As a kid growing up in regional Queensland in the 90s and early noughties, the cardinal fashion sin among my group of friends was ‘joggers and jeans’. It was what dads wore at weekend barbecues and certainly had no place in the life of 13 year old school girls who were trying to plan their weekend outfits for group outings.
Over the last few years though, sneakers and specifically sparkling white ones, have become a mainstay. I’m a sucker for classic, basic clothing pieces – good jeans, white shirts and always a few Breton stripe tops- so I generally avoid trends and stick to what I know I like. I kept seeing pictures though of classic, basic white sneakers paired with my classic, basic wardrobe staples, and the more I looked the more I liked…
So the other week, I went and splurged on an $8 pair of white sneakers. If a gal’s going to road test a trend (albeit a few years behind everyone else), may as well do it on a budget first! They’ve got a rubber cap on the toe – handy for those of us who tend to accidentally walk into things regularly, and I liked the little tabs on the back.
I’ve been starting work at 5:30am this week and every morning I’ve pulled on my white sneakers. They give my ‘I’m starting work when I should still be in pyjamas’ uniform of jeans and a stripy tee a bit of an athletic flair and I’ve been able to zip around the office and off to appointments in comfort. I didn’t think I’d ever sway from my love of a good leather ballet flat or loafer… but now I can understand why women (and men) keep pulling the white sneaker on.
As the weather starts to (hopefully) cool over the coming weeks my sneakers will keep my feet warm without overheating them, and I like the fact I can wear them with pretty much everything in wardrobe. I must confess, I also sort of feel like some cool French girl when I wear them – which let’s face it, is sometimes needed on a Monday morning!
So I’m converted. I’ve found my shoe of choice for crazy early morning shifts, for running errands at the weekend and for ease of use when packing for a holiday. The white sneaker trend is one I think I won’t be letting pass all that quick… even if everyone else is already sick of them!
Wattle and Ash 