Here's why dad trainers are actually pretty damn cool

So bad it's good?

dad trainers
(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)
Penny Goldstone
By Penny Goldstone
published

So bad it's good?

I've never hidden the fact that trainers aren't my thing. I'm much more of a kitten heels or embellished shoes kinda girl. So I must admit I wasn't convinced when the whole dad trainer trend started, especially as I wasn't one of the chunky Buffalo or Sketcher aficionados back in the 90s - no nostalgia factor for me.

But thanks to a slew of avant-garde designers and the athleisure trend 2.0, I'm starting to come round to it. On the catwalk, there were the Balenciaga trainers of course (if anyone can make trainers cool, it's the genius behind the sock boot), and similarly cool offerings by Yeezy, Vetements and Louis Vuitton.

The high street soon followed suit, with the likes of Fila, Buffalo (oh hi there again), Acne and Fila all providing their answer to the affectionally dubbed 'ugly shoe'.

dad trainers

It's become a new favourite amongst the street stylers too, with the slim Adidas Gazelle and Gucci Ace replaced by chunkier styles your dad would raise an eyebrow at (let's be real, your dad really wouldn't wear any of these, would he?).

As for how to style the trend, it's pretty much the same as you would normal trainers. You can go hi-lo by teaming them with a floral dress or sharp suit, go for nostalgic vibes with a denim jumpsuit, or tea it with a tracksuit and Michelin man coat for Yeezy vibes.

The sartorial world is officially your oyster. Go forth (and shop my edit of the best dad trainers below).

Shop now: RAF SIMONS X ADIDAS Ozweego III low-top trainers for £290 from MACTHESFASHION.COM

Shop now: BUFFALO LONDON high top sneakers for £189 from LUISAVIAROMA

Shop now: LV ARCHLIGHT SNEAKER (POA) from Louis Vuitton

Shop now: GANNI Augusta leather sneakers for £250 from Mytheresa.com

Shop now: LAMAR in blue CARVELA KURT GEIGER trainers for £139 from Kurt Geiger

Shop now: NIKE AIR MAX 95 LX for £129.95 from Nike

Shop now: TUBULAR SHADOW SHOES for £79.99 from adidas

Shop now: 501.173082 - v7000 nyl II wn trainers for £90 from Diadora

Penny Goldstone
Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.

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