Summer Shoes: Consider Canvas

By now you probably know how versatile and indispensable a sharp, minimalistic leather sneaker is these days. You can even wear 'em with a suit.. But if you’re going the ultra-casual, low-maintenance route, a fresh pair of crisp canvas sneakers is an inexpesive style solution. Whether you like to rock low tops, high tops, or slip-ons, there are a few fundamentals you should keep in mind before you hit the streets.

Caring for Canvas
With the exception of white canvas shoes, use these directions for those, cleaning your dirty kicks is a fairly simple process. Generally a less-fussy material calls for an equally less-fussy way to clean them. Remove the laces and insoles, give them a quick rinse in cold water, toss them in a gentle cycle with like colors, and then let them air dry. That’s it. Alternatively, you can employ the toothbrush method made popular by sneakerheads the world over: using a bucket of warm water, dip the brush and gently buff out any hard-to-clean stains or scuffs. Submerge the shoes in cold water and wash out any dirt you see. Rinse them and let air dry.

Find The Right Pair
In this day and age, fashion houses, e-tailers, and department store retailers alike are able to build almost any type of shoe using canvas as the main material. Since canvas is made the withstand frequent use, has a casual feel, and is relatively cheap, it’s an easy style to replicate. And while not all canvas shoes are created equal, we typically stand by one primary rule when buying, keep it simple. Simple is easy to wear and easy to match.

The Only Styles You Need To Know:
-Chuck Taylor All Star Low or High
-Vans Authentic or Era
-Vans Classic Slip On
-Vans Sk8 Hi
-Superga 2750

All five are classic, inexpensive, and great with a variety of casual looks. Keep the colors basic too, white, off-white, navy, or black. But, if you’re looking for a bit of a statement, the California retro vibe of Vans slipons in a checkerboard pattern are always a killer way to go.

Know When To Let Go
Much like the last chip in a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, all good things must come to an end. Although canvas is tough, life can be tougher. Holes, rips and busted seams can look cool when you’re in a rock band, but they do little to preserve the integrity of your shoes, or your character, for that matter. A great litmus test for figuring out whether to toss a pair of canvas shoes is if any of your appendages can see the light of day, it’s time to retire your kicks. The cool thing about most canvas shoes is that they’re meant to get beat up, so don’t sweat it when they start to look a little rough around the edges. If taken care of correctly, the right pair of canvas sneakers can virtually last you for years. It’s a material that was designed to take a few beatings, but even the toughest among us needs a little TLC from time to time.

So, lace up, step out (and get a little dirty in the process), because we’ve still got a whole lot of summer left, gentlemen.