Why on earth would you want to wear sneakers with a suit is the real question.
Dress shoes look so much nicer when worn with a suit, don’t you think?
Not quite.
Several hundred years ago, when suits first appeared, they were paired with boots. Over time, men gave up riding horses in favor of driving cars, using public transportation, and switching to dress shoes as their preferred footwear.
The key takeaway from this is that men’s shoe preferences have changed over time.
Considering that, why not pair a suit with sneakers?
Let’s begin by outlining some fundamental things.
Know The Situation
You should be a little bit cautious when putting that combination together if you’re going into a conservative interview. It might be risky.
However, it makes a lot of sense to wear your stuff with that suit, look good, and the combination will work if you’re going to prom, a party, or getting up on stage while wearing customized sneakers.
Clean Sneakers Are Required
Second rule: The sneakers must be clean, preferably looking brand new, just like the suit.
There shouldn’t be any mud or stains on your clothing. There should be no dirt on these things.
If necessary, replace the laces when wearing sneakers with a suit.
Colors must be true, which is closely related to cleanliness. That black must be black and not gray. If you’re going to use white, make sure it’s true white and not yellowish white. It’s going to look horrible.
Grab the magic eraser, clean those shoes, and make them look white. These things should be spotless.
Leather Instead of Canvas
The final rule is that canvas is less formal than leather. If you want something cheap, something you can get wet and dry quickly, canvas sneakers are excellent for the basketball court.
Instead, look for leather sneakers if you want something that you can wear with a suit.
Let’s discuss the details of wearing sneakers with a suit.
Low Top vs. High Top
Which style do you prefer—high tops or low tops?
From the basketball industry emerged high tops. The higher ankle support was supposed to reduce the risk of injury. High tops are often going to be a little more laid back.
It seems like such a small difference to me. What matters most is what makes you comfortable. Choose the high top option if you enjoy wearing your favorite basketball shoes with a suit.
Go with the low top, especially in a dark solid color, if you’re new, want something a little more affordable, and want something that from a distance would look like a dress shoe. This brings up my next point.
Multicolored vs. Monochromatic Color
The distinction between choosing a shoe in a single color versus a variety of colors is the next point.
Monochromatic refers to something that is only one color. It is not necessarily the suit and shoe combination, even if doing so would create a monochromatic look. It surely looks good to some guys.
I’m referring to a single-colored pair of shoes when I talk about it. There will be some variation in color if you pair white sneakers with a black suit. The shoes are going to pop.
What will be noticeable on a monochromatic shoe is the silhouette. They are really attractive since they are straightforward, clean, and you are going a single color.
As we transition from one color to two colors, we enter the two-tone. We’re going to have a lot of contrast here. When two colors are directly next to one another, contrast results.
The highest contrast possible is black and white. This is going to attract some attention to itself in some bit. Not necessarily bad.
It’s a simple outfit, especially if you’re wearing a black suit; a gray suit would also work well. Your sneakers will rapidly attract attention, yet they aren’t noisy in an excessive way.
Depending on the number of colors and the contrast between them, wearing multicolored sneakers can make you stand out and attract attention.
What I appreciate about multicolored sneakers, especially sports sneakers, is that they are really obvious and not at all meant to match your outfit. The attention should be be on your shoes.
This is the flash if you’re going to wear a pair of shoes like that. You want people to look at this and pay attention. Make sure they are clean, appropriate, and that you understand what you are wearing. Wear them with confidence.
Laces
Let’s discuss laces. They are inexpensive little details, yet they make a big difference.
Remember that I previously stated that they must be clean and fresh, and that is a rule I would like you never breach.
However, you can have a lot of fun here using contrast. You are free to forgo contrast. You could choose a light contrast. You can choose a high contrast. Lace with a strong contrast will be more laid-back.
I only worry about this when your laces are not completely clean. Say you’ve used them a couple times and they have some stains. At such point, you should use caution and choose a no contrast. Because the laces will be prominent when you go for the high contrast look, people will pay attention to those particulars.
What Type Of Suit Should You Wear With Sneakers?
How about the suit that you chose?
Let’s discuss the definition of a suit. A suit is a pair of pants and a jacket made of the same fabric. So, there are track suits and denim suits, but worsted wool suits are typically what we’re talking about here. These are the kinds of suits that are worn in formal settings.
Some men will be seen sporting tuxedos while sporting sneakers. Black tuxedos and black ties in general are considered semi-formal wear. You’ll also see midnight blue. The majority of the time, though, wearing sneakers will make this a little bit more difficult. The appearance is never as good as a simple suit.
The reason is that black has such a strong contrast to other colors. Unless you have trust in it or are wearing black sneakers.
I enjoy pairing sneakers with either a blue or gray suit in a charcoal or medium gray color.
This simply looks better, and ultimately, it’s a look you can pull off.
Brown sneakers look great with blue suits. With it, you can wear a selection of brown, tan, or dark brown sneakers.
When it comes to black sneakers, you can wear them with a navy suit, but they look best with charcoal gray, medium gray, or light gray.
You can pair a black suit with black sneakers, but you can also go for high contrast. These multicolored sneakers would go with anything, so you could wear them.
Those multicolored sneakers are wonderful since you don’t really have to worry about the combination, which is nice. You just need to wear them with confidence. You can wear them with anything.
Who Can Wear It?
What about age and sneakers? When is this combination too old to wear? 40? 50? 60? 70?
I won’t put a number on this because if you’re in your 70s, feel good about yourself, take care of your body, and want to wear your favorite pair of sneakers with your suit, go for it. Why not?
But you don’t have to dress like the rest of your friends wearing sneakers if you’re in your 20s, don’t like that look, and want to wear formal dress shoes with your suit. You act in your own best interests.
Get The Rest of The Outfit Right
Making sure you have the rest of your outfit properly is the final and, maybe, most crucial point in the entire article.
Until they see a young man pulling off this look and making sure everything is in order, skeptics will continue to insist you shouldn’t wear sneakers with a suit.
That suit really fits flawlessly. He is wearing a fine watch, a pocket square, and a quarter-inch of his cuff. The man is simply killing it. And he’s wearing those sneakers.