The Art of Styling Sneakers with Suits

Hollywood High Tops 
Considering a high top sneaker? While high top models are a little more difficult to navigate, you can always rely on a few key options. 

The Air Jordan 1 is a great starting point, Michael Jordan’s 1985 masterpiece still arguably the strongest silhouette in the Jumpman hangar. Look to Spike Lee for inspiration here, the legendary director and long-time Knicks fanatic famous for pairing basketball sneakers with his suits. 

Known as much for his personal style as his films, the cultural icon laced a stunning tribute to Kobe Bryant last year, pulling up to the red carpet in a royal purple Gucci suit and a pair of the Nike Kobe 9 ‘Sequoia’ from 2014. He also applied the Midas touch with a personally commissioned gold and purple pair of Air Jordan 1s for the 2nd annual Prince Born Day.

While high tops are obviously not for the faint-hearted, a simple ‘Neutral Grey’ colourway of just about any Air Jordan model will elevate your suit to the next level, especially considering the recent resurgence of all things Jumpman thanks to the super successful docu-series The Last Dance. 

For extra style points, consider cuffing the bottom of your pants. 

From the Skate Park to the White House 
Hey, if Frank Ocean can pull up to Barack Obama’s White House state dinner in Vans Slip-Ons then, rest assured, you can wear sneakers with a crisp suit on your next night out. 

Pairing his checkered Vans Slip-Ons with a crisp navy suit, the 33-year-old song bird and sartorial trailblazer set the Internet ablaze with his fit, the look prompting one reporter to say: ‘I have to ask you about the shoes. What was the thinking behind the Vans?’

‘You can’t think, you just have to do things’, Frank responded.

Remember, the louder your sneakers, the more subdued your tailoring. Something like chequered Vans are best paired with more conservative formal wear. 

Dadcore
Keen to try something a little chunkier? 

New Balance are captivating the sneaker industry right now with outstanding collaborations and archival catalogues jammed with dad shoes and teched-out vintage runners. 

A pair of grey or black New Balance shoes with a suit is a match made in heaven, with models like the 574, 990v5 or 993 offering plenty of low-key elegance. Still, if you’re enamoured by even chunkier, more maximalist sneakers, consider a softer aesthetic for more neutral tones – which means leave the blazing neon Balenciaga Triple S at home for now. Silhouettes like the adidas Ozweego or Yung-1 will only work if the colour palette is monochrome.