September has arrived, and with it autumn… maybe, or at least the gnawing sense that summer is fading away. That week in Milos or Tinos or was it Paros? It feels like a while ago now. It’s now time to start thinking about our autumnal wardrobe rotation. Though we loathe to describe anything as transitional, September poses a challenge when it comes to getting dressed – the sort of month that can swing from glory to gloom, often in the same day. And, more than anything else, it can be especially hard to know which shoes to wear.

Capitalising on a revived appreciation for Ivy and prep style, a handful of clever designers have mastered what we’re radically calling the September Shoe: something smart, but easy to wear. That can handle a few steps, but is light enough to shove into a suitcase if a last-minute trip presents itself.

“Our starting point is normally to work on designs that we are excited to wear ourselves,” says Dag Granath from Saman Amel, the Stockholm-based atelier that could, and probably should, be credited with kickstarting the trend. Its City Moc, a refined take on a classic boat shoe, has been a hit since it first launched in 2024.

“We really wanted to create a sleeker and slightly more elegant silhouette that can be worn more formally as well,” Granath says. “It’s an inherently more casual type of shoe, so making it a bit sleeker makes it feel more like a hybrid, which we like.”

In supple deerskin or suede, these shoes combine elements of typical deck shoes, stripped of any unnecessary adornment. There’s a bit of a loafer silhouette in there, and a lower profile that nods to the pervading trend for all things flat and skinny in the world of sneakers. A boat shoe that’s spent its summer in Berlin rather than Nantucket.

While there are plenty of great suede options, our favourites, especially for the season, are in grainy black leather, the sort of material that gives off the immediate feel of a well-loved favourite. Names such as Yuketen have riffed on a more moccasin-like shape, while Sebago and G.H. Bass – both with plenty of heritage when it comes to making boat shoes – have opted for more classic designs.

As a by-appointment atelier, Saman Amel’s foray into footwear started both from internal conversations, such as “what sort of shoes do we want to wear?” As well as with clients who were after a simple, smart shoe that could be worn with tailoring, on the weekends or on holiday. If there’s one key criteria for a perfect September Shoe, then it’s versatility.

“Being based in Stockholm, I wouldn’t be able to wear it in the snow, as it really is a fairly light construction,” Granath says. “But if it’s dry on the ground, it’s definitely a shoe that works for the main part of the year.

“I’m wearing it with heavier and textured suits like flannels and baby camel hair,” he adds. “As well as casual looks like heavier cotton trousers and chunky knits. I think it lends itself to both worlds.”