The Only 5 Sneakers You Will Ever Need

Welcome to my humble shoe closet. It's nowhere near DJ Khaled's collection but I've acquired a few pairs over the years and I especially love my sneakers. But as much as I love all of them, you know what they say, every parent has their favorite kid. And I'm not gonna lie, there's definitely some sneakers that I wear far more often than others. And to be honest, I think we can boil it down to five essential pairs. These are the five types of sneakers that I wear the most often. And with these in hand, you can pretty much cover all of your bases in terms of styling options. So first of all, we have your all-time classic, king of versatility, minimal white sneakers. You saw it coming, there's no way I could make this video without talking about white sneakers. I have a few different pairs but if I had to choose only one pair that I could wear, I would choose these Oliver Cabell low ones. The leather is good quality, the silhouette is super minimal, which we love. The price is reasonable for full grain leather and they do take a few wears to break in. But once broken in, they're actually quite comfortable. So I've recently upgraded from these white soles to these with the transparent soles, which I feel make a bit more of a statement, a little more fashion forward. But if you had to choose only one pair between the two, I would choose the white sole just because they're more classic and easier to wear. What I love most about white sneakers is their versatility. The range of outfits you can pull off with white sneakers is insane. Whether you go for a casual, chill, put together day look, a super casual home outfit, or go to the formal end of the spectrum with a suit, you can always rely on your white sneakers. You can pretty much slap them onto any outfit without it looking bad. Are they always the absolute best possible choice for a given outfit? No, of course not. But it's very rare that white sneakers will actually make an outfit look bad, which is why they're first in line in my list of essential sneakers. At number two, we have the dad shoe. It's no secret that dad shoes have been at the forefront of fashion trends these past few years, but I would say they're more than just a trend now. They've made a huge resurgence and claim their well-deserved spot in many people's wardrobes. And I think it's safe to place them in the sneaker essentials category now. When it comes to dad shoes, the range of styles available is wide. From chunky, to colorful, to futuristic, you've got your pick of the lot. My favorites are these New Balance 997h. I know they have them in a bunch of colorways, and I think this gray model is not exactly available in every country, but I'll try to link to some similar ones in the description. In terms of styling, dad shoes naturally go well with casual outfits, especially the ones leaning to the sportier side. For example, sweatpants and an oversized tee. But I would encourage you to experiment with less common pairings as well. For example, I think that with the right outfit, you can totally pull off dad shoes with looks that lean more formal. Think pleated trousers, perhaps a button-down shirt, but the key here is to dress down the look. So don't go full formal with a super structured suit. Keep the silhouette low-key. I think this shirt works, for example, because it has a relaxed fit. You can tell it's not meant to be worn with a suit and tie. I might even go a step further and add a vest to the look to emphasize that contrast between formal and casual pieces. It's all about trial and error and figuring out the right balance in your outfit, so don't be afraid to experiment. My third sneaker that I would consider to be essential for any wardrobe is the all-black sneaker. The reason why I love all-black sneakers so much is I feel like they're the black swan of sneakers, quite literally. Let me explain. We often associate black leather shoes with the more formal shoes, derbies, brogues, monk straps, loafers, boots, but sometimes you just want to go for that sharp all-black outfit while still keeping it casual with sneakers and not dress shoes. And that's where the all-black sneaker comes in. I wouldn't say it's as versatile of a color as white, but it is very much one of those sneakers that will come in handy quite often, especially if you enjoy wearing black. Personally, you know me, I really enjoy that minimal aesthetic, so my go-to is the same as the white ones except in this black model, the Oliver Cabell low ones. You can never go wrong with an all-black look. Here, I paired the low ones with some cropped trousers from Uniqlo and this oversized sweater. Simple, sleek, and chic. With a look like this, feel free to add or subtract layers at your own discretion. You could easily add a vest for example on a chilly evening, and it also creates some differentiation between the layers, which is always welcome in a monochromatic look. Don't think you can't wear black in summer, by the way. You can easily swap all these layers for a short-sleeved Cuban collar shirt for a breezy summer look that feels casual yet elegant. The color black inherently has that elevating effect which makes any outfit look more elegant. Coming in at number four, we have high-top sneakers. And of course, we cannot talk about high-top sneakers without mentioning the OG, the king of high-tops, Converse. My personal favorites are these Converse RunStar Hike. High-tops in general pair great with cropped trousers or any pair of pants that you would cuff to show off the sneakers. What I love about this model in particular is that unlike the classic Converse Chuck Taylor silhouette, they have that chunky sole which gives it less of a high-schooler vibe and makes it more elevated. It makes more of a fashion statement. Here, I paired them with some pleated leather trousers and an oversized white tee for a simple but not basic look. The leather, the silhouette of the t-shirt, and the sneakers, and the accessories give the look a cooler edgier vibe than if I had just worn simple jeans and a slim fit t-shirt. And for even more of a statement, I would add a vest on top. And I think this is like the third vest I wore in this video. I promise it's the last one. I've just really been into vests lately, you know. This is definitely not the only way to style them though. You can also ditch the streetwear chic vibe and go for something completely different. I think these shoes also lend themselves to a grandpa chic vibe with some cuffed trousers, a relaxed fit button-down shirt, and a cardigan. I'm a big fan of this cropped cardigan from Florence Black. I think the cropped silhouette ties in nicely with the fashion forwardness of the shoe. But whatever your style is, high top sneakers can definitely find a place in your wardrobe, especially when worn with cropped or cuffed pants. Last but not least, number five of essential sneakers, we have the statement sneaker. This is the sneaker you wear when you're feeling extra snazzy, you're confident, you're not afraid of drawing attention, you love your sneakers, and you want to show them off. You can make a statement either with the color of your shoe or the design of it, or actually even both. And yes, these are once again the Oliver Cabell's in blush pink. I'm not sponsored by them or anything, this is just the most colorful shoe I have, so I thought it would be perfect to illustrate the example of a statement sneaker. When wearing a statement sneaker, since you obviously want to make that your statement piece, it's often a good idea to tone down the rest of your outfit. It's definitely not the only way to do it. Some people like to go bold and clash a lot of different bright colors in the same outfit. Me personally, I prefer the route of letting one statement piece shine, and in this case, the sneakers. So I would wear these with monochromatic outfits. The beauty of blush pink, I feel, is that you can wear them with both the cooler neutrals and the warmer neutrals. As you can see, it pairs quite nicely with both a gray tonal outfit and a warmer beige slash cream tonal outfit, which makes it, in my opinion, one of the most versatile statement colors. So to recap, for our top five essential sneakers, we have number one, the white sneaker. It's the most versatile option. It's a good default choice, and it pairs well with the majority of outfits. Number two, the dat shoe. It's great for casual, sporty looks, but also don't be afraid to experiment, for example, by contrasting it with more elegant looks. Number three, the all black sneaker. It's perfect for all black looks, and it's a great casual alternative to the typical black leather dress shoes. Number four, the high top. It's perfect for crop pants, and it's a very versatile option. And number five, the statement sneaker for when you want to be bold, and you can never go wrong by pairing it with neutral colors. Hope you enjoyed the video, guys. If you did, share it with a friend who you think might learn a thing or two and enjoy it as well. I wish you all a beautiful day, and I'll see you in the next one. Peace. Once broken and in, broken and in. Subtract or subtract? Subtract. The statement sneaker. Why am I showing the ******* sole of it?