The Athletic Inspired Shoe Trend

I have to admit, one of my most favorite trends this season is the “Athletic Inspired” trend. It’s like taking the comfort of yoga pants and sneakers and mixing it with dressy components to create a comfortable, fashionable look!

What started as the wedge sneaker (see post here) and sweatshirt trend has now exploded to a true lifestyle look. Athletic inspired footwear and clothing were all over the spring 2014 runways and a dominant street style look. Now, before you stop reading and say “Seriously? You are going to talk about what models wear on a runway? No thanks, I can’t wear that stuff”. Hold on, because if you do like this trend, no matter where you are on the “trend spectrum”, you CAN wear it! You don’t have to exactly replicate the runway looks if you don’t want to you… You can easily wear this trend according to your personal style and your lifestyle, your body shape and your budget. The easiest way to incorporate this trend into your wardrobe is to start with the shoes! A very good place to start… No? :)

Sneakers are no longer the “commuter shoe”- you can keep them on even when you get to work! (Yes, you can wear them with a suit). Slip on sneakers go from day to night with sparkly sequin. Athletic sandals are comfy and chic.

Here are some ways to go sporty without breaking a sweat!

The Running Sneaker- Brands like New Balance, Asics and Puma which have been associated with true athletic gear are now making headlines during fashion weeks. Take the running sneaker to the limit and pair it with a suit or dress.  You can also ease into the trend by wearing them with jeans and a dressy blouse. Or you can never go wrong with wearing them with updated jogging pants and a tank.

The Slip On Sneaker- Oh my goodness- this shoe has literally exploded!! You can find this shoe at any price point, from flat to platform and from leopard print to sequence and more!! The ease of a slip on mixed with the elegance of a detailed upper makes this shoe a fabulous day to night shoe. Pair with a dress, skirt, jeans or pants. Anything really goes!

Athletic inspired Sandals- From true athletic comfort sandals (updated Teva’s and Birkenstocks) to athletic heels- athletic influences can be found throughout this summer’s sandal assortments. Perfect for any personal style or wardrobe needs. 

Will you be embracing the athletic inspired shoe trend this season? If so, what’s your favorite way to wear athletic inspired shoes?

Let's Connect! 

Tip Tuesday #6- How to Tell if Your Shoes Are Made Well.

Picture it- You’re in a shoe store, you see a pair of shoes you love (that also happen to be at a great price) and when you try them on they fit perfectly. You scream “I’ll take them!!!” You immediately start texting, tweeting, facebooking, a picture of your new shoes with the caption “I know you’re jealous :)”. Next day, you’re struttin’ your stuff, wearing your new shoes on the way to work, and BAM the ankle strap breaks and you go falling forward. The next thing you know you’re down on the ground stunned, sad and have a skinned knee. Not a great place to be with what you thought were a great pair of shoes….

With a chunk of my career being in both men’s and women’s footwear, I’ve learned a thing or 9,000 about shoe construction and what a well-made shoe looks like. Here are some quick and easy things (along with VIDEO) that you can do in the store to make sure your perfect shoe will go the extra mile.  

Once you’ve tried on the shoe, found it be comfortable and it passed the visual tests- hand your kid your iPhone, sit down and let the inspections begin. 

Here's the information in text form, as well as some additional tid bits.

Bound for life- Make sure the upper is bound to the sole properly. Hold the shoes up together and make sure they are even, flip it to the back, make sure the heels are even. Visually inspect for uneven stitching or exposed glue. Then go on and (sort of gently) try and separate the upper from the sole. Look out for stitching coming loose or gaps forming. Tug at heels, straps, buckles or any hardware, again, look for any separation or loose stitching.

Get acquainted- Go on, stick your hand in it. Feel to make sure the lining is secure, applied correctly and that there is no exposed glue. Feel the upper to make sure there are no exposed edges that could hurt your feet.

Flex It- Flex the shoe. Does it make a cracking noise, or feel like it’s pulling? That’s an indication that the sole was either not attached properly or the wrong size upper could have been put on the wrong size sole.

What is it really made out of- If you are buying leather shoes, you want to make sure it’s a good quality leather. If you have a dark color shoe and see a white cast or white speckles, this may be mold!! A good indicator that the leather was not handled properly. You can even scratch is slightly to see if the “leather” comes off.

At most you’ll end up spending a few extra minutes in the shoe store (I can think of worse places to be) conducting these easy “tests”. But at the end you'll know you're buying a well made shoe.

Hope this information helps and Happy Shoe Shopping!

Follow me for more tips on how to dress according to your style. Or even just to say Hi! I'd love to hear from you!