If you're on the internet in any capacity then you've surely seen the quarter zip trend catching steam. Kids are trading in their Nike Tech Fleeces for quarter zips and matcha, and frankly, the videos are hilarious. When you're rocking a Nike Tech, your sneaker options are pretty much endless. You can rock an Air Force 1, an Air Max 95, Jordan 11s—any pair of sneakers you want, really. But when you throw a qz on top of a pair of jeans or a khaki pant, it might be best to be a little smarter about your footwear.
This might be the most important piece of sneaker journalism you read this week. So, check out the five best of sneakers to wear with a quarter zip this holiday season.
The Best Sneakers of the 21st Century (So Far)
Tuck Your Tech Fleece. It’s a Quarter Zip Winter.
Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 990v5
Price: Varies by size
New Balances are the ultimate quarter zip sneakers. You don’t even need to do any mental gymnastics to figure that one out. But also, so is Aime Leon Dore. It’s a finance bro’s weekend attire. His casual calling card for brunch plans or Hinge dates. When ALD did its first 990 series New Balance collaboration in 2019, the v2 caused a riot. But the v5 was still seen as much more of the non-sneakerhead choice, and ended up on the feet of Cool Industry sales guys abound. Ironically, I’d rather have those now. —Matt Welty
Air Jordan 1 Low
Price: $120
Nothing more quarter zip—and by quarter zip I mean finance bro—than a pair of Air Jordan 1 Lows right now. I’m not sure how they got hip to them, but they’re everywhere. Any six-foot-tall plus white dude with a comb over in Lower Manhattan or Hoboken these days has a pair of AJ1 Lows on. Not even just Dunks—the AJ1 Low. We’ve seen some good pairs this year, too, like Chicagos and Nigels. But don’t expect to see any of those with a quarter zip. So buck the trend. —Matt Welty
On Cloudmonster 2
Price: $240
If you see someone in a quarter zip, or a Patagonia vest, popping out of the World Trade Center (because they’re the same person), odds are they’re wearing Ons. On has made some inroads with the sneaker scene—I have a few pairs. But people also might accuse me of being quarter zip adjacent. They still have a strong fragrance of finance bro, and that’s not always a bad thing. It means they just smell like money. —Matt Welty
New Balance 1906L
Price: $160
The New Balance 1906L is peak footwear for a quarter zip fit. The sneaker loafer bridges the gap in design language with its ability to be both formal and informal. We’ve seen Junya Watanabe do a collaboration with these at Paris fashion week, breaking the mold of how we see New Balance by moving it to high fashion. Some may think this shoe is ugly for a quarter zip, but some also thought Reggie Miller's jumper was ugly. Either way, it's still money. —Douglas Jase
Reebok Club C
Price: $75
It doesn't get much more versatile than the Reebok Club C. You can dress it up, you can dress it down, you can wear it with shorts or a pair of khakis. There are plenty of options with the Club C as well: GR colorways, or if you're feeling fancy, you can step out in your quarter zip with a collab from the likes of Packer, Paper Boy, or First We Feat's Hot Ones. If that doesn't fit the bill for the perfect pair of quarter zip sneakers, than I don't know what does. And for $75, I'm, not too sure you can get better than that. —Ben Felderstein