A Guide to Pairing Your Sneakers with Different Pant Styles
A sneaker rotation is only as good as the ’fits it's being rocked with. No matter how rare the footwear you're rocking is, pair it up with the wrong pant style and you're going to end up doing a sneaker grail a huge disservice.
The rules aren't concrete, but for those putting on their pants two legs at a time, we've seen it right to offer some loose guidance to live by. Scrolling through our recent street style round-ups from Paris to New York, we've noticed a few key trends setting the pace for fashion-forward sneaker/pant combos. Using this as our inspiration, below we've outlined some of the best sneaker styles to pair with everything from smart, tailored trousers to gorpcore technical pants.
So, if you're in need of some top-line rules to ensure your 'fits are treading in the right direction, scroll on and click through for the best pants to wear with sneakers.
Bigger's Always Better
Big and chunky sneakers have almost become the norm, from Balencaga's infamous retro running models to more low-key designs from the likes of HOKA. And there's only one full-proof way of ensuring you don't end up looking like you have clown feet: wide-leg pants.
Whether you go to the extremes of Justin Bieber or keep things more low-key with a classic workwear style, doubling down on the big proportions with equally big pants is a safe bet.
Tailored Trousers with Sneakers
While pretty much any sneaker will pair well with sweatpants or jeans, combining them with tailored trousers is slightly more unfamiliar territory for our sports-inspired footwear. This might have made it a bit of a faux pas in years gone by, but that's certainly no longer the case.
Take your sneakers for a walk on the formal side with a pair of loose-fitting dress pants such as the ones below.
The Daily Sneakers With Jeans
The everyday, casual uniform for most of us: sneakers with jeans are a tried-and-tested winner. Jeans are super versatile when it comes to sneakers, more experimental baggy or flared silhouettes make for standout pairings but our favorite looks come from some of the simplest combinations.
Pairing classic sneaker silhouettes, such as the ones shown here from Converse and Reebok, with some straight-leg jeans makes for an easy-to-style and reliable option to keep coming back to.
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Cozier Than Can Be
The big pro of wearing sneakers instead of other footwear styles is that they're comfier than the rest (sorry to break it to you, post-sneaker society advocates).
Naturally, that means that sneakers are the customary footwear of choice when looking at what to pair with your coziest sweatpants or, if you're that way inclined, pajama pants. Plus, with the sneaker mules we picked out, you don't even have to go through the discomfort of lacing up your kicks.
The All-Black Minimalist
If there's one style cheat code that trumps all the rest, it's that there's no going wrong when wearing all-black. That goes for those wanting to experiment with bold silhouettes and for those pulling out more sleek and minimal looks, like the pairings below.
There's no real way you can go wrong with a pair of black pants and sneakers, but two of our favorite variations are below.
Fully Weather-Proof
Whether you're about to embark on a treacherous mountain trail or a trip to the local shops, it's always better to be safe than sorry. That means putting on a pair of trail-ready sneakers along with an equally technical pair of pants.
Doubling down on GORE-TEX and waterproof fabrics, we're putting our most utilitarian foot forward with these pants and sneaker combos.
90s Classics
Baggy pants, bejeweled tops, Von Dutch trucker caps... we can't help but look back at the 90s and early 2000s without wanting our old wardrobe back. And fortunately, the continued Y2K obsession in fashion means that a lot of the styles from those years are being brought back.
Down below, we've picked out two classic sneakers and paired them with some wide-leg pants to create a look reminiscent of those younger years.
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