Sneakers to the suit: How to wear the casual menswear trend
Sneakers for the suit: Who says that a suit must be formal? This is how you style your suit casually.
In recent years, sneakers have become salon-worthy, suits in turn suitable for the street. While the combination of a sporty sneaker with an elegant suit would once have caused a sensation, the rules of menswear 2023 are as loose and versatile as the various suit trends themselves. Thus, the all-important question is no longer whether, but which sneakers should be best worn with the suit.
Some of the most fashionable gentlemen in the world, from A$AP Rocky, to Justin Bieber to Timothée Chalamet, have already publicly displayed their love for the emphatically casual look several times.
What you should pay attention to in order to successfully integrate the casual combination into your everyday life - and when it should be better the classic of a suit shoe - we have summarized for you.
Sneakers to the suit: What should you pay attention to when combining?
The most important first, because just like the classic suit shoe, the sneaker of your choice must be in good shape and well-groomed. The tightrope walk between trendy footwear and worn-out sneakers is narrow and so it is particularly important that a clear distinction is made between everyday sneakers and sneakers for a particular occasion.
Converse to the suit have experienced a renaissance on the red carpets of this world, among other things, but this is not a request to get your old canvas shoes out of the closet. If you want to make these or similar looks your own, it is definitely worth investing in a new pair of sneakers or a corresponding care set.
Which sneaker goes with which suit?
Despite the admittedly flexible rules of current menswear, there are some subtleties that you should pay attention to when wearing and choosing the right sneaker for the suit. Apart from that, however, the sneaker can basically be worn with most suits.
However, the combination is especially useful if the desired result is a casual, casual look, then a sneaker even works with a tuxedo, as Brad Pitt shows on the Red Carpet. Conversely, this also means that a casual, modern suit - preferably with a T-shirt instead of a classic shirt - is best suited for the style experiment. (How does the man of today wear a suit?
Timothée Chalamets combination of cropped baggy pants, white socks and chucks to the jacket is daring, but cool. While the main focus of a suit shoe is primarily on the color, it is important to pay attention to the cut of the suit in its sporty counterpart.
The narrower the suit, the narrower and reduced the matching sneaker. This rule of thumb helps above all to preserve the proportions that are crucial for any form of tailoring.
Sneaker classics as an all-rounder
Especially the variant of a narrow suit with an equally narrow sneaker is ideal for all those who are currently still unfamiliar with the idea of a sports shoe for a suit. To get a first taste of the combination, well-known sneaker models and those shapes that do not directly catch the eye at first glance are particularly suitable.
Classic white or black leather sneakers with the suit are the perfect introduction to the topic to get closer to the sporty variants, such as Converse, Vans or the Gazelle and Samba models from Adidas, step by step. The length of the suit trousers plays a minor role here, but this should under no circumstances be shorter than when wearing a business shoe.
Once the first hurdle has been overcome, the sporty sneakers can be used in all their versatility, because they are not considered absolute all-rounders for a reason. Here it is important to develop the joy of experimentation, because the great advantage of the sneaker classics is above all their adaptability.
As soon as courage has been taken, color is also welcome to come into play. Unlike the typical suit shoe, the sneaker shines above all through its variety and there is almost nothing that does not exist. At the end of the day, however, it is of course up to you whether you want to use your sneaker as a color accent or as a neutral companion. It is conceivable, especially depending on the suit color, both.
Chunky sneakers with a loose suit
Of course, the aforementioned rule does not mean that extreme, chunky sneaker silhouettes are completely off the table. On the contrary, a wide-cut, loose suit really comes into its own with an equally oversized shoe.
The more fashionable and unusual the suit, the more experimental you can become when choosing the sneaker - a news that should please fans of New Balance, Salomon and Asics in particular. Bonus points are also available here for suits with a generously cut and above all long trouser leg, which may also cover parts of the sneaker.
Ankles or socks should better not come to light with this look, because only with the extra fabric can the proportions be preserved with a wide variety of Dad or Gorpcore sneakers.
It's not too long ago that trouser legs - whether with jeans or suits - became shorter and narrower. With his look at a Dior show in Paris, A$AP Rocky provides powerful arguments both for the return of another suit trousers and for the combination with a slightly overproportioned dad sneaker. If you are unsure about the perfect trouser length to the chunky sneaker model, take an example from the rapper. The slight "kink" at the hem is a
When is the sneaker with the suit a no-go?
The use of the once controversial combination really knows no limits at the moment - at least when it comes to Justin Bieber, because the singer did not want to do without his beloved Nike Dunks even at a meeting with France's President Emmanuel Macron.
A statement was the choice of shoes in many ways - not least in terms of color, because the bright blue kicks offered a strong contrast to the dark pinstripe suit of the Canadian, which completed his look with an open shirt and discreet chain.
It remains to be seen whether the Bieber argument is good enough to convince your mother-in-law that a sneaker is the right shoe choice for your wedding, but that is also possible. Unless there is a strict dress code for a particular event, the grip on the sneaker is actually much less important on the occasion than on the choice of the sneaker.
However, if you want to play it safe, remember that the sneaker is particularly suitable for taking away the rigor of a suit and making the good piece look more casual. If this does not seem appropriate to you in a situation, this may be your sign to get the tried-and-tested suit shoe out of the closet.
[Via GQ Germany]