New-season trainers to wear with sundresses, skirts, jeans or gym gear

By Niamh ODonoghue
05th Sep 2018

New-season trainers to wear with sundresses, skirts, jeans or gym gear

New York Fashion Week begins later this week and it got me thinking about my first fashion week trip and how I came home with battered and bruised feet. Attempting to blend in as one of the fashion pack, I brought along dainty heels and shoes that are suitable for standing for photographs instead of actually serving their purpose as shoes you can walk around in. I was naive in thinking I could make it five days running from shows to parties to the hotel in a pair of heels. Yet despite my efforts to blend in, I actually stood out, because the real fashion posse turned up looking effortlessly cool and comfortable in standout trainers. Editors, writers and reporters team powerful two-piece suits with of-the-minute Louis Vuitton Archlight trainers, like stylist Caroline Daur does below at Paris Fashion Week. Bright Adidas NMDs are the perfect urban complement to a floral midi-skirt (bottom), while Balenciaga’s chunky Triple S sneakers provide balance to shorter hemlines and toughened-up leather (as proved by Eva Chen). Chubby lace-ups paired with delicate slip dresses or boyfriend jeans is totally acceptable.

Trainers are no-longer just for inside a sweaty gym, running at weekends or walking the pier – they’re an integral part of making it through the day stylishly, and blister and pain-free. Their popularity, for the most part, is thanks to Instagram’s fashion elite; Pernille Teisbaek, Eva Chen and Susi Bubble, who regularly showcase their latest wears with composure and class. It’s also worth noting how the industry continues to be influenced by niche subcultures like skating and punk – the real influences of change before Instagram.

If you’re ready to put your best foot forward (in comfort), here are some of the most-wanted, soon-to-be-released trainers.