Here's how to look sharp wearing a suit with sneakers

Mr Porter and Insider Picks

Wed, Apr 1, 2015, 8:30 AM

(Mr Porter)

We’ve asked our friends at MR PORTER.COM, the men’s style destination with same-day delivery in Manhattan and London, for some expert style advice. This week’s topic: suits and sneakers.

Our PR Manager Mr Michael Dale is rarely seen out of a suit. Some have said it is a stipulation of his contract, others claim it’s a time-saving exercise. The truth, however, is far simpler. He does not moonlight as a lawyer, and he is not an opportunistic wedding crasher. He just, well, enjoys it. And, as you’d expect from a man with practice, he wears tailoring rather well.

On entering the MR PORTER HQ recently, instead of teaming his suit with a pair of, say, John Lobb monk-straps, he wore Stan Smith sneakers. Nothing hugely shocking there, we know. Ever since high-fashion brands started finessing their sneaker game, and style icons such as Messrs Mark Ronson and Kanye West showed us how to dress them up, men have enjoyed experimenting in this way. And one look at this year’s collections tells us tailoring and trainers remain in a healthy relationship.

Runway trends aside, this combination says one simple yet powerful thing. It says you are wearing a suit not because a job or lack of imagination require it, but because you want to. And you feel very comfortable doing so. It is, therefore, an extremely assured look, but one that can be tricky to pull off.

Below, we have put together five ensembles fit for any occasion. Perhaps you’d like to start wearing more suits in your downtime, but worry you’ll seem a little stuffy. Maybe you are required to wear tailoring in the office but want to be more playful at the weekend. However you want to make suits and sneakers work, tread with confidence, and try to stick to a few ground rules…

Traveling today, meeting tomorrow

(MR PORTER)

When dressing for an important meeting, the first thought is usually: brogues or Oxfords? However, especially if the brainstorming begins fresh from a flight, you might consider an appropriate sneaker-and-suit combination (unless you tread the formal floors of law or banking firms). The key here is classic kicks such as Stan Smiths and fitted trousers. Don chunky high tops, and you run the risk of resembling a rebellious sixth-former. Go for a formally structured suit and it might seem as if you left your Oxfords in the luggage rack. This Burberry suit will travel well, and should avoid any puddling – while the grandad-collar shirt brings authority to proceedings. Here is a man who wears tailoring for the sheer fun of it, and walks, not hobbles, from flight to appointment.