This article is intended to be "brief" (like the series) and essential to a lot of the questions we receive about these charming little creatures. Knowing how to taste them and appreciate them at the same time must be done as with sashimi: raw, lively and incisive (for the freshness of the product) and prepared by 2 chefs, Benoît and Gill behind the counter.
Let's start with Gill:
Why wear men's sneakers?
Because it's the most versatile alternative piece after the dress shoes/shoes that you've been putting on with your suit since this morning to go to your workplace.
Unless you have a certain attraction for order and morality, sudoku and the dictations of Bernard Pivot, sneakers are "casual / relaxed" pieces (like your neighbor across the street on her terrace on Saturday) which easily fit into an outfit without any pretension.
There is also a dimension of comfort and choice in terms of style, which defines the rest of your outfit and does not restrict it to the "jacket/shirt/tie/coffee machine" level.
They are what ketchup is to fries, pickle to ham and butter and the €14.90 lunch break menu.
Sneakers simplify and enhance many things about an outfit, and make pieces easy to wear and match. With a certain freedom and without making too many mistakes.
Our advice on which sneakers to choose?
“Yes, but sneakers aren’t chic, they’re mostly ugly, and they make you look like a retarded teenager”
No, it's the contradictory ensemble of an outfit that gives you that impression. To simplify, there are 3 types of sneakers:
- sneakers that are often described as "cheap" (material and design) which are quite neutral and which do not add anything extra to an outfit (budget from 0 to 90 euros)
You see these types of sneakers every day. So much so that it becomes almost banal. The low-end Converses, the running Nikes, the endlessly crappy design New Balances that seem to have been mass-produced and sold to the same people at Footlocker. They convey a (often pejorative) stereotype, and serve much more as a social and consumerist distinctive sign than anything else. It's the tasteless vanilla flavor of clothing style. Of course, there are excellent models within these brands, but they represent barely 1% of the total production... which you have to look for.
- so-called mid-range sneakers which look great and cost a little more. (budget between 100-180 euros)
We sense a start of quality, a minimum standard in the visual, and above all a great ease of said pair in giving punch to the clothing style of the person who adopts them. It’s the perfect compromise between budget, style and quality.
- designer sneakers. HDG like the initials of a BMW. Well-designed classes that highlight your social status to shine in society. (budget from 200 to 9999 euros)
There, we are on the other side of the barrier and the piece must be considered as something in its own right. Literally literally . A pair of sneakers from a designer often has a lot of character, and you almost have to build outfits based on the type of sneakers you have on your feet. Under penalty of ending up like a US rapper who confuses Lanvin and moccasins when he puts them on... because the latter transcend their status as "sneakers" and sometimes make them objects of disguise when it would be appropriate to master them.
How to choose your boy's sneakers?
“And the colors? Why do we always choose them white? I never understood…”
A pair of sneakers = sporty connotation. White is the color that is both the most neutral (in the sense that it can match all colors without influencing the combination) and the easiest to match with the rest of the outfit. Quite simply. There are also beige and gray as substitutes in case you overdose on white.
99% of people wear more or less dark jeans (washed blue or navy blue). Taking light-colored sneakers allows you to highlight them more by creating nice contrasts.
We then come to the case of dark sneakers: should we risk it? Lots of good advice on this question! I answer that it all depends on the material that constitutes said pair. A dark color will be more likely to amplify this problem and highlight the poverty of the design if the worked leather is of lower quality than supple, smooth and comfortable leather (lamb, calf, etc.).
Try wearing dark sneakers + crappy faded blue jeans VS light sneakers + crappy faded blue jeans. Well, in both cases, we see that the jeans are rotten, but one of the associations ACCENTUATES this defect more than the other.
Hence a partial explanation of the famous rule which says that you should not wear more than 3 colors on you: quite simply to avoid as much as possible comparing the pieces to each other and judging them individually.
Men's sneakers: how do you recognize a beautiful pair?
“Okay so, what’s a nice pair of sneakers? How do we recognize it?”
Easy. We take a standard model of a brand and compare the others against it. I think the RAF SIMONS, COMMON PROJECTS and LANVINS represent this category perfectly.
Sneakers from different brands almost always have the same soles (since the manufacturer is the SAME!) . ALWAYS.
- Sole : flat, solid, stitched? Not sewn? Is there a risk of it breaking after 2 days? 1 month ? 1 year ? Never ?
- Number of laces : do they all clog up the pair of sneakers to the point of making them ugly? Are they thick or thin?
- The shape of the tip of the sole : is it sufficiently worked, sufficiently harmonious? Is it pulled up like clown shoes? Rounded or pointed?
- High, semi-high, or low? Are you tall, in between, or answer C (meaning average height)? There are no precise rules at this level, it's all a question of the size of the individual and their tastes. But flawless is the low or semi-high. Since Highs tend to make your figure smaller, you'd better be a little tall.
- Comfortable material or not? Let's not forget that walking doesn't just wear out our shoes, but also our feet! And that wear and tear is the greatest friend of holes or other surprises that make us regret our purchase (especially when it exceeds 100 euros). Favor leather therefore, and if possible avoid fine leather (like the Paul Smith Musa model) and cotton/canvas which cracks as soon as you mistreat it.
- Design that conforms to the shape of your foot without mistreating it or giving the impression that you're going to the beach to go diving. So look at the proportions, and especially if it evokes a form of simplicity or not. The more complicated a sneaker becomes, the more it translates into: “I don’t have anything good”.
- The right size : it's like on the seat of a car: the tips of your feet must not smash into the front sole and your ankle must be locked at the back. Basically, don't leave space for chafing and blisters.
Once you recognize these differences or similarities between sneakers each time, you will understand the subtlety and you will then be able to say what you like or not.
Which men's sneakers for which budget?
“And the price of sneakers? I will NEVER spend more than 100 euros on it!”
You are perfectly right. The idea is to get a pair that suits your needs and not for the pleasure of making them shine in the sun... to end up putting them in a box like Scrooge does with his favorite penny.
- For less than 100 euros , it's GAT (German Army Trainers) or Converse or something from China.
- Between 100 and 200 , it is the major consumer goods (Nike, Adidas, Paul Smith, etc.) where the original model exists, but requires a lot of time and especially experience to find it.
- Between 200 and 400 , these are the designer models where you are less likely to find crappy models.
- Between 400 and more , you don't even need to read this topic anymore, you're already a sneaker fan without knowing it. Or maybe you're pretending.
Which leads us to the following conclusion: in drugs as in sneakers, quality has to be paid for. Spending more than 100 euros is not a problem to own a pair of insoles when you know that the quality is good and you can keep them for a long time. Staying on FEIYUE or PF FLYERS is not stupid either. For reasons of social pressure or context (the guys who tell you for example that "Rick Owens in sneakers is great" have small problems... and money to waste) . But not to make an effort to understand what is good or bad is to be guilty of the death penalty.
Benoit also has his say on high-top sneakers:
Sometimes I receive quite surprising questions, on very specific points. “How to wear sneakers hi?” is one of them, and I noticed that some people sometimes complicate the task unnecessarily, with excessive overthinking.
However, you will see, it is very simple...
How to wear high top sneakers? The famous size myth
When, some time ago, I advised against wearing high sneakers (= high-top sneakers) for short people, I should have refined my thoughts... because I often had questions like: " I'm 1m67, can I wear highs?" . To which I respond that it's not a matter of centimeters, but rather of overall silhouette . Yes, there is no size limit to the nearest centimeter under which it is strictly forbidden to wear high sneakers, as you can imagine! The opposite would be very ridiculous.
In fact, I have often seen high sneakers worn very well by small people. What is unsightly (and rare) is to see very fitted jeans, with high-top sneakers that make huge ankles, like the Supra Skytop for example.
You have understood, the contrast between imposing high-top sneakers and very fitted jeans, on someone of small stature , is not very beautiful. Follow these tips on men's sneakers! We have the impression of seeing swollen feet with thin teenage legs. This is what I was getting at when I said that high sneakers were not recommended for small people.
But I want to be clear, high-top sneakers with huge ankles are not common on the streets, and they are often reserved for cheap sneakers! You're very unlikely to wear them, and this type of design is completely absent from sleek, high-end sneakers. A simple pair of Lanvin high tops that have a balanced design, with a semi-slim fit without frills, goes very well: whatever the size. It's not more complicated! And then, it’s immediately visible to the eye. Seriously, trust your eye on this one.
Therefore, if you consider yourself to be short, simply avoid very fitted jeans (leg opening of 17 or 18 cm for the more picky among you) with very imposing high-top sneakers. And that's all !
And if you're still wondering about which men's sneakers to wear, including high-end sneakers , Vianney has already done the hard work.
There is also a dedicated article on the high-top sneaker .
And lots of advice on colors, matching outfits, dressing according to body type, etc... in the paper book that we wrote: the Stylish Man's Guide... Even Unshaven .
