TEN OF THE BEST ‘70S SNEAKERS

When it comes to all-time greats, the Converse Chuck Taylor ranks with the best. With a slightly chunkier sole and overall more substantial build, the Chuck 70 is the one for those in the know. Still in style decades after its birth, the Converse Chuck Taylor is rivaled by few other retro sneakers.

The 1970s were home to a wealth of iconic high-top retro sneakers. One of the best to be resurrected in recent times is the Nike Terminator. This pair, made in collaboration with Comme Des Garçons, reignited a love for the silhouette’s minimal, sporty upper.

Slim sneaker silhouettes were the most popular in the ’70s. This is largely down to the fact that there hadn’t been as much research into the value of cushioning and support. But, since the PUMA Palermo Sneakers aren’t intended for running laps, they offer the visual strengths of a lightweight upper without suffering a lack of protection.

Thanks to the aforementioned lack of research into high-tech support, popular ’70s sneakers relied less on robust comfort and more on versatility. Footwear doesn’t come much more versatile than a pair of clean white plimsolls.

It was in the 1970s that people really began to see how sports gear could be factored into the everyday wardrobe. This went for tracksuits as well as footwear, setting the foundations for retro sneakers like the Lacoste Baseshot Premium.

When it comes to retro sneakers from the 1970s, few rank as more iconic than the adidas Originals Superstar. Hitting shelves in 1969, the shell-toe silhouette had a roaring ’70s, both on and beyond the hardwood courts it was designed for.

If the revival of ’70s-style sneakers has taught us anything, it’s that wearers don’t need all the bells and whistles in a pair of everyday kicks. Y-3, led by the master of simple color palettes Yohji Yamamoto, is a prime candidate for this kind of pared-back design. Riffing on adidas’s slimline, retro Country OG silhouette, Y-3 simplifies details like the classic three-stripe logo to make the sneaker more wearable than ever with a signature dose of elegant luxury.

Gum sole sneakers are an inextricable part of ’70s sneaker style and have held their popularity to this day. Pairs like the Converse Star Player 76 epitomize the kind of fuss-free retro design that usually accompanies the characteristic brown sole unit.

If there’s one luxury label that planted its flag in ’70s style, it’s Gucci. Alongside bug-eyed sunglasses and high-waisted, big-lapeled tailoring is a footwear collection that looks almost exclusively to the era for inspiration. The Gucci MAC80 features a traditional gum outsole and a creamy, off-white upper with the interlocking Gucci GGs that have become synonymous with refined ’70s styling.

Sticking to a handful of simple designs—each informed by the past—Spalwart is a time-tested footwear label. The brand’s Marathon Trail Low has risen to the top as the most popular within the collection thanks to its luxurious, suede-adorned take on uncluttered retro sneaker codes.