Sneakers that go with everything

Most people own several pairs of sneakers and wear one. That one is doing something the others are not, and it is almost always the same thing: it is quiet.

What makes a sneaker go with everything

• A low profile. The chunkier the sole, the more it dictates the rest of the outfit.
• One colour, or two. White, off-white, black, navy. Three colours and it becomes the point of the outfit.
• A clean toe. Overlays, mesh panels and logos all narrow the range of what it works with.

The four that always work

The court shoe, the retro runner, the canvas plimsoll and the modern chunky one. The first three go under tailoring; the fourth deliberately does not, and is better for it — it belongs with wide trousers and denim.

With tailoring

It works when the trouser breaks cleanly at the shoe and the sneaker is low and plain. It does not work with a formal suit, whatever the internet says at any given moment.

Care, briefly

White leather wipes clean and white canvas does not. If you want white sneakers to stay white, buy leather.