Matching denim to some casual footwear is a look that every man should have in his style arsenal, as it’s not only a comfortable way to get around, but you can also add an element of style to it with the right combinations. Here are some of the Man Cave’s top choices for how to wear this look, and not looking like a tourist.

The first key is going to be the cut of the jeans that you wear. Straight leg, at the very least, is really what will work best, as covering up your footwear with a large flare or bootcut kind of defeats the purpose. Also, those jeans are not really at the forefront of style at the minute, and can make you look much stockier and heavier than you actually are. In essence, they’re not doing you too many favours.

The good news is that most of your favourite jeans retailers will stock pretty much any size, and when it comes to value for money we quite like Jack & Jones. They name their fits differently, but they have a huge variety of colours and cuts, so if you find a style you like that’s not in the colour you want, just head to the website and you should be able to find whatever wash you want in a range of colours and fits. We also like that they’re all made in Italy, which gives them a classic styling.

New Balance 410s

New Balance have been making the same iconic designs with a touch of the modern for a while now, and these 410s are pretty much the same as they were when they first came out back in the ‘80s. That continued essence brings a retro feel to the look, and the sleek silhouette of the shoe works well with a slim fit jean.

The New Balance 1320s, part of their Spring Summer collection for this year, are also absolutely perfect, and the royal blue/yellow colour palette here will make an otherwise standard jeans and t-shirt look pop.

Pic via Highsnobiety

Nike Flyknit

The Flyknit is something that has been pushed across a huge part of the Nike range across its running, streetwear and even their football range, and we must admit that we really love the look of it. The upper is a one-piece knit, which gives it an ultra-modern feel, and with the free or racer sole, you can achieve different looks depending on which one you choose.

Pic via SneakerNews.com

Our current obsession are these multicolour Free 4.0s, which you can order online but we can’t seem to find here in any stores. Not to worry though, while these are the ideal, there’s a pretty big range of colours available, from a classic black to chukka boots in more outlandish colours. For the summer, we’d stick to the lower cut look, and go sockless, or at least with invisible socks, to make it stand out.

Vans Tesella/Prelow

Going along the same lines as the flyknit, the novel upper of the Tesella gives this shoe a little something extra that differentiates it from the classic Vans that we know and love. The Vans online store or their new branch on Grafton Street in Dublin will stock these in a range of colours (red being for the more adventurous), but if you really want to make people check out your kicks, then see if you can get your hands on these Vans from the Off The Wall Prelow model, which might be a bit harder to come across. Still, this simple mesh look is available in a range of other colours too, if the bright print is too far for you. 

Pic via 12oz Prophet

There are hundreds of other runners that you can match with jeans in the summer from classic Cons to retro Adidas numbers like the Original ZX range, but those above are just a few of our favourites. There's nothing new about jeans and runners as a combo, but as with lots of other looks, there are ways to personalise it, ways to make it a bit more daring, and ways to express your sense of style without being a huge, fashion-forward step. The looks above will set you apart from the crowd, without making you the focal point of attention, which is the right way to go about having a style of your own.

Main pic via nicekicks.com