My spring footwear rotation
Sharing the personal sauce — what shoes I’m excited to wear this spring.
What shoes are you wearing this spring? This is a request I’ve been getting a lot recently and even though I usually keep this sort of info to myself because I’m a gatekeeper… I figured this would be a pretty fun newsletter to explore with you. In today’s newsletter we’ll be going through my current daily rotation, some pairs I’m excited to whip out in the summer, and a few pairs I’ve kept on ice that need their share of sunlight soon.
Most of my shoes are black, which is not something I actually realized until I did my spring audit — black shoes are just easier to clean and I find myself constantly gravitating to darker colors in footwear because it’s easy to implement into any sort of outfit. Plus, I kind of enjoy a more incognito approach to fashion in general, so dark shoes will always be a no-brainer for me.
THE CURRENT ROTATION
Right now my daily rotation consists of 5 pairs — these shoes I’ve been wearing pretty much non-stop in the last little while. The weather in Montreal is getting better, but having the all-black rotation is one of the easiest way to make sure your shoes doesn’t get decimated instantly.
1. Cow Leather Slip On with FIDLOCK®︎ Buckle by hobo
One of my favorite pairs of shoes ever, honestly. I’ve had these for years now and I’ve definitely given them the wear they deserve. Easy to incorporate in a formal fit or simply wear them with jeans or shorts. The FIDLOCK technology makes these a breeze to put on, it’s an easy snap buckle that comes off and the built-in magnet ties it together in a flash — I’d love to see this tech applied to more footwear in general.
2. ROA Cingino
Feels like I’ve written about this shoe too many times now, so let me keep it brief. I’ve been slowly phasing them out as the winter has come to an end. The rigorous design is perfect for those who need a good-looking shoe that can take a beating. I’ll probably take them out again for some forest adventures soon because they are pretty comfortable for trail exploration.
3. SAS + Body of Work Journey Mesh
These might be the comfiest shoes I own right now — seriously, these are my go-to when I need to run out to the store, grab a coffee with the homies, or whatever else that’s on the agenda. The perfect city shoe. The upper reminds me of the New Balance 990, but I don’t mind it at all actually. The brown suede is great and is something I don’t have in my rotation right now, so it keeps things fresh on the daily.
4. Dime + Adidas Superstar
The Superstar is timeless. They are comfortable, easy to wear and pair well with baggier pants. They are kind of bulky at the top, which causes pants to fall on them quite nicely. These Dime ones have some fun wavy detailing on the three stripes, and the premium leather upper has aged nicely with wear.
5. ASICS + Kiko Kostadinov Gel Sokat Infinity
I always have to have some sort of Kiko footwear in the rotation. I actually put these away for winter and since forgot about them until recently, so it’s been fun to rediscover them again.
SHOES I’M EXCITED FOR
I have a couple of pairs I’ve been saving for better weather and potentially some future trips, but let me tell you it has not been easy to keep these on ice. Honestly, I have a lot of pairs that haven’t worn yet — sometimes if you’re enjoying something there’s no point in rushing to switch it up. Wear your shoes to the ground and just have fun with them!!
1. Y-3 Superstar
Believe it or not, I haven’t had an all-white pair of shoes in a loooong time. Kind of crazy actually, but I’ve been counting down the days to finally break these out. A simple design that is elevated by the details in materials and construction — the extremely thin and light premium leather is going to age like fine wine, which makes this a great contender for the shoe of the summer. I need to get the all-black version and I’ll be set.
2. Tarvas Explorer
As you may have guessed already, the name of the game is simple and clean when it comes to footwear for me. I got these Tarvas in a nice navy suede that should easily complement all of my outfits this summer. I haven’t worn these outside just yet, but from what I’ve experienced so far is a great level of comfort straight out of the box. It’s a pretty light upper that allows maximum mobility, making it a solid choice for all sorts of daily activities.
MY ASICS CORNER
I didn’t even realize how many ASICS I have… to be honest, I have even more pairs that I’m keeping tucked away for an even later time, I just couldn’t be bothered taking them all out. ASICS have been killing the game for years now, with a wide range of collaborations to creative support from Kiko Kostadinov, ASICS has become a favorite of mine and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
The ASICS + Dime GT-2160 in green is pretty rare, it’s a colorway that never dropped to the public and that’s why I have only worn it once — it’s too nice to wear, and I know the time will come when I’ll actually crack these out, but until then these will be getting very limited time outdoors. The GT-2160 is great though, I should probably pick up another colorway as my daily.
GREAT FOR EVERYDAY
Recently been blessed with a few pairs of the Jound Rebook Club C — simple colors, but these are way nicer in person. Jound has cemented itself at the top of elevated simplicity, and I’m honestly down. I don’t expect crazy designs when it comes to collaborations, their bread and butter is creating good stuff for the everyday wearer, something that is easy to incorporate into your lifestyle — and the sooner a lot of folks realize this then the sooner they can enjoy the simplicity of Jound.
I’m hyped to break these out this summer — I don’t even know which one to start with, but the grey on the top might be speaking to me first. One specific detail that I enjoy is their commitment to removing the additional branding that you usually see on the Club C tongue. It’s not a deal breaker but the simple tongue is just way cleaner and makes me want to show it off by tucking my pants behind them.
All three are currently available for purchase via Jound website.
WATERPROOF ROTATION
Moving along in my collection, it’s always smart to have a few pairs that can give you proper protection from the rain and any other weather situation that might penetrate your feet.
Currently, I have three waterproof pairs, which is probably more than enough but I’m sure a few more will be added before the end of the year.
1. Keen Jasper Waterproof Boot
I’ve been keeping this one on ice, but I do have a trip that I have to go on soon and might be bringing these with me. You might know the Jasper as a low-top shoe, but the high version is something you shouldn’t skip out on. For around $150 you get a premium suede upper that’s equipped with KEENDRY Waterproof breathable membrane, giving you total protection from the rain. The wide toe box is also a nice touch that keeps things comfortable and roomy during wear. Here is a little sneaky link to buy these yourself if you’re interested.
2. Jound + New Balance 2002r
What a great color combo. The black detailing running across the shoe leans into that dark shoe obsession that I have, but that green suede is so nice in person that I just couldn’t resist. Full outer is equipped with GORE-TEX so you already know how these will protect your feet.
3. HAVEN + Clarks Weaver
Everyone should have a pair of Clarks in their closet… maybe not always but you should experience them once at least, they are a classic! The regular Wallabees are great, but why not take it a step further by wrapping the upper in full GORE-TEX? That’s exactly what the homies over at HAVEN did and I love them for it. Still available in many sizes on their site.
To wrap it up, I wanted to touch upon some luxurious classics that I wear for those special occasions. You should already recognize the Cow Leather Slip-On from Hobo that was featured earlier in the newsletter — Going over the current rotation made me realize how much I love these shoes. Luckily I got these on sale at the time for around $300… but even at the retail price of what I believe is around $550, I would buy these again in a heartbeat. Worth every dollar.
Gucci Horsebit Loafers are an absolute classic. Expensive, but I scored these on Grailed for relatively cheap and you can as well. Nothing like a little combat midsole paired with a timeless classic to bring your outfit to that next level. These are great to wear with a suit, obviously, but they are just as fun to pair with some shorts and a tee during the summer.
And that does it for my rotation… The truth is I have about another 50 pairs of shoes that I haven’t even bothered showing you, but I’m keeping those for another day. It’s great to have lots of options, but I’m still the type of person who enjoys wearing my shoes down to their last breath. After all, that’s what shoes were meant for.
Seriously what do you do at the beach. Also - those Clark X Haven's are a revelation.