While the name suggests they were originally designed for the court, rubber-soled tennis shoes were first found in the kit bags of 19th-century British Navy seamen. They wore the shoes to prevent keeling over on slippery, see-sawing decks. The British aristocracy – no strangers to maritime exploits themselves – began to wear the shoes during tennis games due to their excellent traction, and the name stuck.

With their sleek, elegant profile and ability to pair with casual and dressy looks, tennis shoes have become the bread and butter of the modern sneaker offering. And while every brand worth its salt has its own take on the ageless design, adidas produce some of the most classic styles, including Stan Smiths, which first appeared with that name in 1971, and Sambas, which despite being designed for the football pitch rather than the court (way back in the late 1940s, in fact), still fall under this category and are one of the most popular everyday sneakers today.

In many ways, the popularity of this hallmark design paved the way for brands such as Common Projects, who have reinterpreted the style for 21st-century tastes, garnering a loyal following in the process. Whether you opt for box-fresh white or classic black, the inherently fuss-free slickness of tennis shoes makes them work seamlessly with whatever else you’ve got on – everything from polos and chino shorts in summer or woollen trousers and chunky knitwear on cooler days.

In 1917, a certain Mr Marquis Mills Converse debuted a groundbreaking sports shoe in order to capture a piece of the burgeoning sportswear market. While it achieved some success, things really started to take off in 1922, thanks to a fortuitous hire in the shape of Mr Charles “Chuck” Taylor, a professional basketball player. Using his own experience from the court, Taylor made several design tweaks to the original Converse All Star design, adding a high topline and an ankle patch to offer enhanced defence from injuries during play. They became an immediate success among athletes and were soon adopted by collegiate jocks and rockabilly types – even Mr Elvis Presley wore them when he wasn’t rocking blue suede shoes. Later, subculture groups and artists of the 1980s and 1990s furthered the cause, cementing the rock’n’roll status of high-tops.

While there aren’t many hard-and-fast rules when it comes to styling them, taking your cue from the late Mr Kurt Cobain – a man who was seldom seen without a pair – isn’t a bad place to start. A witty slogan tee, fuzzy alpaca cardigan and well-seasoned jeans will help you nail the Nirvana frontman’s sense of 1990s nonchalance.

Alternatively, if your style leans more towards the sport and streetwear side of things, opt for a pair of Nikes. Leading the way in the development of basketball sneakers in the 1980s, Nike released the iconic Air Force 1 in 1982, the first basketball shoe to use the brand’s innovative Air technology for that all-important bounce.

Any shoe that slides on without the faff of laces or buckles is the ultimate lazy man’s dream. Remember your Velcro-fastening school shoes? Weren’t they a joy, until you completely forgot – or never learnt – how to tie a shoelace properly? Loss of basic life skills aside, there’s something satisfying about stepping straight into your shoes and out the door. After all, life’s too short to waste precious seconds tying your laces.

It’s fair to say that without the patronage of urban skaters, slip-on sneakers would probably never have achieved their level of popularity. The robust, grippy soles of these low-maintenance shoes meant they were hardy enough to handle even the toughest skate circuits, and there was the added benefit of good old health and safety – no risk of snapping your neck on the half-pipe due to entangled laces.

Today, brands as varied as Officine Creative, Moncler Genius and TOM FORD have offered up their own versions of the slip-on, and anyone who has donned a pair will know their worth when it comes to comfort. Slip them on with a cashmere hoodie, your favourite selvedge blues and an oversized checked coat for a low-key look.

Although most of today’s “fashion” sneakers are completely unsuitable for your morning 5k, there are others that have been fine-tuned to provide the support you need to help avoid any strained tendons. While adidas founder Mr Adolf “Adi” Dassler is often cited as the forefather of the modern running shoe, subsequent sportswear behemoths including Nike and New Balance pioneered their own technological innovations. In the 1970s, Nike, cofounded by athletics coach Mr Bill Bowerman and businessman Mr Phil Knight, introduced its waffle sneaker. This lightweight running shoe in crisp white leather featured a revolutionary cushioned sole – the texture of which is believed to have been inspired by Bowerman’s breakfast waffle iron.

Further down the line, New Balance continued to push the envelope, developing the first running sneakers made with laser-scanning technology to achieve a perfect, individual fit. Despite all this precision engineering for track and treadmill, running shoes are now fair game for adding a sporty flourish to most outfits.

“For me, the 990 series is the perfect balance of lifestyle visual and performance comfort, merging traditional and technical materials with a colour palette that goes with everything,” Pearce says of his company’s output. Whether you wear them for their intended purpose or team your neon runners with jeans and T-shirt, you’ll stay cool and comfortable on your feet no matter how long the day’s march turns out to be.

While subculture groups and the rise of athleisure have done much to popularise the sneaker, the fashion powerhouses of Europe launched sneakers into the stratosphere. Combining distinctive details and the crème de la crème of materials, these are definitely more status symbol than practical sports shoe, with some pairs seldom leaving the collector’s shelf, through genuine fear of scuffing them.

Cult designs such as Balenciaga’s chunky Triple S and buzzy collabs (such as Wales Bonner x adidas) have given limited-edition drops Holy Grail status. Elsewhere, brands such as Rick Owens and AMIRI play with proportions and streetwear inspiration to create designs that push the sneaker far beyond the realm of the pitch or track.

Beyond the hype, there are also more quietly elegant designers, such as Brunello Cucinelli, focusing on classic styling and build quality while still acknowledging the unstoppable march of the sneaker.

“In the past decade, sneakers have undergone a stylistic evolution,” says Mr Alessio Piastrelli of Brunello Cucinelli’s men’s style team. “Years ago, they were only considered a downtime shoe, but now it’s totally acceptable to wear them to social events with a suit. The emergence of new shapes in the 1990s helped drive this, as they were easier to style in a more sartorial way.”

And Brunello Cucinelli’s clean-cut, streamlined designs made from supremely soft Italian hides work with anything from shorts and chinos to an impeccably cut mohair suit, paying dividends for their initial outlay. “We’d actually advocate wearing sneakers with something more elegant, like a softly structured blazer, so your level of formality remains well-balanced,” Piastrelli says.