5 Best Cool Men's Sneakers: Your Buyer's Guide (2018)

The fashion weeks in New York, Paris, London and Milan are when the big fashion houses trot out (or cat-walk out) their latest couture. Over the past few years, streetwear has been a dominant force during the shows and cool men’s sneakers have strutted their stuff.

It’s just another example of how big the sneaker universe has become. Whether it’s the top designers, the celebrities or anyone else, sneakers are an established part of everyday culture. The question is: which sneakers?

What we’re looking for here are everyday shoes, at everyday prices, that are everyday cool. As mentioned when we talked about cool shoes for men, we’re using a three-tiered framework for determining what goes on this list of cool sneaks:

Quality
Reputation
Longevity

All the shoes on this list are quality shoes. Reputation is a brand that has earned positive marks over the years. And by longevity, we mean a product — a shoe — that has stood the test of time. A shoe, or a brand, that’s been around awhile (because they make quality, popular stuff).

So you’re looking for the best men’s tennis shoes: we’ve got five cool examples, at great prices, ready to increase your cool.

What are the Best Cool Men’s Sneakers?

1. K-Swiss Men’s Classic LX – $60 and up (depending on size/style)

K-Swiss

You want to talk about retro, look no further than the K-Swiss Men’s Classic LX — Luxury Edition. These white and green sneakers were red hot back in the day, and, like so many classics, they’re enjoying a comeback.

The K-Swiss look is unmistakable, with the signature five applied stripes on the side of the shoe, each stripe holding the lace D-rings (eyelets) at the top. The tongue and collar are padded. The upper is cashmere leather and the toe features the traditional 3-piece K-Swiss application.

The shoe is available in five different colors (color availability periodically changes).

K-Swiss got its start when two Swiss brothers moved to California more than 50 years ago to start a shoe company.

Buy the K-Swiss sneakers here.

2. Puma Men’s Clyde Sneaker – $49.99

Puma

These are great looking shoes. Full stop. But there’s more to it. The cool comes from Clyde Frazier.

Walt “Clyde” Frazier is a basketball announcer for the New York Knicks but back in the 70s, he was one of their go-to guys and led the team to two NBA championships. Clyde was always known for his style.

And that’s a large part of the reason Puma named a shoe after him: it was all about style.

The Clydes feature the classic Puma silhouette. The upper is leather and the shoes have a padded tongue and collar. The Puma logo, along with Clyde’s signature, are on the upper near the laces, as well as on the tongue. Perforations on the sides provide additional venting for comfort.

Shown in white/new navy/gold, the shoes are available in many different colorsff. These average a 4.3 out of 5-star rating.

Buy the Clydes here.

3. Vans Old Skool Classic Skate Shoes – $24.65 and up (depending on size)

Vans

It probably doesn’t get any more old school than these Vans. Back in the day, they were synonymous with surfing and skating and the whole vibe that came with it. Check that: they are synonymous. And not just with the surfer/skater world.

The Old Skool look and brand was born in the 1970s in Costa Mesa, Calfornia (the company had been in business long before that). If the 80s were Vans’ heyday, then today it’s a hell yeah day because Vans are probably more popular now than they’ve ever been.

The Old Skool is Vans’ classic skate shoe and it’s the first from the company to feature the side stripe that’s become so well known. These shoes are made with a durable canvas upper with a padded tongue and lining. The sole is Vans’ signature waffle.

A great thing about Vans is that they’re not an in-your-face style. About the loudest thing they’ve got going is the logo tab on the heel midsole: Vans Off The Wall.

We’re showing them in the classic black and true/white but they’re available in a ton of colors.

Buy the Vans here.

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