The fashion industry has looked at ballet flats and trainers and decided, unnecessarily but rather brilliantlythat we need both at once. Allow me to introduce you to the sneakerina: a ballet flat and trainer hybrid that is set to make your current trainer rotation suspiciously dull in comparison.
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If you’re unfamiliar with this divisive ugly shoe trend, it’s origin story is less random than the name suggests. Onitsuka Tiger’s slim, striped trainers laid much of the groundwork, before lace-up styles such as Adidas’ Taekwondo Mei began appearing beneath everything from slip skirts to tailored trousers. Then came Puma’s Speedcat Ballet, complete with its motorsport sole and dainty Mary Jane strap, confirming that the season’s most desirable shoes would be neither properly sporty nor especially sensible. Miu Miu, Simone Rocha and a growing cast of brands have all since played with the same formula.
But how do you style them? Naturally, I would like to add granny jeans to the equation.
Granny jeans are the slightly primmer cousin of the mom jean: high on the waist, relaxed through the leg and often cropped or turned up at the ankle. They have none of the puddling, dragging or dramatic proportions that have dominated denim recently. Instead, they look like something your chicest relative might wear to browse the garden centre before ordering a very good lunch.
Paired with sneakerinas, however, they lose any trace of sensible Sunday dressing. A flash of mesh, a satin strap or a long lace threaded around the foot gives the jeans a strange, sporty prettiness, while their ankle-skimming hem ensures the shoes get the attention they so clearly demand.
It is a niche combination, certainly. But in a summer ruled by oddly specific micro-trends, granny jeans and sneakerinas may be fashion’s most convincing new double act.
