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The Best High-Top Sneakers to Take Your Style to New Heights

From the venerable Jordan 1 to independent efforts from smaller brands, these are the high-tops worth taking the time to lace up.

collage of three high top sneakersAdidas, StockX, Converse

By Evan Malachosky

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While high-top sneakers aren’t nearly as popular as their lower profile counterpart, the low-top sneaker, they are an integral part of sneaker history nonetheless. Just look back in time: the Chuck Taylor All-Star, the Jordan 1. First designed decades ago, these silhouettes have withstood the test of time and become true cultural touchpoints in the process.

Nowadays, there are a number of red-hot high-tops, from New Balance’s new entry, the 650, to longstanding classics like Reebok’s Club C. Find one that suits your style below.

Products in the Guide

High-Top Sneaker History

The first high-top sneakers, according to several style sources, were Converse’s Chuck Taylor All-Star, a sneaker designed for the basketball court. It had diamond tread and a high, canvas collar. Did it greatly improve on-court performance? No, but it was a step up from what they were wearing.

Over 70 years later, Nike, who at that point had not yet acquired Converse but was closing in on basketball nonetheless, introduced the Air Jordan 1, the player exclusive model for Chicago Bulls rookie Michael Jordan. This has seen been, despite the Chuck Taylor’s enduring popularity, arguably the most sought-after high-top since, with its myriad limited-edition colorways and collabs.

Why You Should Wear High-Top Sneakers

While some may argue the style hasn’t really changed since the early 20th century — see: Chucks — there have been plenty of developments to make high-top sneakers both less cumbersome and uncomfortable.

Converse, for example, created the Chuck 70, an enhanced All-Star with a new insole and outsole and stronger canvas uppers. At other brands, like New Balance, high-tops are getting a second chance after decades on the drawing board. The New Balance 650 is a stellar high-top that carries on New Balance’s legacy of comfort-first designs.

Needless to say, high-tops get a hard rap, and they’re better than ever if you ask me — less Osiris and more “I’d actually wear this.” Whether for protection from the elements or better ankle support, there are a number of reasons to get high (top sneakers).

How to Wear High-Top Sneakers

Nowadays, no one really wears skin-tight pants anymore — at least not like they did 10-15 years ago. Now, you should your sneakers with pants they can comfortably fit under, i.e. straight-fit, wide-fit or even boot-cut jeans or chinos. Skinny pants that “stack” on top of your sneakers is a look best saved for celebs, famous rappers and even high-profile athletes — the ones who swipe their credit cards without thinking twice whether they’ll ever get their money’s worth from these designer drawers.

As for wearing shorts with your high-tops, why not? As long as they aren’t essentially capris — i.e. too long — your high-tops will look plenty normal paired with sweat, mesh or even chino shorts. Just make sure they’re the proper length, and avoid vibrant socks that clash too much with the colors on the sneaker.

How We Tested

two pairs of high top sneakers on the groundEvan Malachosky

While it’s hard to call any of these the “best,” per se, thanks to the vastness of the category, there is a clear-cut difference between pairs worth including and pairs we’d happily pass on. As such, the pairs below are here because they’re worthy — the standout pairs from a massive, massive subset of the sneaker industry. They were the most comfortable, easiest to match with most outfits and, at large, the most affordable, even though some can only be bought on resale sites.

From hard-to-find classics to impressive newcomers, there are a number of high-top sneakers to choose from, each with their own unique style. Find yours below.

New Balance 650

New Balance re-launched the 650, a basketball sneaker from the ’80s, with Aimé Leon Dore creative director Teddy Santis. Back then, the sneaker competed with Nike’s Air Jordan 1, which was also made mostly of leather but had a high foam collar. (This is why the original Air Jordan 1s crack at the collar: because the material isn’t real leather, but rather painted foam. It’s why the Jordan 1 ‘Lost and Found’ is cracking at the top.)

As for today’s retooling, it’s comfortable but not in a boot-like way. The foam collar lets your ankle roll a little bit, but not in a dangerous way. You’re still supported but just a little more mobile.

Read our full review of the New Balance 650.

Jordan 1 Retro OG High

The Jordan 1 is about as famous as it gets in terms of sneakers. It’s transcended both basketball and niche sneaker culture and become a truly international touch point — something everyone, everywhere knows about. But somehow these sneakers are still slightly hard to get, thanks in no small part to their enduring popularity.

New colorways come and go, and the classics are rarely restocked, which means you’ll have to resort to buying sold-out pairs on resale sites, not directly from Nike.

Converse Chuck 70

The Converse Chuck 70 is the Chuck Taylor All-Star, but better. It has a softer insole, a sturdier outsole and strong canvas uppers, all while being decidedly better-looking, at least in terms of available colors. I have a few in varying hues, and I’ll never go back to flimsy, $50 Chucks ever again.

Read our full review of the Converse Chuck 70.

Vans Sk8-Hi

Whether you’re a skater or not, you’ve probably worn (or at least seen) a pair of Vans Sk8-His, which hit right above the ankle and have a wide, flat outsole. With waffle tread and a gum sole, it’s a smart pick for skateboarding or simply walking around, but it isn’t as supportive as basketball-first sneakers are.

Adidas Rivalry High

The Adidas Rivalry High is another high-top sneaker that stems from on-court action, but now, the sneaker is far more lifestyle, especially in this edition. Featuring monochrome nubuck, suede and synthetic leather components and gold accents, this is luxe as it gets for this style, which has been in Adidas’s catalog for decades now.

US Rubber Military High Top Sneaker

US Rubber Co. went out of business for more than 100 years, but we owe a lot to this long-time defunct brand: From 1892 until 1913, the company’s factories manufactured vulcanized rubber sneakers — a process the company gained access to through the acquisition of Goodyear — for 30 different brands. Three years later, they were all consolidated under the name Keds, which became the first company to sell a rubber soled canvas sneaker, a precursor to countless silhouettes, in 1917.

Plus, the brand coined the term “sneakers” in 1917 in an ad for Keds, which claimed they helped kids “sneak up on unsuspecting friends.”

Read more about US Rubber Co’s classic sneakers.

Collegium Destroyer

The youngest brand on this list, Collegium was founded in 2014 by independent designer Nick Sisombath, who still acts as the brand’s Managing Director to this day. The brand’s pillar style, the Destroyer, is a simple high-top with luxe finishings even the most avid sneakerhead will appreciate.

Sure, these aren’t Nikes or Adidas, but they’re on par, if not better-made. And that’s something Sisombath prides himself on.

Nike Terminator High

As many high-top basketball sneakers do, the Nike Terminator High stems from the ’80s, when these styles were first introduced. This option was originally just for the Georgetown Hoyas, but the style has been revived several times to accommodate more colorways.

It’s a comfortable contemporary to the Jordan 1, without the Jordan association, of course.

Learn more about the retro-looking Nike Terminator High.

Nike Dunk High Retro

The Dunk High Retro, as you can guess by the name, stems from the emergent era of basketball, the ’80s. Instead of being wholly original, though, the Dunk was an amalgamation of four different Nike sneakers: the Jordan 1, Legend, Air Force 1 and the Terminator. Parts from each make up this chunky, high-top kick, but it’s the low-top version, which looks less like all of ’em, that proves most popular.

Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Vintage

The second most ubiquitous Nike high-top, the Blazer, or the Blazer Mid ’77 Vintage, is simple. However, for devoted sneakerheads, perhaps too simple, hence why it’s crossed over into the mainstream. It marries a foam-infused nylon tongue with leather uppers, flat cotton laces, suede accents and a vulcanized rubber sole, resulting in a style that looks plucked from adverts (and athletes) of the ’70s: the atypical font on the heel and the tongue’s vintage logo emphasize that vibe.

Read our full review of the Nike Blazer Mid ’77 Vintage.

Reebok Club C Form High-Top

The Reebok Club C is a classic low-top sneaker. Best done in all-white, it works as a blank beater, a sneaker you can wear until it caves and cop another for less than $100. The Club C Form High-Top takes the decorative elements of the shorter version and amplifies them, creating a tall sneaker with noticeable leather overlays.

Nike Air Ship PE

When Michael Jordan first joined Nike, he played in the Air Ship. The Jordan 1 was eventually introduced after the infamous banning of his black-and-red sneakers, which were Air Ships not Air Jordan 1s. The mix up is not simply a clerical error, though, as reporters have pointed out. Nike used the publicity to introduce a new sneaker, albeit one that wasn’t necessarily different, just formalized. As such, the Nike Air Ship is the original Jordan in a way.

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