I find that there are times when it’s really best to keep it simple when it comes to the very best menswear essentials. Or rather, simple, classic and stylish. And as we stand on the brink of summer, there’s no better way to keep it simple than by starting from the ground up in matters of style with a pair of the best classic sneakers for men.

I’m talking about the kind of pair you can buy now (especially from my friends at Huckberry!). Then, you can wear those sneakers with everything from stretch chino shorts to light wash denim, and then steadily work elsewhere into your rotation of the best summer sneakers.

Sure, you’ve got sleek leather pairs and maybe even suede summer sneakers, but the Vans Authentic Canvas Sneakers are a different breed entirely, are they not?

You see, there’s a time and a place for everything, and the Vans Authentic Canvas Sneakers cover many times and many places. In increasingly casual times, having a reliable pair of affordable low-top sneakers you can slide on at a moment’s notice makes a difference.

That holds true whether paired with stretch chinos and an Oxford shirt, or with your favorite henley and lounge shorts. And in my experience, the Vans Authentic Canvas Sneakers certainly make that difference.

They retail for under $70, they wear easily with everything from a henley and light wash jeans to olive chinos and a navy polo, and they come from a longtime, trusted brand. Again, keeping it simple means, well, keeping it simple, and when it comes to the best minimal sneakers on the market, these Vans kicks (from my good friends at Huckberry) deliver precisely what you need.