When Michelle Obama wore ribboned, metallic Lanvin sneakers while volunteering at a soup kitchen in April, it started a debate: where had her signature kitten heels gone? Was her selection too casual or too “fashion”? In truth, the first lady was simply demonstrating what the style industry and the women it serves have known for some time – even women who love heels need a comfortable flat shoe every now and again.
As Courtney Adamo, founder of internet magazine Babyccino.com, says, “I refuse to sacrifice style, but when I know I will be doing an amount of walking, I have to opt for trainers.” Enter what English shoe maestro Rupert Sanderson calls “the sports shoe as daywear” – trainers that don’t really resemble or feel like trainers. Using more feminine fabrics and narrower lasts than the usual male-inspired trainers, they fill the need for something casual, comfortable and muted that can be worn to work.
Liberty and Nike recently collaborated to create a retro reissue of Nike’s 1970s Blazer basketball-style shoe covered in a Liberty print. The trainers sold out the day they were introduced. Since when, Christian Lacroix has teamed up with Gola to produce a bright, embroidered rubber-soled number, and Sergio Rossi and Puma have produced the Clyde, a shiny satin sneaker in a feminine colour palette that is a modern version of a vintage-looking tennis shoe (there’s also a high-heeled version). According to Holli Rogers, Net à Porter’s buying director, half of their stock sold out in the first two weeks online. No surprise, then, that for autumn she’s introducing a metallic “high-top” sneaker from Lanvin. “We anticipate that these will be immensely popular too,” says Rogers. “We know our customers look for luxury and style in every aspect of their lives, and that includes everyday wear.”
Blingin’ in the rain
Chic sneakers may be the answer to many of life’s problems, but rain is not one of them, writes Valentina Zannoni. For that, Jimmy Choo has another, fashion-meets-practicality proposition: faux croc Wellies. Inspired by Kate Moss’s trend-setting appearance at Glastonbury in shorts and rubber knee-highs, Choo has collaborated with traditional Wellington Boots maker Hunter to create a luxury version of the country staple. Embellished with a gold buckle and metal rivets, Wellies are no longer just for gardening on wet days or taking the dogs for a walk.
Available in selected Jimmy Choo stores across the UK and US, £235/ $395. www.jimmychoo.com
Emma Hope anticipated this trend back in 2004 when she launched her fashion trainers for men and women. Inspired by the basic plimsolls she wore when growing up, she wanted to offer a more sophisticated, glamorous version that was elegant but functional. The trainers – which come in finishes such as velvet, suede and leather, and sport an almost pointed toe – now make up 30 per cent of her sales.
Traditional companies such as Converse are also getting in on the act. Last year it issued a sleeker version of its classic design, the Converse Allstar Light
, intended to offer a more “lightweight, feminine silhouette”, with a much slimmer rubber sole and an almond toe, making it similar to Keds, Bensimons and Supergas, retro pumps and tennis shoes of the last century.
UK-based F-Troupe founder Mick Hoyle has decided to launch a plastic, slimline version of a retro sneaker for summer. Likened to a “flip-flop crossed with a plimsoll”, he says it’s part of a new trend for low-tech traditional construction. “But mostly,” Hoyle says, “I think that it is OK to like America again, and this feels very old school American.”
Because such pumps are as attractive as they are comfortable, they are infiltrating the workplace. And not just for women: Adamo’s husband, for example, wears one of his five pairs of Emma Hopes to the office “three days out of five”.
