From Our EIC: What Kind of Sneakers Should You, an Adult Man, Be Wearing?

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Alright, you guys. We’re gonna talk about sneakers today, and, fair warning, I have what I fear are some unpopular opinions on this very broad category of footwear.

First and foremost, I don’t believe in the idea of “dress” sneakers or “office-appropriate” sneakers or whatever sneakers we’re always being told are “perfect for datenight.” Call me old-fashioned — or just old — but I feel like if the occasion you’re dressing for requires even a modicum of polish, you should just suck it up and put on a proper pair of shoes. You don’t have to parade around in your shiniest cap-toe Oxfords every day, but is it really that much trouble to put on a pair of chukkas or some super versatile derbies? This constant drive to game the system with “athletic-inspired dress shoes” is without question one of the worst things to happen to men’s style in the past decade. I don’t even particularly like the admittedly clean silhouette of something like the Greats Royale 2.0, let alone something as bone-chillingly terrible as this Cole Haan disaster.

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On the other end of the spectrum, we have what I hope is a less controversial take, which is that with very few exceptions, you should only be wearing performance-oriented athletic shoes if you are in fact participating in athletics. This should go without saying, but please, do not let yourself turn into one of those guys who wears jeans and, like, recently retired Asics running sneakers.

Also, with warmer months fast approaching, all your favorite men’s lifestyle publications are gonna start talking about “The Best White Sneakers for Spring,” and while I will certainly grant that lots of dudes can pull off some version of this look, it’s simply not for me, and I would argue that it is also kinda boring.

And one final note: If you are a real sneaker guy, like the kind of guy with a closet full of rare Jordans and Air Maxes, I will concede that you’re probably playing by an entirely different set of rules, and that’s okay. If, 10 years ago, you were rocking Black Cement 3s and 95 OG Neons, your journey toward adult-appropriate sneakers probably looks a little different than mine. Perhaps you’ve settled into some relatively understated 1s or some SB Blazers, both perfectly reasonable choices.

Okay, so with all that said, I now humbly present the sneaker selection I’ll be rotating through over the next few months. Let me know what I missed.

New Balance 2002R Sneakers

I talk about this in the office with Paolo all the time, but as much as I like the New Balance 990 — the iconic ad for which read, “Worn by supermodels in London and dads in Ohio” — I feel like, now that I am 46 years old and an actual dad (albeit one from Long Island rather than Ohio), there would be a certain amount of necessary irony lacking for me to properly pull them off. Like, I worry that I’m old enough that people might just think I have really bad feet or something. So instead, I’ve focused on other New Balance silhouettes, namely the Made in USA 998, which is not currently available in my preferred gray colorway, and this, the 2002, which I think hints at the same vibe as the 990 but with a little less heft.

Buy Here: $145

Converse Chuck ’70 Ox

Like any messed-up, Nirvana-loving 15-year-old in 1993, I immediately started wearing Chucks and didn’t stop for many years until I decided I was too old to ever again suffer the indignity of having to wear in a brand new pair. As a longtime devotee of the low black ones with the white toe cap and bright white laces, the high contrast simply made me feel like a tool. But if you opt instead for the off-white ones here, that contrast is far less intense and thus far less embarrassing. This is as close as I’ll get to wearing one of those “best white sneakers for spring” I mentioned earlier.

Buy Here: $85

Vans Premium Authentic Canvas Sneakers

Of all the shoes I really settled into once I’d mostly retired my Chucks, Vans have probably been the most prominent. I’ve dabbled in Old Skools and bought damn near every variation of the Era before they unceremoniously phased it out, but I’ve most recently embraced the brand’s most classic silo, the Authentic, which is available in approximately one million colors.

Buy Here: $85

Sperry x Beams Plus Nylon CVO Sneakers

If you worry that Vans feel a bit too youthful or off-brand for you, I get it, and I would recommend something like this Sperry x Beams CVO sneaker, which has a similarly minimalist silhouette without quite the counter-culture implications.

buy here: $100

Hoka Kaha Low GTX Sneakers

I know I said you shouldn’t be wearing athletic shoes unless you’re actually participating in athletics, but I make an exception here for the Hoka Kaha (as well as some other trail/hiking-type sneakers) because I think they work well for a certain kind of Subaru-driving guy whose slim-cut jeans are cuffed just so. They’re comfortable as hell, too.

buy here: $220

Adidas Gazelle Indoor Sneakers

And we can’t leave out Adidas, can we? After years of dominance by the Samba, I recommend moving onto the Gazelle, which is a little less ubiquitous, a little more comfortable and still sufficiently nods to your ’90s Britpop phase. I like these with some slightly cropped, wider-leg workwear-type pants.

buy here: $120