Sperry & The Spaniel

Almost everyone knows what a top-sider shoe looks like. Not many know that it was invented in 1935 when Paul Sperry watched his Cocker Spaniel run, sure-footed, across Sperry's icy back yard. He took a sneaker, a razor blade and a mass of rubber, and set about designing a shoe that would stand up to slippery conditions. Today, Sperry top-sider boat shoes are the standard issue for most sailors. Sperry's Authentic Original top-sider was part of the 2006 US Naval Academy Class' official casual uniform.