Can Keens sneakers be cool?

Testing the 'Jaspers' to see what we can make of them

The spring equivalent of a pair of hiking boots could be a pair of sneakers that have laces that start at the very top of the shoe. Charlie (who shoots the pictures that are not living-room-selfies for this newsletter) pointed out that for Keen’s ‘Jasper’ style in particular, which either fall into the category of so-bad-they’re-good or plain-old-bad, what’s interesting and in a way sort of mesmerizing is that they look like a bit like baseball mitt.

They kind of remind me of the perfect Dries sneaker I called attention to on Fri.

I think I get what she means. And am intrigued by the shoe because they’re not the summer sandal Gucci was inspired by during phase 1 of Alessandro Michele mania (the creative director who helmed and resurrected the house for a decade. He is going to Valentino next season).

Here is the photographed style, but as an unrelated note, if you’re a size 9, you more likely need these

You can still find a bunch on TRR — the best search phrase to see the full range is ‘Gucci leather printed sandals,’ refined down to women > shoes > flats

These did become their own kind of fashion shoe, but never really took off in the same way. Could Jasper be the next practical non-fashion item to explode into our zeitgeist? Here are 5 outfits that employ the sneakers, one of which might actually be climbing friendly.

Look 1

But it’s not this one:

Chanel jacket (two alternative personality pieces that are appropriate for spring can be found here and here/here — then this one is, for whatever reason, $387), Kule ‘Wynn’ tee, Live the Process bike shorts (these are the same material - it’s very flattering; then these are also very flattering on and a bit longer. Should we all get the blue ones?), Keens sneakers

This is one is more like, how to make sure your personality jacket gets to retain the title of “center of attention,” when styled into a broader outfit. The length and feather trim give it a bit of a dress vibe, so styling something low lift and subtle under it — like a tight-to-the-body dress or cycling shorts and a t-shirt works well. No doubt the shoes are a severe contrast, call it the tough love that tactile preciousness requires in order to sustain its own power.

A totally different look, but these are cute too huh, and here’s a solid black leather clutch in case you need one, and a fun one in case you just want one. Come on, she cool.

The black bag was also a deliberate choice, to add weight to the top of the look that connects back to the black soles.

Look 2

Next look is something I wore to a bris the day after we shot this with these shoes (but in silver) and skinnier pants.

Wardrobe.nyc ivory blazer (there’s a medium avail for $995 on MyT, and a broader range at Farfetch for $1135; Loulou Studio has a cotton option with brown buttons for $595), Flore Flore white tank (the ‘Hillie’ silhouette is among my favorites), Matteau black pants, Dries van Noten neck piece (it’s the less extra version of this)

I mention it to anchor expectations in setting, and actually think the fancier you go with a look like this (that is, with something you wear to an event where you have look put together, not too dressy but also not so casual that jeans are appropriate), the more sense the shoes start to make. This is where sparkly earrings, the neck piece and a hard-shell silver clutch come in.

These black pants from the Solid & Striped x Sofia Richie range fit really well too; here’s another solid ivory blazer and I would be remiss to omit this bag from the Soeur range

I also folded the sleeves of my jacket in so that a bit more of my wrist would show — a good rule of thumb with getting dressed when you’re in a relatively mens-y look (slouchy jacket, slouchy pants) is that your decolette, wrists and ankles are the most feminine body parts you have to low-stakes expose, so you want to reveal at least one of the three, to the extent it makes sense.

Look 3

Here’s the climbing outfit I was telling you about:

Here’s a good windbreaker — or this, maybe this, or — take your pick!, here’s the skirt (from L.A.-based SellaV) and here’s the floral pin

Featuring a de facto tennis skirt from SellaV, and a windbreaker from an international brand that I don’t think exists anymore. I like how the blue catches the laces on the shoes, and how the tan suede is kind of the same color as the skirt, but think it’s actually the white piping on the wind breaker that makes the full look feel less like an early study in color-blocking, breaking it up more subtly and directly.

The bag is Dior (fancy alt here/here, more approachable alt here), the sunglasses are Oliver Peoples. Toteme’s are kind of the same (and cheaper) but Ray-Bans totally work.

Same idea here with the sunglasses and bag (I have had this one open in a tab on my browser for weeks) to catch the sole of the shoe — and you bet your budding tulip the brooch made its way in. Call that the surprise element of ~whimsy.~

Look 4

Now here’s a look completely inspired by an elderly woman I saw getting out of a parked car in Carnegie Hill a few weeks ago:

Chava Studio headband, Delarge sunglasses (we have a collab launching in July!), By Malene Birger quilted jacket, Jigsaw grey long sleeve tee (try this or this one), Nue Studio knee cap pants (an alt with no barcode but a cute side slit is right this way) and the best alt for this bag is this

She was wearing a velvet headband —not too raised off the head (so limited puff), but not too flat either — with a quilted field jacket, cropped pants (sort of like these, which I have and endorse effusively) that were short enough that you could see the top of her sock and a pair of Belgian shoes.

Wait hold on, just found the above jacket on sale. But there are a couple more options for you here, here and here. And the sneakers again, in case you forgot, are Keens. (The socks are from Calzedonia)

So the creative license here are the round-frame glasses and our Jaspers, but I do also like how the rhinestone patch at the bottom of my leggings add a bit of ironic glamour to the rest of the outfit.

Look 5

I got these great lingerie style silk pants (as a gift) from the brand Palomo Spain, which featured prominently as a new-to-me brand to know in last September’s New York fashion week recap, and they arrived in the nick of time to make it into one of these looks.

The Elder Statesman sweater, Teira 1996 tank top, Palomo Spain pants (am also seriously considered these), Khaite ‘Lillith’ bag (here’s one in purple suede on eBay, or this from old Celine is A STEAL, ppl)

This is like the in-between clothes equivalent of how you’d wear the sneakers replete with “boudoir pearls” and a snake-chain bag in the right counter color to purple. But tbh, I really prefer this outfit with a pair of sandals

The Elder Statesman sweater, Teira 1996 tank top, Palomo Spain pants (am also seriously considered these), Khaite ‘Lillith’ bag (my other rec for you is the ‘lunch bag’ from The Row), Doen x K. Jacques sandals

Like these from Doen’s collab with K. Jacques. In the interest of, partially, actually nailing the final look and demonstrating the versatility of silhouettes such a pair of sneakers can be worn with, here’s also a long-line skirt that kind of looks like a sarong (maybe I can convince you to try this one as a skirt):

Look 5.5/6

Frances de Lourdes tank, a good lightweight tie dye sweater here, Valentino skirt from a collab the brand did with MyTheresa a few years ago. This color-way is still available in some sizes and I like this straight skirt from Massimo Dutti as an alt. Of c, the sneakers are Keens

It’s styled pretty similarly, with a tank top and a sweater around my upper half and is, I’m realizing now, the only instance in which I did not wear high socks. The socks are employed more as a styling function to add weight to my feet with short things, which wasn’t necc. here.

This concludes today’s exercise. Have a great week …and I doubt you’re reading, but if you are, happy birthday dad! I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to have an Aries parent 🔥,

Leandra