The problem with dress sneakers

When it comes to dress sneakers, they either look hideous or are uncomfortable. At black tie events one notices attendees dressed in expensive tuxedos and yet attempting to pair them with sneakers underneath. The same goes for business conferences, private clubs and public figures. Initially wearing sneakers with a suit appealed to the elderly who in part due to orthopedic reasons may not have been able to wear rigid leather shoes for hours, preferring the stability and comfort offered by sneakers. This has since been amplified to encompass the majority that has surrendered to the comfort and fit afforded by sneakers. At a recent AI Impact Summit major tech executives and billionaires appeared wearing pristine suits and sneakers underneath. This was not due to a dearth of financial resources but due to a genuine lack of better options. In fact, sneakers these days tend to cost more than dress shoes when one factors into account the fact sneakers really only seem to last about six months with regular usage whereas dress shoes can last several years with good care and routine maintenance. Even if you don’t bother taking your formal shoes to a cobbler they still last twice as long as the average sneaker. For finance workers disgorging from the New York City office towers, sneakers have become part of a uniform that includes chinos, a button-down shirt and the notorious vest that has given rise to the term finance bro. Despite the incongruous nature of the overall look, who can blame them? When working long hours in the office bookended by two drudging commutes, the unparalleled cushioning and support provided by sneakers seems to win the tug of war with aesthetics.

Most people in these situations will opt for black sneakers to try to dampen the visual impact. Yet it is patent to the naked eye in such situations that an otherwise formally dressed individual is not wearing dress shoes since the sneakers stick out like a sour thumb. Apart from the overall conspicuousness, two components are particularly noticeable. The soles and logo. Almost all sneakers, at least ones that are actually sneakers, come with prominent logos that are absent in dress shoes. The other is the soles which are most usually white. The reason for this is that it’s cheaper to produce them that way since the rubber used is naturally white and doesn’t require additional coloring. Other differences include the type of laces used, the fabric and the shape of the soles. Dress shoes use thinner, flatter laces that enhance their formality. Sneakers on the other hand use thicken rounder laces are will use a material that will hold knots more securely. In terms of material dress shoes will be made from either natural materials such as leather or suede or synthetic materials that mimic their appearance. While sneakers might be made from mesh and synthetics like polyethylene terephthalate for breathability and comfort. Dress shoe soles offer a thinner more elegant appearance whilst sneaker soles will be thicker with an emphasis on shock absorption.

As far as current options for dress sneakers that fall into two categories. They either genuinely are sneakers and thus mismatched with the rest of the formal outfit which seems to be the go-to option since at least they provide the desired stability and support. Or they are what has putatively been labelled dress sneakers which fall into a no man’s land of imparting a smart casual look that brings neither the comfort of sneakers nor the formality of actual dress shoes. Dress sneakers remain contentious for this reason. There seems to be this tension between comfort and formality stemming from the tacit assumption that we must choose one or the other. Given the current footwear landscape this isn’t an entirely unfounded assumption. Photos from the New York Public Library annual gala with tux and sneakers with a swoosh may compel you to avert your gaze or flinch and yet even those lionized by contemporary culture cannot withstand the compulsion to avail themselves of the tantalizing cushioning of running shoes. No one seems immune to this stylistic shift that has evolved into a fashion trend driven by fit rather than appearance. In all fairness clothing has always served a dual purpose of both being utilitarian and serving as a creative outlet. What if comfort and formality can co-exist in the same shoe? What if the fit and feel of a sneaker can be combined with the inconspicuousness and elegance of dress shoes? Such an outcome would dissolve the false dichotomy undergirding this entire footwear trend.

It is possible for comfort to meet formality when starting with a sneaker and putting it through a fabric make over. You can dress the sneaker up and change its external appearance entirely while preserving the existing comfort and fit. This is done by carefully measuring the length, width and height of the exterior of the shoe to determine the measurements needed for the fabric that will be put on the shoes. Then you choose a suitable fabric. You want something formal that can also stretch a little bit. Suede, certain types of leather and stretch faux leather all do the trick. You then carefully cut the fabric to the exact specifications and apply it to the sneakers. Fabric glue is a good adhesive for keeping it together along with some stitching for extra firmness. The faces should also be replaced with dress laces. If you have an eye for detail, you can change the eyelets as well. Use a pair of pliers to gently remove the eyelet. Or even better, a dedicated eyelet removal tool. The outsole and midsole are the last components that need to be addressed. On dress shoes these correspond to the welt, outer sole and heel. There are shoe sole protection pads that can be applied to the bottom of a dress shoe for protection or anti-slip. These can be used on the side to patch up the outer sole and midsole. An alternative is to use a dress shoe cover, although you want to make sure it looks sleek. A third option is if you are using faux leather or another durable waterproof material you can simply extend the fabric all the way to the bottom although visually it’s better to have a distinguishable sole. In any event these should be applied before the fabric is sewn on so that the fabric is applied on top. For the welt cut a strip of leather and apply it the shoes perimeter by stitching just on top of the outsole. In this case the welt will be decorative rather than functional to connect the shoe to the sole. This will complete the look of a dress shoe and so your shoe will remain functionally a sneaker, but visually a dress shoe solving the intractable dress sneaker problem.

The problem with dress sneakers

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