If you’re chasing PBs, then one of the top considerations when buying new running shoes might be stack height. However, if the only thing you’re sprinting for is the bus, then your sole searching is likely to be on a different scale. Because, while those competing in running events are probably looking for the maximum amount of cushioning they can legally wedge under their feet – 40mm, according to the World Athletics regulations – those dipping a toe into the leisure market are keeping things decidedly down to Earth. Case in point, Common Projects’ latest silhouette, the Driving Lo Profile. Even from a brand known for its minimal aesthetic, this cult hit, inspired by traditional driving shoes, takes stripped back to the next level. Although it should be noted that reasons for wearing them are not thin on the ground.

Almost all of the menswear you love started out as a functional uniform for some occupation outside the fashion industry. Trench coats, blouson jackets, cargo pants and desert boots, for example, can all be traced back to the military. And those Carhartt double-knees you live in would never have been on your radar were they not endorsed by the world’s blue-collar workmen decades ago. The sports industry has had a big hand in shaping modern menswear, too. And few athletic garments have had such staying power as the classic Henley.

If there’s a defining text on the contentious idea of prep – a coastal, status-obsessed, artfully crumpled and irreverent take on dressing and living – then it’s 1980’s The Official Preppy Handbook by Lisa Birnbach, Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD Wallace and Mason Wiley. Somewhere between satire and survival guide, it sold a million copies and detailed, among plenty of other things, the best way to take care of madras, which pets are appropriate for a preppy aspirant (dog) and various lessons in etiquette and bougie taste.

Over the past 15 or so years, Scandinavian fashion has come to be synonymous with the idea of minimalism. Cities such as Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen have all birthed brands known for their understatement and ability to pare things back. It’s been said so often as to have become a cliche, albeit one that was never entirely true. In fact, it’s never really been a fair representation of Scandinavian design. Across the region, there have always been menswear brands pushing at the edges of this classic design, taking more risks and offering an alternative to the understated stereotype.

If you’re chasing PBs, then one of the top considerations when buying new running shoes might be stack height. However, if the only thing you’re sprinting for is the bus, then your sole searching is likely to be on a different scale. Because, while those competing in running events are probably looking for the maximum amount of cushioning they can legally wedge under their feet – 40mm, according to the World Athletics regulations – those dipping a toe into the leisure market are keeping things decidedly down to Earth. Case in point, Common Projects’ latest silhouette, the Driving Lo Profile. Even from a brand known for its minimal aesthetic, this cult hit, inspired by traditional driving shoes, takes stripped back to the next level. Although it should be noted that reasons for wearing them are not thin on the ground.

Almost all of the menswear you love started out as a functional uniform for some occupation outside the fashion industry. Trench coats, blouson jackets, cargo pants and desert boots, for example, can all be traced back to the military. And those Carhartt double-knees you live in would never have been on your radar were they not endorsed by the world’s blue-collar workmen decades ago. The sports industry has had a big hand in shaping modern menswear, too. And few athletic garments have had such staying power as the classic Henley.