Timberland's 3-Eye Lug Shoe Is the Sneaker-Replacing Stomper You Need This Spring
SHOP $150, amazon.com and timberland.com
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As no less a songstress than Selena Gomez once put it: The heart wants what it wants. And as a light at the end of this long pandemic-y tunnel begins to show itself, what I want—what a lot of us want—is a return to the idea of actually going out and doing shit once again. Sweats and sneakers are great, for sure, and anyone who tells you they're not going to remain firmly embedded in our general style lexicon for years to come is looking at a very different world than you and I. But they aren't the whole story, and thank fuck for that.
Because right now, more than I want to ride on a cushion of foam designed to step lightly on the world, I want to step out the door and start making some goddamn noise. We are (so very nearly) outside and enjoying life and instead of creeping along, we're stomping around and just waiting for anyone to tell us we haven't earned a little rollicking over the past year. During the winter, sturdy boots helped us all put our foot down. This spring, Timberland's classic 3-Eye Lug Shoe will step in to keep the party going.
A boat shoe? Yeah! A boat shoe! (Kinda.)
I understand why someone might have a reservation or two about stepping into a pair of boat shoes. Maybe they feel too fratty, or too preppy, or too old. (I would beg to differ, but that's another discussion for another day.) But those folks are missing the point. For some, even despite its chunky sole, Timberland's 3-eye shoes will conjure images of JFK. For others, it's The Notorious B.I.G. The brand spans subcultures and its products are best understood in and of themselves, without dragging a bunch of connotational baggage along for the ride.
SHOP $150, amazon.com and timberland.com
You can choose your own adventure.
So, now that you've let go of all that baggage, what's next? Getting dressed would be a good start. And these shoes are suited to all sorts of stylistic endeavors. Wear 'em with Wayfarers and a crisp white tee and Dockers (on an actual dock, even!) to channel that old school preppy vibe. Or pair them with a sweater from Coogi (or, more likely nowadays, Kapital) and some denim to bring them back to the street. They're more versatile than you might think, and they're a much-needed break from your go-to beaters.
There's a good reason the silhouette has persisted.
The hand-sewn, 360-degree-laced, "maybe he has a sailboat somewhere or just spends a lot of time in Maine" upper that sits atop the big lug sole of Timberland's 3-eye shoe is an American staple. It features on everything from trail boots to, yeah, boat shoes. And there's a very good reason for that: It's really damn comfortable. Borrowing heavily from the moccasins made by Native Americans, the construction cradles the foot, allowing for easy movement while maintaining the necessary level of support. As much as we all love our aforementioned beaters, it's not so easy to say that about your standard canvas kicks.
SHOP $150, amazon.com and timberland.com
Prop styling and photography by Allie Holloway
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