High-top, low-top; dramatic, romantic; retro, techno; custom, ready-made – sneakers come in so many sizzling styles. Browse our edit of the season’s most covetable designs.
By Purnima Shrinivas
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Stylish Sneakers.
5-to-10 Style
5-to-10 Style: A fabric and mesh upper, platform of rubber, and oodles of shimmering gold. That’s what glam flatforms are made of. Just one pair will stride effortlessly from evening to night. superga.co.uk
1/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Sporty Pretty
Sporty Pretty: Mix in a little satin along with some silk, add a drizzle of leather and a dash of rubber, glaze generously with an eye-catching yellow, and you’ll get the sportiest lace-ups of the season. twinsforpeace.com
2/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Cute Kicks
Cute Kicks: Change your spots and man up with a fashionable, fuzzy and retro-silhouetted pony skin a.k.a. calfskin, bambi-print trainer. Keep the rest of your wardrobe minimal for maximum impact. coggles.com
3/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Flower Power
Flower Power: Definitely not your grandma’s ‘70s flower-power shoes, but 21st-century trainers bedecked in bouquets of roses, lilies, cherry blossoms and plum blossoms with a vibe that’s fresh, youthful and urban. nike.com; overkill.com
4/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Silver Sparklers
Silver Sparklers: All that glitters is unabashedly glamorous, especially when the espadrille tie-ups in question are Charles David design beauties. Sporty or sexy, luncheon or gala, making heads turn will be a cinch with these. charlesdavid.com
5/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Sneaker Transformer
Sneaker Transformer: Dark brown faux leather uppers, ankle straps, buckles, laces and zips – an ol’ school do, for sure. Fancy a look of undone? Fold the shaft and button down, exposing contrasting interiors and switch from retro to cool in a jiffy. esprit.co.uk
6/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Light Whites
Light Whites: The scene-stealing simplicity and timeless appeal of a plain white, airy, ventilated and lightweight sneaker for her: slip it on, anything goes. Nothing else comes remotely close. jeffreycampbell.com
7/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Red Treads
Red Treads: What’s not to love about a red-hot, refreshing, block-heel-style lace-up sneaker! Pair with skinnies, straight-legs or flares this summer – they promise to elevate your style quotient, literally. solestruck.com
8/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Yoga Flats
Yoga Flats: Striking perfectly balanced poses and maximising complicated yoga stretches becomes easier with stretchy, purpose-built, split-toe flats. They’ll help channel your inner yogini, no doubt; more importantly, they’ll keep your dignity in check. ahnu.com
9/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Sustainable Sneakers
Sustainable Sneakers: The most sustainable one on the list with a strictly vegan tag, these hemp and canvas trainers equipped with shock-absorbing mid-soles and cushioned insoles spell kindness and comfort from the word ‘go’. saucony.com
10/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Five Finger Fun
Five Fingers Fun: Unusual, striking and for the sartorially gutsy, these ultra-lean and flexible five-finger creations are the best we’ve seen on the barefoot scene. vibramfivefingers.it, www.primallifestyle.com
11/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Instagram Instaglam
Instagram Instaglam: A ready-made shoe too yesterday for you? Say hello to adidas Originals mi ZX FLUX – a bespoke, artsy and unisex version customisable via app to reflect a personal or pre-designed graphic or photo. And, it’s as easy as a shoot and upload/select and go. Will these cutting-edge cool kicks become 2015s sneakers de rigueur? We think so. adidas.com
12/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Dark Slides
Dark Slides: The dark and otherworldly appeal of these Star Wars-inspired pint-sized canvas shoes featuring graphic prints of the icy planet Hoth have us on fanboy alert. The only thing missing? A little Jedi Knight wielding a saber, of course! vans.com
13/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Botanical Blacks
Botanical Blacks: If those bold and colourful floral prints on men’s fashion runways look a tad too intimidating, consider the Sperry x Velour garden-inspired denim chukkas in black and grey hues. Not only do they spell cool guy, they’re on the subtler side too. colette.fr
14/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Monochrome Medley
Monochrome Medley: A traditional white American canvas chukka gets a Japanese update with a chunky black rubber platform – basic, classic, stylish and not a day out of date. We’re sold. sols.jp
15/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Spotty Dotty:
Spotty Dotty: How to work the evergreen polka into your man wardrobe without appearing like a fashion disaster? Forget the predictable scarf ‘n tie; play dare instead with dotted shoes. One more thing, prep ahead: ensuing stares may be intense. sneakerpolitics.com
16/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Serious Style
Serious Style: Give normcore an edge of sophistication with these deep blue, classic Italian trainer-style low tops featuring suede toe caps, knitted fabric uppers and dark brown leather side stripes. pantofola d’oro.com
17/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Classic Canvas
Classic Canvas: Traditionally styled, naturally dyed and fitted with cork foot beds and thick rubber walls for optimum comfort, these indigo tennis shoes are the perfect pair for the dapper dude about town. trunkclothiers.com
18/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Formal Minimal
Formal Minimal: High-quality calf skin, raised and gracefully aging rubber soles, clean and sleek construction, superior craftsmanship – no wonder the Mirfield Minimalist in burnt brown is our best go-to style for occasions, premium notwithstanding. churchfootwear.com
19/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Design Your Own Pair (DYOP)
Design Your Own Pair (DYOP): Stripes are nice, but perhaps you prefer solids? Even better – green on one side, red on the other, print on the inside and laces in a contrast, maybe? The sneaker is your blank canvas – don your design hat and paint on! converse.com
20/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Buy One, Give One
Buy One, Give One: Yes, these woven paseos have a bright and eye-catching aesthetic, but that’s not the only reason we’re recommending them. With every purchase, another pair is given to a child in need. Now that’s what we call soles with soul. toms.com
21/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
More for Less
More for Less: Definitely not de-calf, but a stunner nonetheless with killer good looks and a string of qualities to boot plus a decent asking price – this one’s what we’re crushing on now. greats.com; mrporter.com
22/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Hawaiian Haven
Hawaiian Haven: Whether on a boat or a summer holiday, step away from the conventional and show off your playful side in these multi-coloured and tropically printed fabric shoes. yuketen.com
23/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Custom Fit Kicks
Custom Fit Kicks: A relatively structure-less running shoe in deflated mode, but one that snugly adapts to the shape and contours of your foot when inflated, creating a locked-in fit for maximum performance. Genius. reebok.com
24/26
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Stylish Sneakers.
Everyday Essentials
Everyday Essentials: A smart tan staple in a hand-woven, checkerboard pattern – so easy and versatile it cruises smoothly from work to play lending a hipster touch to crisp khakis and a dash of panache to blue jeans. vans.com
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