Ella Emhoff Slips Into Classic Sperry Boat Shoes at Collina Strada’s Summer 2025 ‘Touch Grass’ Presentation in New York

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Ella Emhoff attended Collina Strada’s summer 2025 runway show on Friday in New York in a tiny park in the East Village. The presentation, titled “Touch Grass,” married fashion and performance art.

Creative director Hillary Taymour incorporated Sperry’s Authentic Original Boat shoe into the showing, adding her own eccentric touch by covering the beloved silhouette in textural grass clippings.

Ella Emhoff, Collina Strada, Sperry, boat shoes, slip-on, leather, grass, New York, fashion week
Ella Emhoff at Collina Strada SS25 “Touch Grass” show in New York on Sept. 6, 2024.
Ella Emhoff, Collina Strada, Sperry, boat shoes, slip-on, leather, grass, New York, fashion week
Ella Emhoff and front row attendees at Collina Strada SS25 “Touch Grass” show in New York on Sept. 6, 2024.

Like many attendees who sat front row, Emhoff adorned her feet in the slip-on Sperry silhouette in a rich black paired with graphic red and black ankle socks. The fashion week regular went sans-grass clippings, opting for the boat shoe as is. With almond-shaped toes, lace-up closures and leather uppers, the style is all American, making for the perfect footwear pick set against the backdrop of Taymour’s Americana-inspired presentation.

Paired alongside her boat shoes, Emhoff donned an all-black layered look, courtesy of Collina Strada. The artist’s look was comprised of a ruched asymmetrical mini dress trimmed with black tulle layered overtop baggy black trousers.

In a press release shared by Sperry, Taymour shares, “Sperry allowed me to reinvent the classic boat shoe with a bold twist by pairing them with layered Collina Strada looks. With the ‘Touch Grass’ theme of the show I was able to create the perfect narrative of what it looks like to mow your lawn on a hot summer day in your Sperry’s.”

Ella Emhoff, Collina Strada, Sperry, boat shoes, slip-on, leather, grass, New York, fashion week
A closer look at Sperry x Collina Strada classic boat shoe.

“Each season, the visionaries at Collina Strada push the envelope of design, storytelling, and self-expression, and being a brand built on innovation, Sperry is thrilled to be collaborating with this celebrated independent label,” says President of Sperry Jonathan Frankel in a statement.

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