In the ever-evolving landscape of workplace fashion, the line between casual and formal attire has become increasingly blurred. The corporate world has recently embraced more flexible dress codes, encouraging employees to express themselves through their clothing.
Since the business casual dress code is constantly evolving, many people need clarification on what is and isn’t permitted in the workplace.
Which raises the question…
Is it Okay to Wear Tennis Shoes with Business Casual?
Yes, it’s generally acceptable to wear tennis shoes for business casual attire. However, choosing sneakers that are well-maintained and clean for the workplace is important. Additionally, pairing tennis shoes with business casual clothing, such as jeans and khakis, is a good idea.
In this post, I share the 5 best business casual tennis shoes, and tips for wearing tennis shoes to work.
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5 Best Business Casual Tennis Shoes
Business casual tennis shoes offer a blend of style and comfort suitable for professional settings with a more relaxed dress code.
Here are the ten best business casual tennis shoe options:
Cole Haan Grand Crosscourt Sneaker
If you’re looking for affordable, casual, and stylish shoes, then the Cole Haan Grand Crosscourt Sneaker is the right footwear for you. These sneakers have a smart casual look and come in a variety of different colors.
When it comes to a pair of sneakers that is built for daily wear, the Cole Haan Grand Crosscourt is a great option. These tennis shoes have a sleek design with leather uppers, making them perfect for a business casual environment.
Recommended: Cole Haan Grand Crosscourt Sneaker (see price on Amazon)
Adidas Stan Smith
If you want an iconic pair of shoes, check out the Stan Smith sneakers. These low-top sneakers are stylish, comfortable, and have a recognizable look.
When you put on a pair of Stan Smiths, everyone will know what shoes are on your feet. These sneakers have been around since 1965 and are one of Adidas’s best-selling shoes of all time.
These shoes have a minimalist design, making them perfect to wear in a casual environment. Whether you’re wearing these with jeans, joggers, or chino pants, the Adidas Stan Smith will look great.
Recommended: Adidas Stan Smith (see over 1,000 positive reviews on Amazon)
Reebok Men’s C85
If you’re looking for a pair of casual sneakers that can be worn in a business casual environment, check out the Reebok C85 shoes. These tennis shoes have a minimalist look and a low-top style.
The Reebok C85s mix comfort and style, making them perfect for wearing to the office, casual events, and nice restaurants. Overall, the Reebok C85 are comfortable shoes that look great with casual outfits.
Recommended: Reebok Men’s C85
Nautica Low-Top Loafer
Although the Nautica Low-Top Loafers aren’t tennis shoes, they do have a similar look. These shoes have a low-top style and they are made with a canvas upper and a rubber sole.
If you’re looking for an affordable, comfortable and versatile pair of business casual shoes, then the Nautica sneakers are a great option
Recommended: Nautica Low-Top Loafers (see price on Amazon)
Lacoste Carnaby Sneaker
Lacoste is a brand known for making high-quality polo shirts and other business casual attire. The Lacoste Carnaby Sneaker is a leather shoe perfect for daily wear.
What many people don’t realize about the Lacoste brand is that they got their start in tennis. These Tennis shoes have a sleek look, which is perfect for wearing to the office.
Recommended: Lacoste Carnaby Sneaker
Tips For Wearing Tennis Shoes To Work
If you are in a casual work environment, tennis shoes can be a comfortable and practical footwear choice.
Here are five tips for wearing tennis shoes in the workplace while maintaining a professional appearance:
1. Make Sure Your Shoes Are Clean
If you plan on wearing your tennis shoes in a professional setting, make sure they are in good condition and clean. Dirty, worn-out, or scuffed sneakers will give off a sloppy impression.
Make sure that you regularly wash and maintain your shoes to keep them looking clean and new.
2. Choose Shoes with A Minimalist Design
While there are many fashionable and trendy sneakers, it’s often best to choose a pair of tennis shoes with a simple and understated design for a casual workplace. Avoiding sneakers with overly flashy logos, colors, and high tops is a good idea.
When buying a pair of business casual shoes, purchasing shoes with neutral colors or a pair of white sneakers is a good idea. This way, they will look professional while maintaining a casual look.
3. Coordinate Shoes with the Rest of Your Outfit
It’s essential to choose a pair of tennis sneakers that complement your work attire. Neutral colors like white, gray, navy, and black are versatile and look great with work outfits.
Pairing your tennis shoes with khaki pants, navy pants, jeans, chino pants, or dress pants is a great choice for the office.
4. Invest in Quality Tennis Shoes
You will want to invest in good quality shoes if you wear sneakers to the office, on errands, or on a daily basis. High-quality tennis shoes will be more comfortable, stylish, and durable.
Consider investing in a reputable shoe brand, as they will be worth your investment.
5. Consider the Workplace Dress Code
Before wearing your tennis shoes in the workplace, check your office dress code rules. Some businesses may have specific rules about footwear, so it’s important to follow these guidelines to avoid causing any problems.
Most business casual offices allow their employees to wear casual footwear. However, some businesses may have a strict dress code, requiring their employees to wear dress shoes.
If you need clarification on whether or not you can wear casual footwear to the office, you can always ask other employees or the HR department.
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- Why Are Jeans So Uncomfortable & Ways To Fix It
Final Thoughts On Are Tennis Shoes Business Casual
Tennis shoes certainly have a place in a business casual setting as long as they are clean and have a minimalist design. A nice pair of tennis shoes can look good with professional outfits.
What’s important is that your workplace allows you to wear tennis shoes, you’re comfortable, and they match your outfit. Tennis sneakers are a great daily shoe option as they strike the perfect balance between comfort and casual style.
In this post, I shared the best business casual tennis shoes and tips for wearing tennis shoes to work.
“The corporate world has recently embraced more flexible dress codes”….yes, thanks to Gen Z!!!! Haha, Z’ers are finally the ones who are shaking up all the old rules that previous gens disliked but didn’t do anything about – just one of many reasons why I have such an insane level of respect for the letter Z 😎
“….encouraging employees to express themselves through their clothing”….this! 💯
“Smart casual”…love that term…total new millennium level awesome.
The Nautica and Lacoste shoes are both sweet – hands down my two favorites in the list!
Your tip about choosing tennis shoes with a minimalist design is so on point – they look casual yet still so classy – exactly what The Z’s are all about.
“Life on Planet Z”…Halloween Edition 😁🎃👻
We were lucky enough to have three 80-degree October days in a row here in Mass., and as usual the 15,000+ Gen Z’ers that I share this awesome university town with took full advantage of it – and so did I !
On my way home from a road trip/hiking adventure Friday evening, I was driving along the main road that leads back into town when, out of nowhere, my headlights illuminated what appeared to be an upright-walking cow on the side of the road, complete with waving tail, making its way toward our downtown/village area, where lots of eclectic eateries and four very popular Gen Z “party establishments” are conveniently located 😁🍺
About a quarter of a mile later, I then saw a convict and a police officer walking toward the center. I knew they weren’t real because police officers and convicts generally don’t wear Blazers or Dunks lol. As I pulled into town and saw an angel and a princess ballerina walking side by side with a construction worker, I thought to myself – Oh gawd, now what are these Z’ers up to?! 😂😂
And then it dawned on me: Duhh it’s Halloweekenddd!! 🎃🎉
Anyone who lives here knows that from 9 p.m. ’till 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, the town center becomes the exclusive property of Gen Z, and this Friday night was no different. As I drove into the center, it was filled with the sounds of good times and literally hundreds upon hundreds of Z’ers dressed in every kind of Halloween costume you could imagine!
It was still a balmy 65 degrees outside, way too nice to head indoors, so I parked my car at home and walked back to the center to join in the festivities and enjoy a late meal out on one of the sidewalk restaurant patios. As expected, I was not disappointed with the level of entertainment lol. If you have never experienced a “Halloweekend” in a historic New England college town, well, you haven’t truly lived lol – especially in this town!
If you had witnessed everything I saw this weekend, you would understand that Z’ers are NOT boring people – far from it. These guys know how to party every bit as hard as any of the previous gens that have passed through here, if not even more so. But unlike previous gens, they also party a lot smarter – they’re really chill, cool, respectable people. As far as I’m concerned, Z’ers are the new 80’s legends, and it is so appropriate that they have claimed those classy all-white 80’s Air Force Ones as their own.
Some highlights of what I witnessed lol:
A car of four male Z’ers dressed as a skeleton, chef, surgeon, and Statue of Liberty drove by in search of an elusive parking spot, all of them laughing hysterically about random Gen Z stuff while blasting “Bennie and the Jets” on their car stereo – thanks a lot guys, I still have that darned song stuck in my head two days later as I type this 🎵🙄😂🎶
A bit later, an enterprising group of conspiring Z’ers decided that it would be highly amusing to leave fake hundred dollar bills in strategic places on the sidewalk. They looked super real but said “The United States of Halloween” and “In Spirit We Trust”…..I know all of this because one of the pranksters saw me laughing and graciously offered me one of the bills “to pay for my meal”…so very thoughtful of them 😂
Well, their clever trick worked, because for the next ten minutes all you heard was screams of delight from partying passersby, only to be replaced by grumbles of disappointment and good-natured anger as harsh reality set in and the “victims” realized they had been duped by their own fellow Z’s 😭💰😂
Next, we had a Ninja Z’er dressed in all black and wielding a cool blue lightsaber who walked up to where I was eating and “attacked” me with it, like “Kuwahhhhh!” 😂😂 The ladies he was with said “Dude stop going up to random people like that, it’s not nice!”… I said nah it’s all good, and if people can’t take a little good-natured humor then they shouldn’t be out here on Halloweekend!!! They all laughed when I said that and wished me a great rest of my night.
One of the true highlights of the evening came when another group of conspiring Z’ers got the bright idea of asking one of the nearby residents who keeps a few chickens in their yard if they could “borrow” one of the chickens to take selfies with 😂 I am telling you, I have never seen the Z’ers of this town as animated as they were over that darned chicken lol. Everyone who walked by and saw it wanted to have their picture taken with it – a small line even formed lol – it was freaking hilarious! It should be noted that they were all very kind to the chicken, and everyone who wanted to got to have their picture taken with it 🐔😂
All laughter aside though, these guys have been through so much so early in their lives, not the least of which was being robbed by the pandemic of what should have been some of the best times of their lives in high school and college. They’ve got so much lost time and fun to make up for now, and I was so happy that they were given such a beautiful warm weather weekend to enjoy Halloween this year. You could tell from the energy out there how happy everyone was to be free and having some legit fun again, and it’s so good to see and hear things getting back to normal around here.
Two memorable sidewalk conversations lol:
Ladies (actively partying and with a lot of noise going on around them as they were walking)……
Z’er 1: “I’m taking 22 credits this semester…I think…”
Z’er 2: “You’ve got bad credit? I’m sorry…”
Z’er 1: “Nooo! I said I’m TAKING 22 CRE-…..oh screw it, it’s not important!!”
————
And then the guys…..
Z’er 1: “I say we all go to the bar.”
Z’er 2: “No. Forget it dude, I’m not going to the bar. The bar is like 30 dollars down the drain.”
Z’er 3: “You only spent 15 last time…”
Z’er 2: “Wait, I did?”………”Okay, let’s go to the bar!” 😂
(We shall leave it to the savvy reader of this blog to decide for themselves just how truthful Z’er 3 – who really wanted to go to a bar – was being with his friend when he assured him that he had “only spent 15” last time…’cause I definitely detected a subtle hint of that famous Gen Z “finessing” in his voice 😂🍻)
Happy Halloweekend!
👻👻🎃🎃💀💀💯💯