Saint Laurent Paris SL/12H High-Top Review. MANY PICTURES! (x-post /r/expensivemalefashion)
Saint Laurent Paris SL/12H High-Top Review
Keeping up with the trend of Saint Laurent Paris purchases on r/expensivemalefashion lately, here's my first impression and review of the SLP SL/12H High-Top sneakers in Blanc Optique (white). These sneakers were purchased at Neiman Marcus back in May (before the Memorial Day sales started, unfortunately) but I haven't gotten around to doing a review and photo shots until now -- almost two months later.
I was looking for a quality pair of clean, white sneakers since more than half of my shoe collection no longer fits, having gained 20 pounds in four months in an ongoing bulking phase. My only pair of pure white sneakers, a pair of Common Projects Achilles Lows, were now too tight in the forefoot. Having checked out the limited collection of options, these SLP SL/12H sneakers were my top choice.
APPEARANCE/PACKAGING/FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The shoes were packaged in a minimalist black box with SAINT LAURENT PARIS on top, model and sizing info on the side. Once opened, my salesman took out the black dustbag to reveal the shoes. Each shoe had been individually placed in a plastic bag with some sort of cloth-feeling fabric stuffed in the shoe to keep its shape. None of the other shoes I've purchased new were individually-wrapped in that manner -- I was very pleased to see that. There is a smaller drawstring bag which holds the extra laces.
The white is really optic white. Very beautiful and eye-catching in my opinion. On the other hand, the shoes being so white dissuades me from wearing them more often due to the environment in which I live (surrounded by red dirt) plus my natural fear of getting them dirty. I need to remind myself that shoes need to be worn, not sitting in my closet and catching dust.
They're also really light on my feet in comparison to some other sneakers I own. They're definitely lighter than all of my Common Projects for sure, a little lighter than my canvas Nike AJKO 1s, and probably around the same as my Margiela GAT Mids.
MATERIALS/CONSTRUCTION
Pictures will probably do better in showing you than text will.
The leather feels a bit tougher or stiffer than any of my Common Projects (except for the Derby Shines) and my Margiela GATs, but that's probably due to it being brand new. Everything is neatly and tightly double-stitched except for the tongue, eyestay and back panel area. I've tried tugging at the stitches with my nails; they won't budge. The way the sole is stitched on looks different from other sneakers I've seen, but perhaps this is due to my inexperience. I think it's pretty neat.
FIT AND SIZING
I'm a 7.5E on the Brannock scale, so I chose to go with a 41 for starters. For reference, my MMM GAT mids are sized 41 (a little loose) and my Common Projects Vintage Basketball Highs are sized 40 (a little tight). They were quite roomy in the toe area and had about two or three thumb-widths of extra space.
Since these sneakers do not come in half-sizes, I went down to a 40. Near perfect fit, a little less than one thumb-width of space. I love how the toe box is spacious, giving my wide feet some space to spread out in comparison to other sneakers I've tried and owned. The laces provide adequate lockdown and the velcro strap around the ankle keeps them in place.
COMPARISON WITH CP VINTAGE BBALL HIGH
Design is the first thing I noticed between the two. The SLP tongue extends all the way down to the toe box -- it's essentially one piece. The bottom lace covers the stitching at the vamp so that it appears seamless from top to bottom. The CPs, on the other hand, have the tongue as a separate piece that ends below the toe box. This is something I wouldn't mind (my GATs are the same way) except that the tongue ends right in the middle of the toe box. As a result, there are awkwardly-formed wrinkles right in the middle of the toe box.
The SLPs "feel" better on foot but that's probably a subjective thing. There's no way to scientifically prove it, so you'll need to do a trial test for yourself. I think the design of the SLPs look way better than any of the Common Projects high-tops out there. Take the SL/03H, SL/10H, or SL/12H -- any of them will probably look better than the comparable CP model.
OVERALL
These are by far my favorite sneakers in my collection. I'd highly recommend them to anyone looking to make their first jump into higher-level designer sneakers or even those who already have designer sneakers but looking to try out something worth their money. They're built well, versatile, and look great with just about any outfit. I'm definitely looking forward to my next purchase.
Posted Jul 10, 2014, 5:11 PM UTC