Recommendation for Sneakers Suitable for American Casual or American Traditional Styles

JungYeol Kim
Apr 10, 2024
2 min read

0. Hello, everyone visiting the Soobaak Vintage blog! Today, we're going to talk about American casual and American traditional styles, and I'm here to recommend some awesome sneakers that go well with these styles.

1. First, let's briefly explain these two styles~

American casual (around the 1990s) refers to a style that is comfortable yet stylish. This style primarily includes comfortable and casual clothing and shoes such as t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, shorts, and sneakers. American casual fashion is influenced by sportswear and emphasizes a simple yet stylish feel. On the other hand, American traditional (around the 1960s) represents the traditional and conservative style of America. This style is usually worn in official or more formal events, emphasizing a classic and elegant feel. Classic clothing and accessories such as suits, dress shirts, ties, dress shoes, and leather belts are characteristic of American traditional fashion.

2. Represented brands for these two styles roughly include:

For American casual: Levi's, Nike, Converse, Vans, Gap, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger, and so on.
For American traditional brands: Brooks Brothers, J. Press, Alden, and vintage Abercrombie, to name a few. Polo Ralph Lauren can be considered as encompassing both styles.

3. When recommending sneakers that suit these styles, they should go well with the representative pants from these two styles.

_ Vintage Levi's denim 501, 505

_ Officer chino pants

_ OG 107 Fatigue pants

_ Chino pants with pleats in the front (such as 90s Polo chinos)

_ And finally, gray wool trousers.

4. Now, let's recommend exactly 10 pairs. Going in the order of recommendation~

1) Sperry Cloud CVO Deck Shoes: Preferably in an old-school shape.

2) Converse Chuck Taylor Low (White/Red or Black/White)

3) Converse Jack Purcell

4) Adidas Stan Smiths (White/Green): Preferably with natural leather uppers.

5) Vans Anaheim & 6) Vans Slip-On

7) Nike Jordan 1: Chicago or Bread colorway would be great.

8) New Balance 574 or 1400

9) Nike Killshot

10) Nike Force CVO: Size up.

Unfortunately, some shoes that didn't make it into the list include Nike LDV, Nike Cortez (nylon), New Balance 99* series, Adidas Samba, Adidas Campus, and Trickers, among others.

5. Anyway, the common features of the sneakers included in those 10 lists are:

1) They have a rich history.

2) They are one of the models representing that brand.

3) They have a flat and elongated shape.

That should cover it!

If any of the shoes from that list are missing in your collection, it's advisable to get them. They're the must-haves for your shoe rack!

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