# Too Old for Stan Smith Classic White Sneakers?



## WillisGeigerFan (Apr 24, 2007)

I'm 47. My wife says that I'm too old for Stan Smith's and that no man my age would wear white sneakers like that. I think that she's way off. Thoughts?


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## twosoon22 (Dec 29, 2015)

If not wearing white sneakers saved me from disapproving glances from my wife, I know what wouldn't be in my feet. 

As far as being too old for them, that's really a personal preference. Next time you're out take a look around at other men's feet. Where I'm located white sneakers (on older gentlemen) are synonymous with light wash jeans and oversized polos. But in other parts of the country they may be more fashionable. 
Personally I think a decent pair of boat shoes or loafers are just as comfortable as sneakers with the added benefit of being more traditionally stylish. 

But hey man, if you want to wear stan smiths, wear stan smiths. (Unless it really upsets your wife. Lol)


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## xcubbies (Jul 31, 2005)

When I'm perplexed by a style issue like the one you raise, I inevitably return to the Mothers of Invention song, 'Brown Shoes Don't Make It' for guidance.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Personally, I agree with your wife. As a youth, I wore Stan Smith's outside of the gym, but frankly, would be loathe to do so today, as I close in on the date that annual withdrawals from my IRAs will no longer be an option! Listen to your wife and act your age. LOL.


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## greyflannel (Dec 24, 2015)

I'm over 50 and wear my Stan Smiths daily in the summer. I refuse to wear the neon cross fit shoes so many find fashionable today for every day wear.


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## Cake (Dec 1, 2015)

It's hard to say. Obama wears them all the time with Dad jeans and it looks fugly. Nick Wooster, on the other hand, can pull it off nicely. It may be all about incongruence.

https://1jw4nwwsqn9uglll472w6qein.w...4/03/Screen-shot-2014-03-04-at-2.50.03-PM.png


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

I think that photo of Wooster proves the NO argument. I think most on this forum would agree, he looks ridiculous.

I might wear them with a pair of grey sweats and a rugby shirt. I'm soon to be 60.


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## gamma68 (Mar 24, 2013)

Here's a suggestion: try Sperry Topsider canvas CVO sneakers. I'm in my late 40s and wear them all the time in the warmer months...sockless. A classic look, IMO. Works well with poplin trousers as well as shorts:


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## At Law (Apr 15, 2008)

David J. Cooper said:


> I think that photo of Wooster proves the NO argument. I think most on this forum would agree, he looks ridiculous..


Agreed.

If you are over the age of 20, tennis shoes and any type of athletic shoe should really only be worn when engaging in sports. Or wearing an old pair around the house and yard when doing odd jobs.


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## Tempest (Aug 16, 2012)

My snap judgement based on the title was that somewhere around 50 is where white trainers start looking naff on a man.
We all seem to agree that context is key. I think it works as part of an Oscar Madison slumming relaxed look. Jeans with sneakers almost always looks terrible. 
Be sure to share your opinions on her footwear with her as well!


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## gamma68 (Mar 24, 2013)

At Law said:


> Agreed.
> 
> If you are over the age of 20, tennis shoes and any type of athletic shoe should really only be worn when engaging in sports. Or wearing an old pair around the house and yard when doing odd jobs.


I really don't know where these "rules" come from. They're really personal preferences. Highly reminiscent of the inane debate about going without socks. See the last line of my signature.


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## sjk (Dec 1, 2007)

WillisGeigerFan said:


> I'm 47. My wife says that I'm too old for Stan Smith's and that no man my age would wear white sneakers like that. I think that she's way off. Thoughts?


Waaaaaaaay off.


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## SlideGuitarist (Apr 23, 2013)

WillisGeigerFan said:


> I'm 47. My wife says that I'm too old for Stan Smith's and that no man my age would wear white sneakers like that. I think that she's way off. Thoughts?


Men your age tend to wear butt-ugly Air Force Ones, as I'm reminded every time I go to a Cub Scouts pack meeting. Is that what she's recommending?


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

Does she say they're too young or too old for you? Because the only people I see in Stan Smiths are hip 20-something women.

But, really, there are 47-year-olds who can wear them, and 47-year-olds who can't. 

You can sub in any number there and it still works.


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## DMB (Jan 2, 2013)

The only sneakers I have ever really worn were Jack Purcell, Chuck Taylor, Vans, and Stan Smith. I don't like the space age running shoe look for anything but actual running, which I try to avoid at all costs. I think the biggest factor is not necessarily age but the condition you are in. Men and women who are in shape not only look younger but can pull off younger styles. In the end, wear what makes you happy. If an older guy wearing white Stan Smiths is the "worst" thing we see when at the mall, I think we'll survive.


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## Spex (Nov 25, 2012)

I'm 41 and purchased a pair of Stan Smiths this past summer. :hidden:

I think they suit me fine. Although I like to think I dress maturely and traditionally, I'm tall and thin and my clothes are purchased to fit my frame, which lend a more youthful appearance. I also wear jeans on weekends, which is when I don my SSs. Strangely enough, as I was contemplating purchasing them my wife mentioned to me that she wanted a pair!


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## Bermuda (Aug 16, 2009)

Stan Smiths are great and hip. Most older guys around here wear awful white new balance sneakers so.....I'd go with the Smiths. I've owned a pair as well as the Rod Lavers


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## ROI (Aug 1, 2004)

Youthful Repp-robate said:


> Does she say they're too young or too old for you? Because the only people I see in Stan Smiths are hip 20-something women.
> 
> But, really, there are 47-year-olds who can wear them, and 47-year-olds who can't.
> 
> You can sub in any number there and it still works.


There are a lot of youthful items I wish I could feel comfortable wearing. I'm 60, and haven't worn a pair of jeans since college. And I don't recall the last time, including college, I wore sneakers of any kind on the street. I wear plain old white-on-white Nikes at the gym. My knock-around weekend shoes are boat shoes or camp mocs. Nonetheless, lately I've experienced a not-impossible-to resist but impossible-to-ignore urge to get a pair of Levis and Chucks. So, coincidentally, I've given the possibility some thought before running across this thread.

For me, the answer to the jeans and sneakers question is, "No". I assiduously avoided the folly of buying a sports car that is the Klieg light of middle-age anxiety. Again, for me, jeans and sneakers are at the cheap end of the crisis continuum. The decision might have been tougher if, as has been mentioned, I could look as good wearing jeans as a guy in his twenties. My BMI, height-to-mass, and all those ratios are in the middle of the acceptable range. (Even my triglycerides have plummeted!) My clothing fits as intended, given that it's selected by and for a 60 year old suburbanite. But I couldn't carry off trim-fitting jeans and wouldn't wear loose ones. It's been said many times, and I agree, khakis are jeans for adults. Similarly, boat shoes, camp mocs, ranger oxfords, chukka boots, etc., are sneakers for adults who want to look sporty. An athletic 60 year-old might make a go of jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt, and baseball cap. But why? A guy in good enough shape to look credible in kid's clothes would look good in anything. If his goal is to look younger than his age, why attract attention to his age by trying to pass?

My default philosophy, however, remains, I don't care. If your feet and sense-of-self are comfortable in Stan Smiths, wear them to the park. A happy guy in Stans is bound to be more attractive than a wretch in Top-siders.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

I wonder if Stan himself wears them? He is 69 now.


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## sjk (Dec 1, 2007)

David J. Cooper said:


> I wonder if Stan himself wears them? He is 69 now.


https://hypebeast.com/2009/03/40-ye...edium=commissionjunction&utm_campaign=VigLink

A 2009 interview where SS talks about his relationship with adidas and the evolution of the shoe. I think I read elsewhere that he has continued to wear other versions of the shoe which has incoporated more technical improvements and admitted that the original version isn't really practical for competitive tennis these days, but is more of a "lifestyle" shoe.


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## rohawick (Jul 14, 2015)

I'm 47 too. I wore Stan Smiths as a kid. Now I wear the all black version. My 68 year old uncle calls them "coach's shoes," but I like them.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

Stan was the essence of American cool for me. He seemed easy to root for against Newcombe and Nastase.


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## Starting Late (Apr 26, 2010)

I'm 61 and wear Stan Smiths from time to time. I remember when they wear athletic shoes. Now they're knock-arounds. They're fun shoes.


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