Hey guys, welcome back!
I'm Eric.
And, I'm Chris.
And today, we're talking about Fly Kicks.
Or, sneakers.
Today, we're talking about sneakers - an everyday kind of shoe.
Really important to talk about.
I've got some questions.
You've got some answers.
The first question I have about sneakers is how do you define them?
What causes a shoe to be in the sneaker category versus a gym shoe?
Like, the traditional Nikes or New Balances I've worn.
Yeah, the line has been blurred lately.
Guys are wearing gym shoes around town.
So, the most important thing to remember if you're planning on wearing sneakers for a
casual look is that those shoes should not be the shoes you exercise in.
(That's the line.)
Yeah, so there are some shoes for working out, for the gym, for jogging - whatever.
There are other shoes that are meant to be worn just casually with jeans and a shirt.
Ok, so where is that line?
Where am I wearing sneakers?
Yeah.
I mean, you can wear them almost anywhere.
If you have a casual office environment, you can wear them there.
I would say the most casual office environments, working for a startup for example, you could
totally do it.
Just be sensitive to it.
I'd say, if there is any question in your mind, don't do it.
Ok, that's helpful.
So, the next question I have, kind of along those lines is this.
Ok, don't wear exercise shoes or running shoes to work, but then, maybe there's a difference
in colors potentially?
When I'm shopping for shoes, I tend to find a brighter peacock section in the shoe store.
Where is the sneaker line for colors?
Yeah.
Colors are a great way to identify a sneaker.
If "running shoe" or "training shoe" aren't in the title of the shoe to obviously indicate
that shoe is for working out, then color is a great way to help you know.
Usually exercise shoes will be really brightly colored and those shoes just don't make sense
in the context of a casual office environment or with jeans and a shirt - something like
that.
Ok, so we have the colors.
We kind of know which ones to buy.
What about caring for these shoes?
You're typically not wearing them ... These aren't the shoes you mow the grass in, right?
Or, helping someone move.
Or, playing football in.
You know, we play football all the time!
These are shoes you're typically wearing to work or going out.
Talk to me about caring for these shoes.
Yeah.
They can obviously still get dirty if you're going out to eat, and you step in a puddle
or something.
A lot of these shoes are fabric and have a canvas upper.
You can clean them pretty easily.
Just use soapy water, or sometimes even just warm water will get dirt and mud off.
That sort of thing.
It's not too big of an issue.
So, you're not throwing them in a washing machine?
(No, don't do that!
Please.)
My mom did this with my tennis shoes!
"They're dirty.
Let's throw them in there."
And then, they would shrink and it wouldn't work.
So, we're not doing that.
Ok, we've brought some shoes today.
We're going to show some different shoes for different personality types.
And really quickly, if you guys don't know anything about Cladwell, what's really cool
is you take a 2 minute survey.
It's free.
And we show you where you land on a style spectrum.
We have a graph, and it's based on formality and trendiness.
And, we show you where you land.
Then, we recommend clothing based on where you land on that style spectrum.
If you haven't done that, go take 1 minute, take the survey.
Then, come back.
And now, we'll show you which shoes go with which personality.
Definitely.
So, here's an example of something not to do.
(This is a sneaker!)
Yeah ... no.
It's a casual sneaker, but I wouldn't wear it with jeans.
This shoe is for exercise.
It's a gym shoe, running.
It's an exercise shoe.
You can tell by the bright color.
Most people would recognize that right away.
For exercise, so don't do that.
This is an exercise shoe, not a sneaker.
Let's look at something you might want to do.
So, this is for a more traditional look.
Not very trendy.
But still, it's sharp, crisp, clean.
It's a neutral color, canvas upper.
It's a boat style.
It's got the sneaker sole.
(So, navy is ok for being a neutral color?
It doesn't have to be white or tan?)
Yeah, when I say neutral, it can be white, tan, grey, navy - anything like that.
Just not bright.
Ok.
If you want something a little less formal, not trendy.
Classic Vans canvas sneaker.
It's got a sneaker sole.
Canvas upper, like I said.
So, I have a question on this shoe really quick.
I bought a shoe like this when I tried to venture into sneaker land.
But, I bought it from Wal-Mart.
And not to bash Wal-mart, it's a great store, but it was that rack shoe.
Like $6 for 2 pairs or something, and it fell apart in like 4 days.
And, it kind of kept me away from sneakers.
And, I want to ask you about this.
It was really uncomfortable, especially on my arches.
Sneakers seem to be flatter shoes typically than exercise and running shoes.
Tell me.
What do I do there?
I have a couple of comments to that.
First, insoles.
I always recommend insoles.
I used to sell insoled shoes to men and women.
Insoles are great.
You can spend $10, $20, $30 for a nice pair of insoles, but they really increase the comfort
for almost any shoe.
I have a couple pairs of insoles, and I swap them out for all my shoes.
So, that's a great way to go.
Other than that, I'd say, shoes - if you have a little money to spend on your wardrobe,
shoes is the place where you want to invest it.
It's just worth it.
Ok, so shoes, a good way to think about it is, "I'm wearing them every day."
So, if I'm going to spend a bit more somewhere in my wardrobe, shoes is a great place to
spend that money.
Now, if you want something still casual, but something more trendy.
I love this black on black, classic Converse Chuck Taylor.
(So, who can pull this off?
I can't pull this off.)
It's definitely more trendy.
You could if you wanted to.
You'd have to change some other things.
It's definitely what I might call more of a city, more of an urban look.
But, it works for a lot of guys.
So, if you want something that's maybe a little bit more formal but still trendy, this might
surprise you a little bit.
It's another classic Vans sneaker, but it's got a leather upper.
So, a little bit more of a city feel.
And, it's got this little slimmed down sole here.
Still a sneaker sole, but a little slimmer than the other ones.
Ok, very cool.
So, I think that's it!
Thanks Chris for giving us a sneakers guide and overview today.
If you guys have any other questions, be sure to leave them in the comments below.
Subscribe!
We're bringing style advice every week here on our channel.
And, go to Cladwell!
Get your free, personal roadmap to dress better.
It'll take you 2 minutes.
Guys, thanks a lot for watching, and we'll see you next time.