Justin Bieber wore sneakers with a suit to meet President Macron of France, a sign of an increasingly casual and laid-back dressing style for men

The rise of street style and a push by celebrities, influencers and luxury brands have given impetus to the suits-and-sneakers trend

Experts predict we will see a more casual and laid-back dressing style for men, like dressing down suits with kicks, become the norm post-pandemic

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Pairing sneakers with your suit? Justin Bieber did just that when he met France’s President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Instagram/@justinbieber

Published: 4:15am, 9 Aug 2021Updated: 8:14am, 9 Aug 2021

It wasn’t quite on the same level as Elvis Presley meeting then-US president Richard Nixon at the White House in 1970 but, in June 2021, pop star Justin Bieber and his wife, model Hailey Bieber, met French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, at the Élysée Palace in Paris.

Pictures of the unusual get-together, reportedly held at the request of Bieber, who was passing through the French capital, were posted to Macron’s Instagram account as well as the singer’s own, which has 187 million followers. For days, it was something of a trending topic on social media.

Quite aside from the oddity of the president and the singer mugging for the camera and discussing the latter’s tenuous-at-best French ancestry, the meeting was a source of much comment and column inches for the contrast in fashion.

While Macron wore a classically styled suit, Bieber reflected a mainstream, less formal way of suit-wearing today – his was relaxed cut, open-collared and, crucially, paired with sneakers.

Leather sneakers from Common Projects at Mr Porter.

“Nowadays, wearing sneakers with a suit is not only acceptable but encouraged,” says Olie Arnold, a style director at menswear retailer Mr Porter. “I think this trend started when dressing codes of institutions and companies started to loosen, and people started to be more relaxed with their tailoring. Sneakers bring casualness to the suit while still respecting the dress code for work and, say, an intimate outdoor wedding occasion.”

Covid-19 notwithstanding, pairing a suit with sneakers, as Arnold says, is not uncommon. Plain leather sneakers offer a smart look for the wedding itself and comfort for the dancing portion of the reception. (Full confession: this writer wore a handmade navy Liverano & Liverano suit from Florence, Italy, with plain pale pink Nike Blazers for his pandemic wedding.)

Justin Bieber wore sneakers with a suit to meet President Macron of France, a sign of an increasingly casual and laid-back dressing style for men

The rise of street style and a push by celebrities, influencers and luxury brands have given impetus to the suits-and-sneakers trend Experts predict we will see a more casual and laid-back dressing style for men, like dressing down suits with kicks, become the norm post-pandemic

The rise of street style and a push by celebrities, influencers and luxury brands have given impetus to the suits-and-sneakers trend

Experts predict we will see a more casual and laid-back dressing style for men, like dressing down suits with kicks, become the norm post-pandemic