Church’s enters the yacht shoe game

The Portsmouth loafer could be named after any of the several Portsmouths that are scattered across the globe. There’s the one down on the Hampshire coast, with its shipping heritage and views across The Solent and out towards the Isle of Wight. Or even the one over the pond in New Hampshire, with its historic clapboard houses, their pale wood frames aged by the sea-salted air.

Either way, there’s something distinctly nautical about either place, as well as this handsome piece of footwear. Its off-white rubber sole (all the better not to scuff the deck of your schooner with) and its preppy, boat-shoe-adjacent shape are a fit for the times.

Made from a butter-soft suede, it has a suppleness that feels downright sporty on the foot — something attributable to Church’s ‘Blake’ construction, with its increased flexibility. Moreover, it’s also a shoe that — with its sleek, classical overtones of penny loafer — could very happily transition to a long, sophisticated dinner on some cliffside restaurant terrace. Or, heaven forbid, on someone else’s boat.

Portsmouth Suede Loafer, £740, church-footwear.com

This article was taken from the summer 2025 issue of Gentleman's Journal, which you can read more about here.

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