On April 1, 1980, New York's transit workers walked off the job and the subways and buses stopped. Women who kept their office jobs, the so-called sneaker brigade, switched from heels to athletic sneakers with short cotton socks and walked from Port Authority and Grand Central, across the bridges and down the avenues. The habit outlasted the strike, even when the trains ran again. That is the whole argument for sneakers for the office, and it is more than forty years old.

Hollywood noticed. In 1984, writer Kevin Wade and producer Douglas Wick saw throngs of career women commuting in tennis shoes with their high heels in hand, and that image became Working Girl. In the film, Tess changes out of the tennis shoes she wears for commuting and into heels at her desk. Today the swap runs the other way. The sneaker stays on, so it has to look like it belongs next to a blazer.

The easiest place to begin is a white leather low-top, and the grandfather of them all is the Stan Smith. It launched in 1965 as the Robert Haillet, named for a French tennis player, and was officially renamed in 1978. I would wear it with straight black trousers and a crisp shirt. The Veja Campo has an almond V and the Esplar a pale one, both quiet enough for a Monday meeting. The Greats Reign is a low-profile Italian leather pair I would put under a gray suit, and the Vince Westside has perforated detail and a milk-white finish that suits a camel coat.

For the tennis-court mood, Cole Haan's GrandPro Tennis II is very light and Everlane's Court Sneaker is soft nappa. Test any pair the same way: wipe the toe box with a damp cloth, then look at the sole. A flat white sole reads polished, a chunky one reads weekend.

Terrace shoes are the sneakers that look most deliberate under a trouser hem, because they are slim and flat. Goldman Sachs moved to a firmwide flexible dress code in 2019 and told staff to use good judgment. A slim retro sneaker is what good judgment looks like on the feet: shaped, low and tidy.

The adidas Samba OG in cream leather with black stripes and a gum sole is the one I would reach for first, and the Gazelle Lo Pro in beige suede gives the same shape in a softer tone. For a sharper line, the Puma Palermo has a T-toe overlay in black leather with feather gray panels, and the Speedcat GO in warm white is slim and racer-shaped. Reebok's Club C 85 is white full-grain leather with light gray trim, and the Club C Revenge Vintage in chalk leans toward sage. The Gola Torpedo has black and gold accents and an old-school gum outsole. The Veja Volley is a white court shoe with a navy V and a bark-brown heel.

I would wear any of these with cropped wool trousers or a midi skirt and fine knit socks, now that October mornings are cool. At the fitting stage, check the toe box with your usual socks and walk down a hard floor. A slim sole should not slap.

What I would skip: gum soles with a very pale suede when the day includes rain.

Dark sneakers are the quiet ones. Goldman Sachs first relaxed its rules for its technology division in 2017, a reminder that the casual shift began with a few teams before it reached everybody. A black or navy low-top follows the same logic: it behaves like a loafer and no one asks about it.

The Greats Royale 2.0 in black is a clean leather low-top with a tonal sole, and the Veja Rio Branco II adds a white sole and a white V. The Cole Haan Packwell is a black deconstructed leather tennis sneaker with an ivory sole that flexes and compresses for packing, which is handy for a work trip. ECCO's Street Lite Retro is all black with a slim low sole, and its leather comes from a Leather Working Group Gold-rated tannery. For texture, the Tory Burch Field is navy suede with a tonal enamel Double T, and the rag & bone Retro Trainer mixes black leather and suede with contrast trim. The Vionic Walk Slim Glide is a black retro trainer in nylon and suede, and Rothy's Original Slip On comes in solid black with a blue and white heel stripe.

Pair them with charcoal trousers, a black knit and a long coat. The test is the sole edge: hold the shoe up and look at the height of the midsole. The thinner it is, the more suit-friendly the pair.

What I would skip: a black sneaker with a bright logo on the heel when the room is conservative.

Tess in Working Girl changes her shoes at her desk, and the point of a slip-on is that you could do it in ten seconds. No laces means no knots under the table, and the shape sits somewhere between a loafer and a sneaker.

The Greats Royale Slip-On 2.0 is white leather and suede with stretch side panels, and the Vince Blair is black leather with elasticized gore and a round toe. Cole Haan's GrandPro slip-on brings the tennis profile to a laceless shoe, in white leather. ECCO's Soft 60 has a pebbled white leather upper with elastic gussets. Rothy's Original Slip On appears in three of my favorite tones, Latte coffee brown, Bright White and black, each with a matching heel stripe. For the loafer mood, the Vionic Uptown Willa in black suede is a moc-front shoe with arch support, and the Allbirds Wool Cruiser Slip-On is soft natural white wool. Allbirds is a Certified B Corporation, if that matters to you.

I would wear the black ones with wide-leg trousers and the brown with a cream sweater and jeans on a casual Friday. The buying test is the heel: stand up, walk, and check that your heel does not lift out of the shoe. Elastic panels should hug the foot.

What I would skip: an all-white slip-on on days with a long rainy walk.

The sneaker brigade crossed bridges in 1980 on shoes that were never meant for it, and cushioning is the part I would want most if I had that walk now. The trick today is picking the cushioned pair that keeps a quiet outline.

On's Cloud 6 in all white is a lifestyle pair with a pillowy midsole, and the Cloudnova 2 in ice and sand is a lightweight lace-up. Hoka's Transport 2 in alabaster cream has a thick sole but a calm color, and the Solimar 2 in black and white is a low-stack shape with an extended heel crash pad. The New Balance Made in USA 990v6 in gray suede and mesh is the classic supportive pair. Allbirds Tree Runner in Mist is a soft knit lace-up with a white sole, Cole Haan's Grandpro Topspin is white leather and light, and Vionic's Uptown in desert sand suede has built-in VIO MOTION arch support on a platform.

Wear them with ankle-length trousers or a slip dress and a trench. Check the thickness: put the shoe beside a flat and see how much taller it is, because a thick sole reads sporty under a suit but fine with relaxed tailoring. Gray and sand tones blend better than bright white.

What I would skip: a thick-soled sneaker under very narrow, cropped trousers.

I would begin with the dress code and not the shoe. If your office is close to Goldman's flexible code, a white leather low-top from the first group, something like the Veja Esplar or the Stan Smith, will not raise an eyebrow.

Then I would add a dark pair for client days and a cushioned one for commuting days. Keep a cloth in your drawer and wipe the toe each week.

The sneaker brigade did not ask permission in 1980, they just walked. A good pair of sneakers for the office is the same idea with better soles.