You know what royally sucks? Being uncomfortable. It’s the worst – why are we still designing anything at all that isn’t at max comfort levels? That is what I would like to know.
The most comfortable footwear in the entire world, besides Ugg boots – which will never become out-of-the-house-wear again, as we have all learned from the abomination that was THAT 2005 trend – are sneakers. They give you max movement, have nice spongy soles and stay on your feet (looking at YOU, sandals).
Sneakers have really ~come thruuuuu~ in the last year or so – we’ve started making them work with literally every kind of outfit, and I for one am here for it. Sometimes it can be tricky to master, however – especially if you consider yourself a bit of a fashion rookie.
Luckily, we’re here to help you out. Here’s how we’ve interpreted sneakers with some harder-to-make-em-work style moments.
BEACH TO BAR
Abandon the cutoffs on days you’re heading straight from the sand into the local pub – sure, you can probs get away with it. But sometimes you want/need to look a bit more polished, and for those moments may I introduce the humble culotte.
They’re breezier than denim shorts, which can really absorb all that excess sea water in a very unpleasant way. And their structure really lends a more dressed up feel to what is actually your one-piece swimmers.
We went with a red one-piece on PED.TV staff member Dana here – red is hot-hot Hotty McHot for summer, guys. It’s all about those Baywatch vibes – and red goes insanely well as a statement top, so there you bloody go.
Sneakers keep this sleek look more down-to-earth.
Bonus – no one’s going to destroy your toes when you dance later in the night.
GOING OUT-OUT
Summer is for parties, and pretty much everyone reading this has had the trauma of wearing heels and waking the next morning not being able to feel your feet. Oh, you don’t wear heels? Then you’ve absolutely had someone pretty much break your big toe with THEIR heels when you were wearing some flat mules, haven’t you.
Sneakers can be harder to work into a party outfit, but they’re actually killer for dressing down something you love but feel is a bit extra for anything less than, oh, an Instagram photo shoot or a wedding.
Here, we’ve taken a very chic and formal dress and made it chill with the Puma Basket Heart sneaks in black.
The silky laces make sure you don’t look too cazj, but heels here would be very “on the way to meet Prince Harry back in his single days at some sort of charity ball”, no?
That is actually me in those pics, and this dress looks exactly like one I routinely whip out for weddings and cocktail events.
I love it to death but find I wear it once in a blue moon – teaming this one with sneaks – and a faux leather jacket for when it gets chilly – made it feel like something I could definitely wear to drinks without feeling way overdressed.
WORK
Okay let’s get one thing straight. I’m definitely not saying you can rep sneakers in a corporate environment. I would be shocked as the most shocked thing in the world if someone made that work.
But if you work in a smart casual office – which is a lot of offices these days, including ours – you can definitely make them your shoe-du-jour, even with relatively schmick outfits.
The best thing to come from 2017 was an influx of matchy-matchy pant/top combos.
They’re so great for work (minimal thinking in the morning re: what to wear) and with materials like linen and fine cotton, they’re brillo for a slightly more conservative office that won’t be chill with you waltzing in wearing a denim mini.
Sneakers work so well with this gear because sandals will make you feel like a 60’s hippie, but heels take it into extreme corporate land.
Just make sure your sneaks are clean like PED.TV staff member Gab‘s here – scuffed up old ones will make it all feel messy.
We used Puma Basket Heart‘s through our entire shoot – they’re like the dressier, chic-er version of your old faithfuls. Check ’em out at Platypus Shoes here.
STYLING: Melissa Mason.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Paigge Frankie.
