Recommend an athletic shoe that doesn't look athletic.
I'm looking for shoes that I can walk, sprint, and climb in, but also don't look like sneakers.
During the day I typically visit the office, play with kids, and walk 5 miles. Dress shoes aren't built for the amount of moving I do, but sneakers aren't my style and are too casual in some situations. Most athletic-dress shoe hybrids also look very bad imo.
Are there any shoes out there which have all the functions of an athletic shoe but have a stylish look to them?
46 Replies
um
no
There’s probably a hiking boot of some sort that would work
yeah. hiking boots are about as close as i can recommend
Danner cascade maybe
You can also try a dressier shoe with a thicker rubber sole and supplement with inserts
But I’m curious how often you find yourself needing to sprint and climb in ‘office appropriate’ shoes
New balance 574 is my default idea of a sneaker that meets all your needs and is also office appropriate
I‘m gonna assume climbing happens in a „playing with the kids“ context and refers to maybe a small boulder or sth. Any lug sole shoe will do that
And for a short dash gel inserts or sth will pick up any slack the soles can’t.
Geobskabet
Cargobasket
depending on the office nb 990 series might also be an option
if this is meant to be your only shoe i would strongly consider getting separate shoes or multiples, as wearing one pair daily will wear them out fairly quickly
I get the work zoomies.
Bespoke is the way to go here, if you could spare the clams! But...
bespoke all purpose shoes sounds like a great way to waste hundreds
I would guess that something like this: canvas over leather (this particular shoe looks smooth imo, even after some long service), thick Vibram, Dainite etc. soles–obviously thicker than in the photograph–and some quality inserts could also work...
But then, I might not have taste, too.
i’m gonna be real
these look like dress allbirds
I'm missing the connotation here, as I dunno what an Allbirds is!
But it's not conventional 100%.
Sorry for this thread, but I'm honestly surprised that I cannot easily find something that suits my needs.
No need to apologize, but what you're looking for kinda doesn't exist. IMO a shoe bag and 2 different pairs shoes is the move here.
Yeah
Right now shoes seem to either look good or feel good, unless you're a sneakerhead.
I would also add in, that needs of this kind are highly subjective and context dependent. We don't know what looks "stylish" for you, or what your office finds appropriate.
And hey, we may never know the latter. There's no need to.
"feel good" is a relative phrase imo. i have foot issues exacerbated from many years of wearing tight shoes and insoles have been invaluable for me
You could go the unconventional way, and try to create an outfit around specific shoes that you deem worthy.
That is appropriate for the context.
do not do this
with that said i still will rotate between a few pairs of decent loafers (for me it's aldens but ymmv) so that they don't wear out so quickly
is your office conducive to keeping a pair of shoes there overnight? that way you could drive/commute in sneakers and change once there
Yes, I absolutely can do that. I was just curious.
I won't give up on this though, the shoe must exist somewhere.
the issue is the shoes that have attempted this largely fail in at least one metric
That's the spirit!
see above re your latter point
if they exist great! the question becomes how often are you willing to replace a shoe that you're wearing to the office while routinely hiking or climbing in
If it exists I probably wouldn't ever switch.
boots could be an option, but if you're honest to god sprinting like ong actually sprinting then wearing anything other than shoes made for that is gonna fuck your feet up real quick
Honestly, I wonder if the military has made a boot that could work.
That also popped up in my mind, I dunno anything about sprinting and anatomy, but how about some desert boots?
They look pretty stylish, and you could hike in them?
I'm going to go on a hunt. Thank you everyone for answering my riddles three.
Do update the thread when you've found a satisfying result! I'm honestly curious what you'll come up with.
As a big pacer I’d just advise a more formal-reading sneaker (NOT A DRESS SNEAKER) like a new balance 991 or something along those lines
They will be acceptably formal in most situations
Get the new balance loafers
The worst of both worlds
Red Wing Postman. They are designed for postman that walks a lot while still looking dressy.
not sure how those would hold up to sprinting or climbing tbh
lowkey the black nb loafers might be an option depending on fit
Recommending the NB loafers is crazy, the only people who can wear those well know who they are already
my actual rec is "have separate shoes"
Yeah I mean on some level these things are in fundamental conflict
The things that cultural make a shoe appear more formal are in opposition to things that make a shoe athletically functional
IE hard soles
maybe Keen Jaspers?