Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video,
we're going to talk about an unexpected but very hyped product, the Lanvin sneakers.
Now, you wouldn't expect to see sneakers on Raphael or
Preston, but I happen to be a big fan of them for certain outfits. I'm not talking about any
kind of a sneaker, just those that have a sleek and modern look. These would usually include
a leather sneaker with a solid upper, little to no branding, and really no athletic purpose
other than just walking. I wear sneakers with jeans, chinos, dress shirts, and even sweaters,
so that the look is polished and looks appropriate for most occasions. In general,
sneakers are not a Gentleman's Gazette staple, but instead of dismissing them outright, we wanted to
take another look because of the wild popularity that Lanvin sneakers have been generating.
There are a few more reasons to take a look at the shoe. Like an Hermes belt, it has a high price
tag, it is hyped, and hashtagged across social media. And there is not much special about it,
besides the brand. A typical pair of sneakers can cost you anywhere from 450 to 550 dollars.
That same amount of money could also be spent on a pair of quality leather dress shoes,
which will last you for decades. The same can't be said for sneakers. Now let's get started
by taking a quick look at the brand Lanvin. Lanvin is the third oldest French fashion house
still in operation. It was started by Jeanne Lanvin, a talented milliner,
in 1889. She designed a luxurious wardrobe for her young daughter, which caught the eye of wealthy
people. Lanvin first focused on children's clothing, but soon began to work on mother's
and daughter's clothing together. She soon became a formal couturiere in 1909. Her
original clientele were women, but in the 1920s she began to expand into furs, lingerie, perfume,
home decor, and menswear. Lanvin was the first Parisian designer to launch a made-to-measure
clothing line for men in 1926. Now by the end of the decade, she had 23 ateliers and 800 employees.
The company was first sold in 1990, that was run by a family member until 1996. The company changed
hands and creative directors many times over the next 30 years, and a Shanghai-based conglomerate
Fosun International currently holds the majority stake. Nowadays, Lanvin is similar to many other
high-end fashion houses. They focus on seasonal collections that are trend-driven. For example,
for men, they offer a ready-to-wear evening pant with a satin waistband. This is paired with a long
sleeve t-shirt, and red and gold trainers. Now it doesn't feature a gallon stripe. They also
don't offer a matching jacket. Clearly, their goal is to break rules and to create new trends. So,
it's unlikely that a company with this kind of approach will focus on truly classic menswear.
Based on the clothing that Lanvin offers, their popular sneaker seems almost pedestrian.
Nevertheless, let's take a closer look at the popular line fence sneakers themselves.
The iconic sneaker from Lanvin is model DBB1. Now this is a low top sneaker with a flat rubber sole,
a prominent cap toe with tone on tone stitching, trimmed edges, and tone in tone shoe laces.
Now this model is made in Portugal. The overall look is mature and understated for a sneaker;
no loud branding colors or details. It comes in a range of muted colors,
mostly white, black, and shades of gray, and also the occasional earth tones like an olive green
or shade of brown. Lanvin clearly doesn't want this to be the trendiest of their shoe lineup.
Now they have many other loud and over-the-top options for men who want to be flashy. Yikes!
Now the toe cap of the shoe is usually in contrast to the rest of the upper, most typically as a tone
on tone contrast and a different finish; for example, such as suede, calfskin leather, patent
leather, or even a croc-embossed leather. Now let's talk about sizing. It's important to know
that this model only comes in whole sizes, and this can be quite awkward for a lot of men. This
situation can be further complicated by the fact that Lanvin also says that their DBB1 model runs
one half to one whole size large. So, you need to decide what whole size makes sense for you. Now
is the sneaker worth it? While 450 to 550 dollars does sound expensive for sneakers, it's actually
not outrageous. It's still highly overpriced for the materials and the kind of shoe that it is,
but at least it has great quality if basic materials in comparison to the average sneaker.
They're 100% calfskin uppers and linings, which makes for a comfortable feel. The soles are 100%
rubber which is unusual for sneakers. Not only is it a natural material, but it'll also take much
more of a beating than other rubber look-alike sole materials. You're still paying substantially
for the brand and for the ability to have a hashtag Lanvin sneakers on your Instagram page.
Now the look is mature and understated, so for men who want to stay on the dressy end of the spectrum,
this is a great option, if you're willing to pay the price. We like that there is minimal branding
and none that is visible on the outside of the shoe. The only tell that these are Lanvin
sneakers would be the characteristic toe cap. We like the least flashy options and tone on tone
uppers and caps in colors like green, brown, or white. The patent leather is the least appealing
option because it's such a formal material. It's really out of place here. Black patent should
be reserved for formal wear and evening attire, not sneakers. This is mostly a cry for attention.
So, we suggest opting for a more appropriate leather option for casual footwear. That being said,
black in menswear is also a very formal color. Traditionally it's only a part of Evening Attire
or funeral attire, and you definitely shouldn't be wearing sneakers to a funeral.
I hope that goes without saying. It's also highly overrated as a color on its own. To see why we
believe black is overrated as a color, check out our video here. Now many of the shoe options are
black, some even having black rubber soles as well. Now unless you're wearing a contrasting pant, black
will have the effect of making your legs and feet recede, and it's just a bit boring. Now let's talk a
bit about Lanvin sneakers' versatility. In terms of how much you can get out of a product
that really depends on you. As we said. Preston and Raphael will probably never wear sneakers,
but I do tend to wear them from time to time. I would pair these sneakers with a dark pair of
jeans, a dark turtleneck sweater, and perhaps a camel overcoat just to add a pop of color,
or perhaps even like the outfit I'm wearing today, with a dark sport coat, a white button-down shirt,
and a pair of khaki slim chinos. In our opinion, the brown version is the most versatile. It's
more casual than black and will pair nicely with jeans and chinos, without looking too dark. Though
Lanvin does offer a white option, someone who is after a more classic look might find this color a
bit limiting. White is bold and will contrast with almost anything you wear with it. White shoes have
the tendency to draw your eye down, so for guys who like to wear dark pants and white sneakers,
it tends to make people focus on your feet, rather than your whole outfit. Now white will call even
more attention to the fact that these are sneakers, and this will cause them to look as casual as they
can be. Now bear in mind that this look, regardless of the color chosen, will be much harder for a
mature man to pull off than a younger man, and we talk about this issue at length in our Mistakes
Older Men Make When Trying To Look Young video. Now wearing pieces commonly associated with youth can
make you look like you're trying too hard. It can sometimes be just too hard to pull off.
So, in conclusion, we do not think these are worth it. These are expensive, basic, not too versatile,
a little bit difficult to size, and they focus a little bit too much on the color black, in general.
So, they're quite a bit boring. It's from a trendy brand, which will focus on the next best thing.
So, don't expect the trend to last forever. Now, if you really like this look, there are many other
options out there that are almost identical for a quarter of the price, and frankly a good loafer
or driving moc will make you look much more put together. Today I'm wearing a dark sport coat with
light gray and light blue checks over the top, a white button-down dress shirt, and a Fort Belvedere
pocket square with green and gold and burgundy flecks woven in, a tan pair of slim cotton chinos,
and, of course, the amazing Lanvin sneakers. I'm pairing that all with a unique pair of
Fort Belvedere socks.Ccheck out the Fort Belvedere shop here for socks and pocket squares like these.