and white soles of the classic topsider better, though.


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## Ron_A (Jun 5, 2007)

Nathan Detroit said:


> What do you all think of the "tan longhorn"?


I actually do wear the tan longhorn version with the honey sole. While they're not the originals, I like them. I initially bought them, a long time ago, because everyone was wearing the dark brown w/ white sole version and I wanted to be unique. Although Sperrys have served me well over the years, I must admit that I'm intrigued by the Quoddy.


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## egadfly (Nov 10, 2006)

*Timberland*



fauxpaspa said:


> the timberlands also have a padded, leather 3/4 length footbed that offers good arch support. i've read that topsiders are somewhat wanting in this respect.


While we're on the topic of the classic Timberland boat shoes, I still have a NWT pair to sell. See this post for details and pics. Price is down to $30, shipped. Will also entertain reasonable offers to trade (especially for bow ties or belts).

Cheers,

EGF


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## HistoryDoc (Dec 14, 2006)

fauxpaspa said:


> if the timberlands are $20 cheaper then they are a steal because they're usually $20-30 more expensive ($65 vs $90).
> 
> i must confess that i do like the look of the dark brown uppers and white soles of the classic topsider better, though.


Timberland outlet in North Georgia had them for $30 last weekend. I don't know if the sale is still going on. They had a pretty wide selection, too.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

I've always liked the Topsider dark brown upper w/ the classic white sole...wore them for a good number of years before expanding my wardrobe to include boatshoes with the honey colored gum rubber and dark brown rubber soles. It would be nice if they provided a better insole to provide improved suppport for the feet.


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## gtguyzach (Nov 18, 2006)

I just received the classic browns from Restoration Hardware and I love them! I have another pair in "Sahara" that I like too. I think my next pair will be "brown buc". One can never have too many boat shoes right?


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## videocrew (Jun 25, 2007)

gtguyzach said:


> One can never have too many boat shoes right?


 Are we assuming an infinite supply of cows?


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## fauxpaspa (Jun 15, 2007)

eagle2250 said:


> I've always liked the Topsider dark brown upper w/ the classic white sole...wore them for a good number of years before expanding my wardrobe to include boatshoes with the honey colored gum rubber and dark brown rubber soles. It would be nice if they provided a better insole to provide improved suppport for the feet.


timberland may sell the insoles separately, but don't quote me on this. check with a timberland dealer.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

fauxpaspa said:


> timberland may sell the insoles separately, but don't quote me on this. check with a timberland dealer.


Thanks for the lead!


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## egadfly (Nov 10, 2006)

For what it's worth, my Quoddy boat shoes offer better support than any pair of Sperrys or Timberlands I've owned.

EGF


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

egadfly said:


> For what it's worth, my Quoddy boat shoes offer better support than any pair of Sperrys or Timberlands I've owned.
> 
> EGF


Without hesitation, +1!


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## HistoryDoc (Dec 14, 2006)

egadfly said:


> For what it's worth, my Quoddy boat shoes offer better support than any pair of Sperrys or Timberlands I've owned.
> 
> EGF


That is true. Topsiders have almost no arch support or padding, but I took a look at the insides of those Timberlands and started imagining what water would do to them and the mental image wasn't pretty.


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## egadfly (Nov 10, 2006)

HistoryDoc said:


> That is true. Topsiders have almost no arch support or padding, but I took a look at the insides of those Timberlands and started imagining what water would do to them and the mental image wasn't pretty.


I'm not sure what you're imagining, but I've owned Timberlands that were subjected to frequent dunking without noticeable effect, beyond the usual salt stains and corroded grommets. Having said that, any boat shoes that are actually worn on or around boats will eventually deteriorate. In that regard, I've not found Timberlands to fare poorly in comparison to Sperry or Sebago boat shoes worn under similar conditions.

EGF


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## fauxpaspa (Jun 15, 2007)

egadfly said:


> For what it's worth, my Quoddy boat shoes offer better support than any pair of Sperrys or Timberlands I've owned.
> 
> EGF


how do the quoddy's manage to do this? what's different about their construction?


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## HistoryDoc (Dec 14, 2006)

egadfly said:


> I'm not sure what you're imagining, but I've owned Timberlands that were subjected to frequent dunking without noticeable effect, beyond the usual salt stains and corroded grommets. Having said that, any boat shoes that are actually worn on or around boats will eventually deteriorate. In that regard, I've not found Timberlands to fare poorly in comparison to Sperry or Sebago boat shoes worn under similar conditions.
> 
> EGF


Good to know. Maybe I'll experiment with my next pair. Thanks for the info.


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## MarkusH (Dec 10, 2004)

xragman said:


> My absolute favorites were a version in Kudu and Maple. These had a thicker, cream, rather than white sole. Absolutelutely, fabulous.


I remember those. I had a pair more than 20 years ago.

My most recent deck shoes are a pair of John Lobbs. I hope I will eventually be able to break them in...


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

The Timberlands I owned back in the early eighties looked a lot like the original topsider. The leather upper was far more supple, and didn't have the plasticky sheen to it that the Sperrys did in those days. Furthermore, the leather was a softer, slightly lighter brown color, as is typical of all Timberland shoes. Not quite as light as the Bean Blucher Mocs, but you get the idea.

The thing I loved about the Timberlands of the time, was something they made a big deal about in their ad copy. The stitching that holds the sole to the upper was not exposed. Timberland used a midsole that was stitched to the upper, and then the outersole was glued to that.

This simple step was supposed to prevent the stitching from rotting, and the sole from coming off prematurely.

I never spent much time on a boat, and so you would think I was immune to this sort of thing. But I live in a place where there is a lot of snow, and people use salt to melt the snow on the sidewalk. I've had plenty of Topsiders/ Camp Mocs/ Blucher Mocs where the soles became detached from the upper.

I wish you could still buy those old Timberlands. You know, the ones that looked so much like the authentic original Topsider, only nicer leather.


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## egadfly (Nov 10, 2006)

^ Ditto that -- and congrats on your 1000th posting! :aportnoy:

Cheers,

EGF


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

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## jpeirpont (Mar 16, 2004)

I love the originals, I also like the green/white and blue/white versions.


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