Steal Alert: J. Crew Suede Vans Premium Sneakers under $50

Vans Premium Authentic Suede Sneakers – $49.50 ($85)

It’s no secret that there’s a lot of uncertainty around imported goods.

So under $50 for a pair of timeless, goes-with-everything sneakers from a heritage brand like Vans feels pretty great. Especially at present with macro economic conditions, and that Spring is only a month or two away. The fact that the uppers are suede instead of the usual cheap canvas is an extra bonus. There’s just one question:

What color are they, actually?

J. Crew debuted these sneakers last year in a greenish-grayish-brownish shade known as “Sea Turtle.” That is the color show in the review by our shoe expert Adam, as well as shown in the in-person pics below.

But now they’re calling the color of suede “potting soil.” And it does look to be a click or two darker, plus leaning much more brown than green on the spectrum:

*squints*

Or they could be the same damn color and J. Crew just tweaked the studio lighting and called it something different. Doubt that though. Gut feeling is they are no longer green, are now brown, and just a touch darker overall.

But again, head here for last year’s full review.

Grippy rubber soles with the classic Vans waffle pattern.
(shown above = last year’s “sea turtle” green shade.)

TL;DR: 4.75/5 stars. Highly recommended. Suede is nice. Fit feels true. Insole is comfy and removable. Shipping is free for members, returns in store are free, returns through the mail/UPS will cost you $7.50 for the return label. Color (no matter whether it’s a new brown or the old green) should go great with gray chinos, dark denim, and all sorts of colors of shorts when it warms up and you want to give your standard white court-inspired sneakers a break.

That’s all.

Carry on.

Full grain leather collars and heel accents.
(again, shown above in “sea turtle green” from last year.)