Hands On: Sperry Top-Sider Gold Cup Oxford

 

When I tracked these down a while back I was extremely intrigued if not only for the simple fact I am an unapologetic Sperry Top-Sider fiend.  Having never owned a non-boat shoe offering from the esteemed brand I was curious about their new foray into the business of bucks and if you pay any attention to the sartorial airwaves you'll know that business is a-boomin'.  Sperry Top-Sider evidently saw the post and was nice enough to shoot me a holler and a pair to test drive for the blog.

Bucks have graced the pages of Sart Inc many a time (type "bucks" into the blog search engine if you want proof) because, well, I love them - fresh out of the box or scuffed up and beat to hell it doesn't matter.  You get the idea.  I'm always on the lookout for a great pair and am happy to let you guys know that Sperry Top-Sider has a gem on their hands with this one.

Aesthetically the shoe is on point.  It's got a great redbrick sole and a real quality leather upper.  Most people are familiar with suede bucks, but recently I've been drawn to ones with a smooth and supple upper as a nice change of pace (see: the incredible Steven Alan bucks I mentioned recently).  The Gold Cup oxford also has some interesting details such as a heel groove (not sure of its significance) and stitching on the back the reminiscent of a boat shoe.  I should also mention that the shape of the toe, often the most important aesthetic part of a shoe for me, is exactly what I was hoping for- sleek, yet extremely natural and rounded.  Form aside, it's the function, or in this case the comfort, of the buck that really blew me away.

I don't normally mess with anything from the Gold Cup series because they are usually performance based boat shoes that don't look all that great - it always bummed me out that such comfortable shoes didn't kill it like the bare bones Authentic Originals.  Luckily, this great looking shoe features all the top of the line padding and technical details that has made the Gold Cup series favorites of actual boating enthusiasts the world over.  Deerskin lines the shoe and the "rich leather welt" is of a quality I've never seen on another Sperry Top-Sider model, not to mention the natural leather welt looks amazing contrasted against the white of the upper and the red of the sole.

Overall, the shoe is pretty damn fly and incredibly comfortable to the point where if you have the cojones necessary this could become you new everyday shoe for S/S (lose those socks).  Many thanks to Sperry Top-Sider for not only hooking a brother up, but for putting great shoes on the many boating and non-boating feet alike of the world.  If you want to snipe a pair you can do so here.

-L.A.S