Ugly trainers seem to be becoming more and more popular but what's the appeal? SHS fashion commentator Kitty Ruskin, takes a look at one of the strangest footwear trends of the year...
“Oh my God, what are those?” Unaware of the significance of that phrase, my dad stared down at my shoes. I laughed, also looking at my trainers - pleased with the response they’d garnered. Categorically, they’re absolutely hideous - chunky with thick laces and arched, spongy soles. They’re also bewilderingly out of touch with my flimsy summer dress, which was absolutely intentional.
When I first came across this trend, my initial reaction was similarly ‘what the hell’. I was scrolling through Instagram, feeling my eyes become vacant, when suddenly something jolted the screen back into focus. It was a fashion blogger, poised against a wall in a gorgeous off-the-shoulder dress, wearing some of the ugliest shoes I’d ever seen.
Even for the most edgy and stylish, ‘cool girl’ or ‘cool guy’ status is difficult to come by - but this blogger had it, it was undeniable. "How could somebody look so bad and so good at the same time?" I wondered. How could they walk out in a pair of trainers so aesthetically displeasing? These shoes should be reserved for driving, or for running to the corner shop at 11pm.
The comments below the photo were mixed - mostly positive. Still, in amongst ‘amazing’ and ‘sublime’ we have appeals like ‘just say no to those shoes’. But in a response to the dry jab that ‘they don’t match’, this blogger had the most perfect quip. ‘That’s the whole point,’ she replied. ‘Thank you.’ This trend is not about being matchy-matchy or being aesthetically pleasing.
For the people who still believe that fashion is all about beauty and elegance, the popularity of the ugly trainer should come as a wake-up call. “If modern fashion in chiefly fuelled by provocation,” Vogue’s Ellie Pithers says, “ugly trainers are its latest shock tactic.”
This shock tactic was all over recent catwalks. At Louis Vuitton’s launch of their Spring/Summer collection, models stomped down the runway in sneakers so loud that the name seemed slightly misleading. I wonder if they were relieved, there being no chance of toppling over in six inch stilettos today.
The line’s creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, touched on this idea of mobility when he explained the footwear. “The Vuitton girl is a woman in movement,” he said. “I thought it was great to take the flamboyance and mix it with all the sports clothes.”
And this trend is definitely a flamboyant one. There’s no way anyone can look at these shoes and think, ‘yes, this was an informed and considered decision, made by someone who cares about what other people think.’ The person who wears these shoes doesn’t give a damn about public opinion. And, in order to seem truly current, that’s exactly what fashion needs to be right now: anti-crowd and anti-establishment.
Rebellious and contrary, the hideous trainer is a burst of ironic laughter - willing eyebrows to raise and comments to fly. For women, it holds extra significance - far removed from the dainty, restrictive, perilously-impractical footwear of seasons’ past.
We’ve seen from that blogger’s Instagram that the trend is polarising, but it’s a far cry from being reserved for the runway. Vogue reports that the iconic Balenciaga Triple S was Stylebop’s fastest selling item of 2017 - in an upward arrow that doesn’t show any sign of bending.
Which means that you can wave your freak flag without feeling totally alone in doing so - and for those of us who don’t want to look like we’ve stepped out of a scene from Zoolander, that’s kind of a relief. But, how best can we wear a such a hideous shoe?
MatchesFashion’s Ben Carr summarises it pretty well when he suggests that you’re “not to wear them with a minimal look”, adding that: “they become the sole focus [no pun intended] of the outfit, and that’s never good.” FashionBeans reports that Carr suggests ‘wearing several layers on top to help balance out the look’, and to ‘experiment with bright colours and pieces that will distort your silhouette.’
He is, of course, bang on: this trend is all about distortion and disobedience. So pair your chunkiest trainers with your brightest, baggiest sweatshirt - a challenge to anyone who imagines that your clothes could be louder. Wear your clumsiest sneakers with your most delicate sundress, as if the pieces were ever designed to be put together. Basically, think 2000s Lily Allen on the red carpet - prom dress, sneakers and all - and take it even further.
Final note: I very much see in the irony in my dad being horrified by the shoe inspired by dads. This is the fashion moment we live in, folks. What a time to be alive.
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