Also...

http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/products/normal/555/product-31555.jpg

I'm in the same boat, but I gave up wearing Chucks years ago due to the horrible arch support in 'em...

Nowadays I always buy Vans or Airwalk shoes. They're vaguely "sk8terboi"-y but still fairly understated and tasteful.

These are similar to my latest pair:

http://vans.speedera.net/shop.vans.com/image/3080476B.jpg

http://store.puma.com/product_images/small/24515009s.jpg

http://www.michaelmagic.com/imagesT/Shoe857.jpg

http://www3.mb.sympatico.ca/~bryang/newsneakerz.jpg

A man needs but three pairs of shoes in life:

One pair, black, low-top Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
One pair, black, 8-eye Doc Martens boots (or equivalent)
One pair, New Balance running/walking shoes

Actually, I have a gajillion shoes. But, uh, those are amongst them. And I have all these lame excuses why I need more. Like, the adidas ones got shrunk in the rain one time so they are kind of tight. And the New Balance ones stink from when I wore them on water rides at Busch Gardens. And my navy rip-off adidas shoes aren't connected to the sole on one side of the left foot. *sigh*

Currently sporting Yancey's Pumas. Well I'm quite an original!

The Nike Dunk

http://www.avis.ne.jp/~takanoya/new/n-dunkp-b2.jpg

nike air force one

http://www.saitama-j.or.jp/~iwazaki/hotosonota/nike/af1mid_bl_red3.jpg

n.b. pinkpanther didnt post the last one i did - i just forgot to log her out of ile b4 i posted - my bad

You should really call them 'gym shoes' or 'plimsolls'. As in: 'I purchased a new pair of plimsolls at Forsythe's department store today, Mother.'

They are for people who do sports and believe that 'the athletic' is more noble than 'the intellectual'.

Predominantly white shoes like these look silly under dark clothes, because they draw attention to the feet in a way which is unwarranted.

The shoes soon smell so bad that you have to throw them away in complete disgust.

Hitler, if he were alive today, would certainly endorse this kind of shoe, I feel.

I want some predominantly black skatey trainers with soft fuzzy suede uppers in a style similar to Converse or the flatter Vans/Duffs/New Balances, but I can't find any in black and in my size in any UK shops, online or otherwise, so it looks like I'll have to settle for blue or grey. If anyone wants to dissuade me or knows of a great online UK shoeshop I might have missed then let me know. Sorry to derail the thread; take it to email if you'd rather.

(Mind you, most of the navy pairs look black in the photos, but I'm scared to assume that'll be true in real lighting if I order some. And no canvas, it rains over here, y'know...)

Should you wish to go back to wearing structured footwear you may suffer for a while but it will be your own silly fault, you goose.

Each foot contains 250,000 sweat glands and releases an eggcup full of perspiration each day.  Hot wet feet are the result. Remember, mushrooms are fungi which grow in dark, warm, damp conditions!

The recent silly fashion to leave laces untied and merely tuck them behind the tongue has caused many serious accidents through tripping/getting them caught up. It is not cool to miss football practice with a broken arm or leg!!

After wearing them for a year, I saw them being worn by Avril Lavigne in her 'Complicated' video. Now I think they're gr8er, boi.

http://www.skateparkoftampa.com/spot/productimages/193.jpg

I agree with this 100%. I noticed that despite Ernest's proviso that the sneakers be non-white, several of the recommendations are indeed all white. I'm guessing that jimmy's first suggestion above is a joke since not only are they white, but they have velcro closures. I mean really.

Mom always said that if i din't tie my sneakers, people would think that I did not know how to do.

"The hell with breaking yr leg, don't embarrass me! Tie them."

All are quite beautiful I think you'll agree!

Sadly, NY Japanakid foot culture is growng tiresome. Thus my totally square White-velcro New Balances, which are the first thing posted on this thread. No self-respecting wannabe Japanakid would wear those.

Nice Skate Shoes, "Bullet" style. They're actually decent looking enough that I can wear them to work! Cost: $29.99. Hell yeah. I like them so much, I'm even going to link to their website: http://www.nicefootwear.com/

Much, much better support than my old Chucks...