- Best Sneakers#1
Adidas Gazelle
The Adidas Gazelle is cleaner than the Samba, softer than a leather court shoe and old enough to have earned its casual authority. The suede upper gives color real depth, while the low profile keeps the shoe easy with denim, fatigues or relaxed tailoring. It is not new, which is precisely the appeal. Menswear has enough shoes trying to look like the future. The Gazelle looks like a good Saturday that happened several decades ago and kept happening.
- #2
New Balance 990v6
The New Balance 990v6 is the comfortable shoe that became stylish by being useful long enough. It has cushioning, grey restraint and enough bulk to make a narrow trouser look wrong and a wider one look right. The sneaker works because it does not pretend to be sleek. It is a shoe for walking, errands, airports and the kind of office where people own good chairs. Practicality, repeated often enough, becomes taste.
- #3
Vans Authentic
The Vans Authentic is still the simplest canvas sneaker that matters. It is flat, direct and almost aggressively unprecious, which makes it useful with shorts, jeans, chinos and the occasional summer suit worn by someone with enough nerve. It has skate history without needing to perform tricks and a price that allows for replacement instead of reverence. Some shoes improve an outfit by not trying to complete it. This is one of them.