The Best High-Top Sneakers Will Raise Your Shoe Game Way Up

In the early 1900s, the nascent sport of basketball was introduced to something game-changing: sneakers. (Getting buckets was way easier in a pair of canvas high-top sneakers than the all-leather shoes players had been wearing). The newfangled shoe’s comfort and athletic capabilities made the sneakers a hit on the court but also sparked a revolution in shoe design that went far beyond the hardwood. Today, high top sneakers come in every variation and modulation under the sun, from classic Nike court stompers to avant-garde Paris runway trekkers—and worn almost everywhere but a basketball court.

Between those breezy ankle-baring slip-ons of summer and the hard-wearing, snow-conquering boots of winter, high-top sneakers are a kind of sweet spot. Peak shorts season can make them a fairly tricky stunt to pull off and the harshest winter weather makes them utterly useless. Come fall, however, they’re our preferred mode of kicks-based dressing. Save for the two weather extremes, high-tops are perfect for year-round wear. And with the right pair, you can rock them with just about anything from your most retro pair of jorts to your coolest suit. Luckily, we’ve found all the right pairs of high-top sneakers for you to live your sartorial dreams to the fullest, all season long.