Trainers and sneakers have come a long way from the gym – today you’ll find them on fashion runways and catwalks as urban wear is well truly the latest craze in the fashion world. Brands such as Puma, Nike and Onitsuka Tiger sneakers are becoming all the rage – and they sport the hefty designer price tags to match. Many top of the line lables are lending a hand in stylising and creating – not a sneaker, but really a pair of footwear art. While sneaker traditions are certainly being cast aside, there are still a number of steadfast fashion no-no’s when it comes to trainer wear.
Don’t be caught making one of these classic fashion faux pas:
White Sneakers with Black Jeans – made famous by Jerry Seinfeld, but still cringe worthy unless you want to be labelled a geek. However, there are some new takes on this traditional fashion-don’t, with celebrities like Justin Timberlake hitting the red carpet in white sneakers and a black suit for the MTV Video Music Awards. However, unless you liken your fashion conscience to those of Timberlake – it’s probably best to steer clear.
Ditch the Visible Sock, especially dark ones – we all should know white socks with dress shoes and dark trousers are a bad idea, but the opposite is also true. If you’re sporting light coloured sneaks, stay away from the long black tube socks. Instead, opt for low cut socks that stop just at your ankle, especially if you’ll be wearing them with shorts.
Hybrid Recall – the cars may be all the rage, but you’re not fooling anyone with a hybrid sneaker. Trainers that pose as dress shoes, with leather tops and sporty soles, are just trying to be something they’re not. They don’t make a good impression at work and certainly won’t fit in at the gym, so the best place for them is the back of your closet!
Wrong Way to Walk to Work – women have been doing it for years, but much to our dismay, men are picking up the trend of wearing their gym trainers with their work clothes for the daily commute. Guys, if you really can’t take the hard leather soles on your delicate feet, stick to a pair of stylish Merrell shoes or similar street shoes with your suits, not $400 cross trainers with fluorescent orange racing stripes. (See next point)
A Fine Line – continuing from the point above, there is a fine line between trainers for the street and trainers for training. Sport sneakers belong in the gym or on the court so use your running shoes, cross trainers and tennis shoes for the purposes that they were designed for and limit your daily wear to Converse sneakers or casual street shoes.