Courtesy
I was determined not to rent a tuxedo for my prom. I was also determined not to wear oxfords, derbies or anything like that either. My reasoning — aside from the early 2000s, an era of baggy, dodgy shoes — was that I didn’t want to be like everyone else. I always wanted to look presentable and conform to the prescribed dress code, but I also wanted to stand out. So, I got myself a silver-grey wool-silk-blend suit from Calvin Klein Collection, one of the few brands that made skinny silhouettes at the time. I paired it with a charcoal gray merino wool vest, crisp white shirts and a periwinkle blue tie, also from Calvin Klein. My shoes? Trainers dressed in white leather.
It was the period before Normcore and well before the pandemic. It was a time when there was a whole catalog of fashion rules: what to wear and what not to wear for such and such an occasion. And one of the main not to do on this list wore sneakers for a dressy event. The horror! Shock ! Total disgust! None of this came to me. Instead, to my surprise, the reaction my crisis has received has been overwhelmingly supportive. If there had been an award for Best Dressed of the Night, it would definitely have gone to me on the sneakers alone.
My kicks were clean, simple, high – all characteristics befitting a dressed shindig. This is pretty much what sets dress sneakers apart from others in the same taxonomy. They weren’t sports shoes; they were not meant to be beaten; they weren’t wild and crazy, or bold and clumsy either. They were elegant. And although I got a lot of oohs and aahs, I was the only guy in sneakers at prom.
Now the sneakers and suits are pretty much standard. There are, however, a few scenarios where dress shoes should be considered over other styles, primarily if the event calls for black or white tie. But regardless, sneakers are downright acceptable. In fact, at a number of cocktail parties over the past few months, the amount of sneakers worn by men certainly exceeded the number of dress shoes. And if you’re looking to follow in their footsteps, check out the chicest and dressiest sneakers around, all made for a best-dressed list.
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