Few colorways have been as long-lasting and universal as "Gucci" green and red. Adding some green and red trim to a black or white base gives pretty much any company some of that high-end cachet, gives any silhouette some class by association. Not that you have to seek out imitations. Hey, if you want to drop $400 on a pair of real Gucci sneakers, go right ahead. We're not gonna try and stop you. (And if you want to spend $500 on the Mark Ronson-designed new-new ish, there apparently aren't any lines.) But if you're looking for something a little more affordable, read on.


1. Premium Goods x Fila Tennis Classic

Back in the spring of '08, Premium Goods teamed with Fila to drop this leather and mesh version of the Tennis Classic. Perfectly '80s Gucci from the green and red stripes to the premium (pun intended) material and gold trim, these were an ace.

PASS



2. UNDRCRWN x adidas TS Commander

Nothing exceeds like excess. Hip-hop and basketball fanatics UNDRCRWN flipped Kevin Garnett's TS Commander in green, black and red, then took things a step further with the Louis Vuitton-style tonal checkerboard upper. And then there's the gold nib on the laces. Over the top? Sure. But sometimes that's the only way to go.

PASS



3. Nike Sportswear Dunk High Supreme "East" and Nike Dunk High SB

Similar flavors served in different styles. The Clark Kent-designed "East" skews high end, what with the faux ostrich and crocodile leather, whilst the long-awaited SB aims youthier with full-grain leather and rough-cut black denim. Whichever way you want it.

PASS



4. Mita Sneakers x Reebok Ex-O-Fit Hi S.G. Strap

Sigh. It's hard to tell exactly where things went wrong here, but it just doesn't work. The straps look like they came from a different shoe entirely, and that white piping on the toe divides rather than unites.

FAIL.



5. Nike SB P-Rod 2

Putting a cat in the oven don't make it a biscuit, and throwing some green and red on a shoe don't make it Gucci. Case in point.

FAIL.




6. Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro High Premier

Honestly, if this shoe came with white or black laces, it wouldn't even be here. If you're gonna go Gucci, Jordan, you need to go all-in. Please try again.

FAIL.




7. Reebok S. Carter

For his first signature shoe with Reebok, Jay-Z decided to not only bite the Gucci colorway, but the entire style of Gucci's legendary '80s sneaker (if you don't know, you better ask Raekwon). The only thing they got wrong was the construction, the shape and the materials. What started as a sleek tennis shoe turned out more like something you'd see in hospital hallways. On the nurses.

FAIL.



8. Nike Waffle Racer 3

If you took off the Swooshes and Nike logos, this could actually BE a Gucci sneaker. Nike stayed away from the bulky and all-too-overused Air Max silhouettes, and instead flipped a sleeker, lesser-known design, adding a tonal paisley print. Add in the Zoom Air cushioning, and they're actually better than Guccis for a fraction of the price. Killed it.


PASS.




9. Product x Fila '70s Fitness

Maybe it's because of their shared Italian roots, but Fila's silhouettes take on the Gucci style better than most. Hey Fila, maybe lay off the knockoff Pradas and start doing more stuff like this.

PASS.




10. Crooks & Castles x Vans Fremont

Crooks & Castles had us all fooled. First there's their Versace-esque Medusa-head logo, then there's the fact that the chain on their website isn't even Gucci link. But they flipped this Vans collabo proper, from the fabric stripe to the patent gator to the little gold touches.


PASS.



11. Nike Air Force II High Premium

More or less a companion piece to the Waffle Racer 3 above, and a nice counter to all the fake Gucci fake Air Force 1s.

PASS.



12. Vans Zapato Del Barco

If you're gonna go 'head and wear boat shoes, you may as well make it count. And really, would you rather have 10 pairs of these, or one pair of those Mark Ronson joints? We'll wait.

PASS.