Which Are the Best Sneakers for Work Outfits?

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Sure, we all know what wardrobe essentials for work professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you’re buying one for the first time or replacing one you’ve worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

Here’s a timely question, readers: Which are the best sneakers for work outfits? When are “sneakers for work” appropriate in your offices? Do you think there’s a generational divide here?

Here at Corporette, we’ve always taken the position that sneakers are fine — for your commute. I certainly wore my Chucks with suits on a lot of commutes, and kind of thought it was a cute look… again, for my commute. But retailers have been showing sneakers with outfits for years (some of the product photos we’ve featured are pictured below), so I thought it was prime time for a discussion.

Readers even recently had a threadjack pondering this issue (with several saying sneakers were never appropriate for work outfits). I’ve included some of the choices from Team Sneakers for Work below.

{related: The Ultimate Guide to Business Casual for Women}

Table of Contents:

The Best Sneakers to Wear to Work in 2024

Without further ado, here are our favorite sneakers to wear to work in 2024!

Best Overall Sneakers for Work Outfits

Cole Haan Grand Pro Topspin

I think this sneaker meets all of the qualifications we’re looking for in an office-appropriate sneaker — in particular, the contrasting details such as the beige leather strip around the sole and the lighter beige details on the tongue and back of the shoe are great standouts.

The other HUGE pro here is that Cole Haan is an established, safe brand that is known for making office-appropriate shoes for both men and women — which means that your non-fashion-y boss will almost certainly have seen the shoes if they’ve been in a store recently.

Another great option here: Cole Haan’s oxford sneakers, available in a wide range of colors for both women and men, are $170 at spots like Zappos.

What to Look For in Sneakers to Wear with Work Outfits

Here are the things I think you should look for in work sneakers:

• They don’t look like they were run over in the street.
• They’re not super chunky/athletic.
• Look for a design that is just a BIT more than your basic white sneaker — interesting stitching, a contrasting detail

If you need outfit inspiration advice, we highly recommend watching the movie I Care A Lot (currently streaming on Netflix) — lots of colorful suits worn with sneakers.

As always, the most important part of knowing which sneaker to wear to work is knowing your office. Our advice here is the same as it always is: Look to the mid-levels above you for fashion inspiration, not the CEO, partners, or other C-suite people — they’ve earned the right to wear whatever they want.

For example, in a March 2023 conversation, some readers noted that Golden Gooses were great for their office, but others noted that a “distressed” shoe, no matter how expensive, just wasn’t appropriate for their offices.

Another important thing to note: When you wear sneakers to work may be highly dependent on what kind of day you’re having, who you’re meeting with, and more. You may want to keep a pair of neutral flats or heels in your office just in case — here are some of our latest roundups of comfortable work heels, as well as the most comfortable flats for work.

(Another note: If your bosses are “non-fashion people” and tend to be a bit curmudgeonly, tread really carefully before wearing sneakers to work.)

Rising Trends in Sneakers for the Office

As of September 2024, the sneaker trend is still going strong. Trends I’ve read about include colorful sneakers, animal print sneakers (some even with calf hair or other textural details), and the slip-on no-tie trend expanding beyond Kiziks.

One of my favorite trends is matching colorful sneakers to colorful pants — I think you can also have fun with shades of the same color, or even contrasting colors. It’s a nice reprieve from the Dad sneaker trend, but it helps if you have a signature color or a capsule wardrobe.

How to Keep Your Sneakers Looking Clean

Whatever sneakers you’re wearing, we love this reader trick: Magic Erasers work great on cleaning dingier white soles and sometimes white leather also.

A lot of brands are also making washable sneakers (notably, Rothy’s and Allbirds) — and you can get a specialized bag for your washing machine so they don’t knock around.

{related: check out our roundups of foldable flats and washable flats!}

Sneakers For Your Commute

For my $.02, a lot of the newer (expensive!) sneakers look like the kind of thing I kept in my gym locker in middle school — they were so fugly they could stay at school because I’d never want to wear them elsewhere. But obviously, tastes and styles change, and after a bit of adjustment (and seeing it enough places), those of us on the older side adapt.

This is partly why I’ve always suggested being really wary of a new trend or aesthetic that wasn’t popular five years ago — but at the rate that fashion moves these days, that may be difficult (and, I suppose, another vote for classic style for work outfits because you’re more likely to get more wear out of them).

Commuting Shoes: Sneaker Flats That Will Blend in With Trousers

The main claim to fame for these kinds of sneaker flats is that if you’re working in a really conservative office and want to wear comfortable shoes for your commute, but not have a coworker look too closely and think, “Hey, there she is in her sneakers again,” these will blend in. (We’ve even had conversations in the past about whether commuting shoes should be swapped in the lobby or even outside your office building!)

I will freely admit that these are not chosen because they’re “cute” — many are pretty hideous, in my opinion. But they blend with work clothes and are comfortable, and lightweight enough to carry in your bag if you want to.

Reader favorites that have been called out over the years:

Note that if your trousers are hemmed to wear with heels, these shoes might not be the best because your hems might drag on the ground — you could either look for platform sneakers, or go for commuting shoes like comfort brands with chunky heels such as FLY London, Dansko, Eileen Fisher, and Børn.

Sneaker Sneakers for Weekends: The Classics

What do you think, readers: Are you on Team Sneakers for Work, or on Team Please Wear Shoes? Where would you draw the line for which sneakers are acceptable for work and which aren’t? (For example, certain colors like white or black, only “well taken care of sneakers,” sneakers with a specific sole color (e.g., the way that historically, heels with a cork sole aren’t appropriate for work?)

Like this feature? Check out other recent installments!

Stock photos via Pexels / Godisable Jacob.