If you are anything like me then you absolutely love the high top sneaker look matched with a great pair of jeans. I always liked the sort of rebel/thrasher look that high top sneakers gave me.
Almost any high top sneaker can be paired with the right pair of jeans. You can wear whatever you want but I’m assuming you want a nice clean look with nothing too baggy. I hate whenever you see someone in a dope pair of high tops but their jeans are covering the majority of the shoe.
High tops are somewhat of a statement so they need to be shown! Whether you are repping Vans or Jordan 1s let it be known.
Once upon a time
High tops became popular in the 1950’s whenever the Chuck Taylor started being worn casually. A new fashion trend had then begun.
High top skate shoes and basketball shoes continue to grow in popularity until this day. I would have to say that either the Chuck Taylor or the Jordan 1 has to be the most iconic high top of all time.
The shoe game is in full blast today with so many rappers and sports players endorsing them.
How to wear them
So you may have just got your first pair of high tops and are super excited but when you throw on your jeans it just looks ridiculous and you don’t even want to to go out.
The problems you are probably having is that your pants are too long and too wide, or one or the other. If you have never tried a slim fit jean now is the time.
You may even have to go as far as having your jeans custom tailored. Getting pants tailored is not a horrible experience and it should only cost between $10-$20 to have a premium custom pair. They would most likely make the leg opening smaller and do some tapering. Tapering is when the bottom part of the pant leg is made tighter.
Tailoring is cool because the dimensions are custom to you and not a generic size you would buy in the store.
The biggest factor in wearing such high shoes with jeans is in fact the jeans in my opinion. It’s possible you could be searching for the right pair of jeans for a long time.
Leg opening/Length
The leg opening shouldn’t be covering the whole top part of your shoe. Might as well get some low tops in that case if that’s your look. You want the leg opening at the end of your pants to be between 5”-7” in diameter so that your pants will sit nicely on top of your shoes, beware this may be more of a tighter fit than you are used to.
You may also find that jeans outside of those parameters provide a nice look as well, it is all preference.
With a regular pair of pants you want them to end about a half inch above the ground give or take. Or the middle part of the back of your heel.
But whenever you rock a pair of high tops you have to account for more shoe. In this case you will want your pants to be anywhere from 1”-2” shorter in length. So for example if you are a 30×32 you may want to try a 30×31 or 30×30. This will allow your jeans to sit nicely on top of your shoes without too many folds or creases.
Some people get away with the rolled jeans look but that isn’t always as clean. To perform a “pin roll” all you would do is roll the end of your pants in towards yourself 2-3 times, and you can do this is as big, small, loose, tight that you would like.
Find what works for you. The key to mastering the look is having a solid transition from jeans to pants. And wear it with confidence. I personally rock the non rolled look most of the time.
Jean Material
The material of the jeans can also play a factor on how things will look. More stretchy jeans may give you more folds above the shoe while real selvedge jeans will sit more stiff.
I have even heard of people starching and ironing their jeans to provide that stiffer look that some may prefer.
Some people just wear super high waters and own it! At the end of the day wear what you want but if you are going for a clean look then remember a little bit shorter and little bit slimmer pant than what you are probably used to. Hope I could help you out!
For some more style to add to your portfolio check out How To Wear Shoes Untied