Complex Picks: The Sneakers You Need This Summer

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Who: Corey Stokes, Associate Market Editor
Sneaker: Nike Air Force 1 Mid, $95
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White sneakers are the only shoes I'm interested in copping this summer. There are so many different options out there, but if you're going to rock the coke boy trend right then you have to purchase a pair of the Air Force 1 Mids. The price point is perfect and the nostalgic feeling of the early-2000s (shoutout to Nelly and the St. Lunatics) that comes with these sneakers makes them a must-cop on my list. — Corey Stokes

Who: Justin Duran, Associate Producer for Complex TV
Sneaker: size? x Nike Air Max 93, £100
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The quintessential summer sneaker is the Air Max 93. Since nineteen naughty-three, this silhouette has been known to excite all the freaks, guaranteeing you Wilt Chamberlain numbers, dig? This summer should be no different. If you missed out on the teal joints Size? dropped last year, no worries: May 30 you get another shot to re-up with the "Metal Pack." Hopefully they don't come complete with a massive boulder. Sneakers shouldn't have to be a sword-in-the-stone type situation. What I look like - Merlin? — Justin Duran

Who: Jake Woolf, Managing Editor of Four-Pins.com
Sneaker: Saint Laurent Baby Cat-Print sneakers, $395
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Right off the bat, let's address the elephant in the room, which is that Kanye West wore these sneakers and, thus, they've popped up on every sneakerhead's summer list. But look past Yeezy's undying influence and you'll see, that, truly, these have everything you love about summer sneakers, but are just way better. They feature a canvas upper, bold print, and simple rubber sole. They come in a diverse set of patterns of colors, but these Baby Cat-Print joints are my personal favorite because of the monochromatic scheme. You also get top quality leather details which help rationalize their $395 price tag, and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing you're rocking something designed by fashion legend Hedi Slimane. And at the end of the day, they're basically a luxe Vans Authentic, which you already know you like. As Kanye would say, "It's been like that for a minute." — Jake Woolf

Who: Emily Oberg, Editorial Producer
Sneaker: Air Max TN, $125
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My top pick for this summer's sneaker would undoubtably have to be the Air Max Plus TN. And like all good things, it comes from the '90s. They've been rare and hard to find for quite sometime. The shoe recently made a reappearance into box stores such as Foot Locker and Champs. It's technical advantages such as cushioning in specific areas with varying resistance, combined with the sleek and sporty silhouette of a practical shoe. Whether it's a BBQ or tennis court you find yourself at, these sneakers will have you looking your best at all times. — Emily Oberg

Who: Matt Welty, Editorial Assistant
Sneaker: Nike Free Flyknit, (N/A)
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A summer sneaker has to be a couple things for me: It has to be seasonal, breathe easy on foot, and, most importantly, it needs to be copped at a price point that’s conducive to being on your worst behavior. This past weekend, I picked up a pair of Nike Free Flyknits at the Nike Outlet Store in Kittery, Me. while visiting my folks. They were $35 plus tax.

I can wear them without socks, they’re Flyknit so my feet won’t sweat, and I don’t feel confident wearing an all-Volt sneaker any other time of the year. Having an actual running sneaker on my feet might also encourage me to get in shape, too. I won’t feel guilty about sitting on my porch and drinking beer, because I can run around the block and continue to chill in the same sneakers.—Matt Welty

Who: Gerald Flores, Associate Editor
Sneaker: Brooks Vanguard, $90
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Brooks Running may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of what the common sneakerhead is looking for. Nowadays, the brand is known more for its technical runners, but it's just started digging in the crates of its 100-year-old archive. The Vanguard is a vintage silhouette that Brooks brought back for the first time this spring. It's got those clean design lines and pigskin upper that are a throwback how running shoes were made back in the '70s. (Think Nike Cortez or Onitsuka Tiger's Corsair) The color options are also pretty rad, especially for those who don't always want a pair of white kicks for the summer and are looking for something a little different. — Gerald Flores

Who: Nick Schonberger, Deputy Editor
Sneaker: Nike Free Breathe, $100
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The current sneaker climate is full of anniversary celebrations. While traditional timer makers—10, 20, 25 years—were once standard, the market now accepts looser moments. Still, milestones matter. After a decade Nike's Free platform has proved a successful mate to Air for the folks in Beaverton. The original Free has returned as the Nike Free Breath; though slightly modified from the original (the tooling is now NSW specific and the upper is built of a double-sided mesh). It could be considered better. At the very least, its the type of retro this generation of sneakerheads should be championing. Especially those who like to go barefoot. — Nick Schonberger

Who: Jian DeLeon, Deputy Style Editor
Sneaker: Raf Stan Smith, $455
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When most guys see images from a fashion show, their initial reaction is usually something along the lines of "what the hell am I looking at?" Sneakerheads have the same general attitude towards the new wave of kicks from fashion designers like Rick Owens and Raf Simons. You have to speak a certain language to really understand what's going on. I don't have a pair of Stan Smiths, nor do I have any of Raf's designer sneakers-though I'd kill for a pair of the Nike Vandal-inspired shoes from 2010.  These low-tops take inspiration from the materials, construction, and color palette of Simons' Spring/Summer 2014 collection, and fuses them with the classic Stan silhouette.

The snakeskin embossed leather and silver snap closures are pretty much copy-pasted off his line's Holographic Sneakers, and that bright green and blue pop up on pieces in the collection. I think of all the other fashion sneakers that have bit the shape of the Stan, from Common Projects to Saint Laurent Paris, and this particular pair is sort of like the merging of two things I'm super nerdy about. Plus, they're gonna look awesome all beat-up after a whole season of wear. After all, you don't drop bills on something you plan on wearing every once in a while. — Jian DeLeon

Who: Russ Bengtson, Senior Staff Writer
Sneaker: adidas Stan Smith, $75
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There might be no better summer sneaker, period, than the adidas Stan Smith. Brought back this year in proper original form for the first time in a long while, the '60s classic with the mustachioed man on the tongue influenced many generations of sneakers, from performance models like the Nike Wimbledon to high-fashion, high-dollar offerings from Yves Saint Lauren and Common Projects. Its design is simplicity born from necessity—a steel-eyeleted white leather upper with perfed "stripes" and the sparest accent colors (in red, blue, or the classic green) on a comfortable cupsole. Many versions have dropped already, with plenty more to come (including some wild variations from Raf Simons, which also come highly recommended), but the basic $65 green-on-white is my choice. The Rod Laver might be literally cooler, what with its mesh upper, but the Stan's leather wears in better—even on the mass-market base model—and at $75, three pairs to get one through the summer still comes out cheaper than many flavor-of-the-month alternatives. — Russ Bengtson

Who: Joe La Puma, Director of Content Strategy
Sneaker: Nike Flyknit Trainer, $150
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That's right, the sneaker of last summer is the sneaker of this summer. And it's probably going to be the sneaker of next summer. I got lucky on a restock of these Flyknits a few months ago and have been saving them for summer. I'm going to wear them with jeans, shorts, board shorts, and whatever else better weather days throw at me. You can't do better than Flyknits in the summer, they're the sneakerhead sandal, and they're awesome. Multiple pairs suggested. — Joe La Puma