10 Sneakers That Look Better IRL

Image via Complex Original

The success of adidas’ Boost technology with the Yeezy collaboration might have overshadowed other sneakers in the line, but that's not a bad thing. How are you going to feel about copping the less-hyped version of the most popular sneaker out? In pics, they look pretty solid, but in person is a different matter and wearing them is more so. You remember why they were so popular: the low profile, the jutting heel-tag, the flexibility, the comfort and, yeah, that white sole is still great.

First impressions when the Air Max 2015 dropped were that they were for those who were fans of loud footwear. Primary colors that are that bold, that hit-you-in-your-face-and-make-you-watch-Finding-Nemo bright, didn’t seem to sit right with what some people thought they knew of the Air Max, which is known for only having a pop of color. Muted monochrome colorways and triple-black variants did well to sate the confusion, as did the fact that when you see the trainer in real life they’re actually really cool. The sole-length bubble and the wicked backwards Swoosh on the lower ankle, the instep webbing, all served to lend enough credibility to allow the fluro-accents to flourish.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that these are the ugliest trainers ever produced. That the Word Art swirls throughout, the gradient colorways, the big plastic-ish midsole, were all part of some post-modern, Insta-ironic joke that you’re not quite in on. And well, like, you’re not all the way wrong, but that’s part of the fun. They’re mad. They’re not ever gonna be everyone’s cup of tea, but with a muted outfit, the Air Max Plus is the standout. It’s basically an entire outfit’s worth of swag in one shoe.

As the curtain falls on Kobe’s career—basketball’s great elitist—it’s the Kobe X that’s his second-to-last sneaker for his playing days. This non-categorical sneaker — a low-top basketball sneaker that better resembles a football shoe — is how we’ll all remember Bryant: uncompromising, brash, with a weird tongue. But outside the galactic pedestal of Nike promo shots, it’s completely transformed: now we see the form and respect the shapes, the translucent sole and the artful predictability. It’s Kobe incarnate, really.

What’s the big deal? You ask. It’s just a white trainer—plain as they come—and not even a particularly special-looking one. The sole is a bit too chunky and the box-out "Reebok" is a bit unadventurous, and it’s overall an underwhelming aesthetic experience out of context. But then, mates, context is king: pair it with fitted joggers or wool trousers, and suddenly the blank canvas (combined with supreme comfort) is a building block. Soon you’re mixing metaphors and playing by your own rules without a sliver of care for consequence.

There’s something going on with Saucony sneakers that, for a while, many couldn’t put a finger on. We know they’re cool—we know that because we’ve been told that they’re cool—but why do they look like the most basic trainers going? And yet, when you see them in the wild, they always manage to pull it back. There’s something so familiar and safe about the Shadow 5000, but in a classic way. It’s a little bit 1990s gaudiness and 2000s comfort but still manages to keep it all the way 2015.

At first glance, the Instapump Fury look like something you'd see The Terminator wear, like the shoes they give you when you go kayaking. But if you accept it into your life, the Instapump system is a design classic that proves a sneaker can be so ugly that it's attractive. There’s not a shoe on the market that can make you feel like a kid again with such ecstatic clarity and what’s cooler on-foot than the confidence of an eight-year-old?

You might look at your dad—or "dads" in general, "dads" as a genre—as someone you don’t want to emulate. It’s a world of lawn mowers, high blood pressure, and drab-as-hell footwear. It’s footwear you can set your watch to, your dad might say. New Balance have been the kings of dadwear for a minute, and the 990v3 is the pinnacle: the sneaker equivalent of a paunch and a nap in front of the TV. But this isn’t "normcore" or other lamentable, broadsheet buzzwords. This is wearing a pair of sneakers that will last you forever, and will look great with some winter layering. Winter isn’t about nubuck and mesh and cut-out midsoles — it’s about wearing a pair of sneakers that look exactly like Larry David’s sneakers. That is the dream.

With the Air Jordan 1 Mid you get a more subtle shape plus it looks basically identical to the big bucks Jordan 1 high-tops that everyone is fighting over. For a fraction of the cost you get, essentially, the same look for a fraction of the price. They look great, and it’s shoes like these that remind us why we all fell in love with basketball footwear in the first place. This is what basketball sneakers should look like at a price of what they should cost.

You were holding out for a pair of Gel-Lyte IIIs, when this was right in front of you the whole time. The Kayano silhouette is slyly dope, you don’t have to wait up ‘til midnight to cop them off KITH, and do you know what happens when you wear a shoe made specifically for running and nothing else? You get one of the comfiest shoes on the market — no lying — and one nobody else thought to touch. That’s a power move.