Are dress shoes with sneaker soles worth your investment? Well, dress shoes are quintessential footwear for anything and everything sharp and professional. They are the shoes to wear with suits and other formal/semi-formal attire.
The only issue that plagues these leather shoes is comfort. Even the most comfortable dress shoes for men don’t feel very good if you have to wear them for multiple hours.
Sneakers, on the other hand, are mostly casual but they are one of the most comfortable men’s shoes out there. So, what happens when we combine them together by augmenting dress shoes with sneaker soles? Well, we get the best of both worlds. Or do we?
What To Expect In This Article?
What Are Men’s Dress Sneakers?
As the name suggests, men’s dress sneakers are a hybrid between dress shoes and sneakers. One of the most common types of dress sneakers is basically men’s dress shoes with sneaker soles. But there are also leather sneakers that look like dress shoes and are crafted from dress materials like leather.
So, this raises the question, are dress sneakers casual or formal?
The answer to this question can go in either direction depending on the exact design of the hybrid dress shoes and the outfit surrounding them.
For example, a pair of black dress shoes made out of aniline leather with a plain white sole is one of the most comfortable business casual shoes. Alternatively, wingtip sneaker dress shoes with brown pants lean more towards the semi-formal style of clothing and might work well under a suit.
The only question that remains now is whether you should or shouldn’t invest in dress shoes with sneaker soles.
Reasons To Invest in Men’s Dressy Sneakers
These are a few of the biggest benefits and reasons why you should consider investing in the best dress sneakers for men.
General Comfort
Dress shoes with sneaker soles are more comfortable than plain dress shoes and that is a fact. The sneaker-style soles are much softer on your feet and provide better padding. Another point of comfort for dress sneakers is their overall shape and how they fit around your feet.
Even if you learn how to stretch leather shoes, the best dress shoes for men might still feel too tight in certain places depending on their design. Comparatively, you’d be hard-pressed to find this issue with quality dress sneakers.
Health Reason
While men’s sneaker dress shoes are gaining popularity on their own, they are also getting recommended by medical professionals around the world.
Wearing dress shoes with hard soles is not a good idea for folks suffering from foot injuries or some musculoskeletal issues. But not everyone has the option to ditch dress shoes altogether and start wearing their suit with loafers or casual sneakers.
Doctors might recommend these hybrid shoes because they have the comfort of sneakers with the looks of dress shoes. Also getting a recommendation from a medical professional can be helpful when dress shoes with sneaker soles are against your workplace dress code.
Intense Activity
Many job requirements involve a lot of standing up and walking around all day long. While this is still quite manageable for most, the issue arrives when you have to wear dress shoes the whole time as well. Dress shoes are not meant for this much activity and walking in them so much will only cause pain.
If you’re in a similar situation, dress shoes with sneaker soles can be your savior. With these, you can stay on your feet as much as you have to while also complying with the required professional dress code. Also, men’s dress tennis shoes are particularly great for situations like these.
Look & Style
In short, dress shoes with sneaker soles look incredibly unique and interesting. Their hybrid designs are instantly eye-catching and provide many new outfitting opportunities that are not available with even the best men’s dress shoes or sneakers.
The distinct design of these shoes can elevate your regular day-to-day clothing as well. As long as they have this attention-grabbing design with sneaker soles, even basic black shoes with khaki outfits will look more stylish and creative.
Reasons Not To Invest in Men’s Dressy Sneakers
While dress shoes with sneaker soles are becoming more mainstream, there are still a few reasons to reconsider your investment.
Cost
Dress shoes with sneaker soles are expensive. Yes, you can find cheap dress sneakers online. But if you want to wear shoes that are actually as comfortable as they’re supposed to be, you will have to spend the extra cash on higher-quality options. Cheap ones will also break way too quickly – kind of wasting your hard-earned money.
So, unless you really need dress sneakers, you’re better off buying separate pairs of dress shoes and sneakers.
Styling
Most men know how to style dress shoes and sneakers. For them, crafting a double monk strap outfit or low-top sneaker outfit is effortless. Unfortunately, mixing these two styles for shoes that are a hybrid of the two is not as simple.
In theory, you can rock dress sneakers with both casual and professional outfits, but they don’t fully fit either of them. If you want total integration of these shoes with your outfits, you’d have to craft outfits specific for them. These new outfits should incorporate both casual and semi-formal elements which is easier said than done.
Looks
Yes, the looks and aesthetic of dress shoes with sneaker soles are both an upside and a downside. Many experts on men’s fashion and men, in general, do not like these shoes because in their eyes, dress sneakers are an abomination.
According to them, dress shoes with sneaker soles lack the soul of the best men’s dress shoes and the culture surrounding them like learning different ways of how to lace dress shoes. On the other hand, dress sneakers lack the carefree and whimsical nature of sneakers as well since you have to put a lot more effort into crafting fitting outfits for them.
Outfits Ideas for the Best Dress Shoes With Sneaker Soles
If you are interested in integrating dress shoes with sneaker soles into your day-to-day fashion, here are a few recommendations for you. These are the best-looking and easiest-to-style dress sneakers for you to consider and the most fitting outfits for them.
Plain Black Dress Sneakers
Dress shoes with sneaker soles in pure black are the easiest-to-style option on this list. Their plain design and universal color make them compatible with most casual and dress outfits. These are also the ones to choose for wearing below a suit.
If you want to spice things up a bit, look for black dress sneakers with gum soles as they look equally incredible with blue jeans and khaki dress pants.
Pure White Dress Sneakers
White dress shoes with white sneaker soles have the universal compatibility of black but they’re also more of an attention magnet. Just keep these clean and you can rock them under everything from a basic t-shirt and jeans outfits to colorful tuxedo shoes. The best matchup for white dress sneakers is any outfit with dark pants and a light-colored or white shirt/t-shirt.
Blue & Brown Suede Dress Sneakers
Dress sneakers crafted from a mix of blue and brown suede material lean more toward the casual side of things. They look incredible with regular blue jeans and button-up outfits. Add a suede brown leather jacket in the mix and you’ll unlock the full potential of these dress shoes with sneaker soles.
Shiny Brown Dress Sneakers
Brown dress shoes with sneaker soles crafted from shiny aniline leather are a fantastic choice for most office workers. They fit flawlessly with light brown, khaki, and gray work dress pants. An outfit featuring light brown dress pants, a light blue button-up, and a dark brown tie is a near-perfect match for brown dress sneakers.
If you’re after the most comfort, brown dress shoes with gum sneaker soles are also the ideal choice.
FAQ – Dress Shoes With Sneaker Soles
Not really. While dress shoes with sneaker soles can work with a large number of suits, they do not have the compatibility of proper dress shoes.
The answer can be both yes and no, depending on your workplace dress code.
Yes, you do have to wear socks with dress sneakers as they’re more like dress shoes than casual sneakers.
Final Words
At first, dress shoes with sneaker soles might sound like an odd mixture that would never work. But their reason to exist becomes much clearer once you take a closer look at their structure and comfort benefits.
So, if you need a pair of shoes that look like dress shoes but have the softens and comfort of sneakers, dress sneakers are a no-brainer.
