Can you wear trainers to the office? To dinner? To a ball? Emphatically, you can, and at some point you should. It looks very youthful and suddenly, so does everything you wear with them. You don’t even have to be an American tourist or a teenager. Right now, just about everything looks more current if you wear it with some kind of sports shoe.
Of course they can’t just be any old trainers. No manky old plimsoles. Nothing you actually wear to the gym. Here is a selection, from medium priced to ouch. Personally, I love metallics, especially silver, which looks so good with navy and khaki and genuinely escorts a trouser suit into evening territory. Invest in quality and where possible, breathable fabrics, or it will all end in tears. And don’t kvetch about the price. A decent pair of skate shoes will cost the same as a decent pair of ordinary shoes.
And why shouldn’t they, especially when the uppers are made from soft leathers, embellished with jewels or a perky print – and they come with a thick flat-form that adds a good inch, maybe two, to your height?
Think of the pair from Whistles, in their subtle khaki incarnation as the modern, go-with-anything chunky brogue, and the Roger Viviers with their crystal buckles, as the ultimate dancing partner. The danger is that once you’ve sampled the exquisite pleasures of a genuinely comfortable, cushion-soled shoe, as opposed to the kind you’ve lied to yourself about all these years about, there’ll be no turning back. This is why you’re going to have to be strict with yourself. Once a week, get out your heels and have a teeter, just to practise. Then put your swanky trainers back on. Cost per wear, you’re laughing, whatever you spend.