Fashion Rebels, rejoice! Boat shoes are back and more daring than ever.

There has always been a hint of revolt hidden among the sun-drenched seams of summer fashion. However, the footwear forecast for this season is more about purposeful weirdness than it is about delicate sandals. The "ugly-chic" shoe renaissance is upon us, a time when fashion and utility collide in the most surprising manner.

It is obvious that classic beauty is no longer the goal, as seen by Kylie Jenner's unrepentant love of split-toe Tabi flats and Irina Shayk's carefree strolls down New York's sidewalks while wearing aquatic water shoes. The new cool seems a bit out of balance and perhaps a little unnerving. And at the heart of this improbable fashion trend? shoes for boats.

Yes, those boat shoes that your roommate wore with a solo cup and a pastel polo. The ones linked to East Coast preppy clichés, yacht clubs, and sockless feet. Listen up before you roll your eyes and move on, though, because boat shoes are subtly making their way into the exclusive world of high fashion, and the change is strangely alluring.

The wink has replaced the sartorial eye-roll.

The iconic moc-toe silhouette is being revived with edge by celebrities, stylists, and fashion daredevils. Consider thick soles, metallic finishes, raw hems, striking patterns, and purposefully unkempt laces. Sailing gear is being repackaged as street style armor, combining elements of the punk revival with boat shoes.

What caused the unexpected spike in interest?

Perhaps it is nostalgia with a modern spin. Perhaps it is a result of everyone trying too hard. Or perhaps, just possibly, fashion is embracing a kind of sarcastic sincerity: a celebration of things that were formerly dismissed as outdated and uninspired but are now worn with play and purpose.

The way that the boat shoe resurgence is being designed is what really makes it appealing. These are no longer worn with cable-knit sweaters and pristine khakis. The fashion crowd of today is combining them with slouchy denim, silk suits, prairie skirts, and enormous cargo pants. Even if the textures, colors, and eras conflict, it all fits somehow.

Boat shoes are therefore back.

However, not as essential for breakfasts at colleges or yacht parties. They have been reclaimed, reframed, and, dare we say it, reimagined. They are no longer attempting to appear attractive. They are attempting to strike up a discussion.

And that may be precisely the purpose in a summer when the most stylish fashion statements seem a bit odd.