Grandpa shoes or cool kicks? Sneakerheads fawn over retro footwear designs

Are shoes like this pair of Mephistos considered as geriatric? Or is the style fast becoming a Gen-Z must-have? Photo: The New York Times

Since Brian Procell first chanced upon Mephisto’s wide-set sneakers at his local suburban New Jersey mall in the 1990s, he has been smitten by the shoes.

“I’ve traversed the globes in Mephistos,” said Procell, a grand poobah of New York’s vintage scene.