5 Stylish Ways To Wear Your Sneakers To Work

In this day and age, wearing sneakers to work is more and more common. While dress codes may be relaxing, there are still a couple of rules you should follow to ensure you aren’t looking too casual at your Monday morning meeting.

However, whether you love New Balance NZ sneakers, Air Jordans, or Chuck Taylors, here is how to wear your favorite sneakers to work.  

Sneakers to Own

There are definitely a few sneakers that work better with formal attire than others. These are usually sneakers that are a bit more subtle and subdued, and they don’t stand out too much.

Air Force 1’s

White or black Air Force 1’s are a clean and simple sneakers that can fit into any outfit, whether you are on a date, at a board meeting, or on the red carpet. There is nothing they don’t pair with and will look great with either a suit or a dress.

Chuck Taylor’s

Another classic design is Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Retro yet modern, Chucks are a great way to make your suit or formal attire look and feel a bit more relaxed. Keep the colors simple and avoid patterns, though; bright orange or pink Chucks aren’t the best match for your work attire.

Sports Sneakers

Reebok, Nike, and Adidas have all made their own versions of a sports or workout sneaker. Thes shoes are incredibly comfortable and perfect for those spending a lot of time on their feet. Black or grey are great color options, and they will almost go unnoticed.

Tips for Wearing Sneakers at Work

When wearing sneakers at work, there are a few things you should always remember to ensure you not only look good in them, but you still keep your professional and formal appearance.

Dress Them Up

As mentioned already, since sneakers are very casual, you should dress them up, not down. This means wearing a suit or formal attire, or if you’re a lady, a dress or pencil skirt. You must ensure the rest of your outfit is smart to balance out the sneakers.

Match Them

Don’t wear outrageously colored or patterned sneakers; ensure they match what you are wearing in some way. If this isn’t possible, neutral-colored sneakers are a blank canvas and will match anything you wear. Colors such as black, grey, and white are great options.

Keep the Colors Simple

As mentioned above, keep your sneaker color simple, but you can experiment if you have the clothes to match. A red suit or dress would look really good with red sneakers, same with blue, for example. However, lime green or highlighter yellow won’t look as good; avoid them.

Buy Fancier Sneakers

While this is completely optional, many designer sneakers look more suitable for formal attire than others. Plus, many see sneakers as lazy or unprofessional, and more expensive sneakers signify wealth. While this can be problematic, it’s similar to believing someone wearing a suit is more knowledgeable than someone in boardshorts, even if they have the same education.

Only choose this option if you really want to wear sneakers to work, and the dress code is a little too strict.

Sneakers with a Skirt

Wearing sneakers and a skirt is an easy and classic way to wear your favorite sneaks to work. Depending on your dress code, a mini dress, pencil skirt, or something similar may be required, and they all go perfectly with sneakers.

If you want something that has a heavy streetwear influence, wear a pair of Air Force 1’s or Adidas Stan Smiths, and if you want a more relaxed look, go for Chucks or a pair of Old Skool Vans.

Sneakers & a Suit

Whether it be a men’s suit or a pantsuit, you can wear sneakers and mix your look up. As mentioned above, low-top, simple sneakers are the best choice unless you have a more relaxed dress code and you’re wearing a suit because you want.

Stick to sneakers that are subtle, one, maybe two colors, and don’t have any bright patterns covering them. Gucci sneakers may be cool, but a big Gucci logo is not.

Sneakers & Jeans

If your workplace doesn’t have a “formal only” dress code, you have far more options. However, you still don’t want to appear too casual, so pairing jeans with sneakers and a button-up shirt still gives you a semi-formal look.

You are also still able to add a blazer if need be and still be dressed up enough to attend meetings or meet with clients.

Mix & Match

Mixing and matching shirts, pants, sneakers, and colors is a way to express your style and personality if your workplace allows it. The rules mentioned above only really apply to those who have to be formal constantly. If you aren’t one of those people, go crazy.

Fitted Pants & a Jersey

Finally, more and more women are choosing less classically female outfits and are exploring with different cuts of pants. Fitted chinos and a jersey is a simple Winter look that is a perfect outfit to be matched with a comfortable pair of sneakers.