As a child who was typically found bounding about in trainers, I often dreamt of wearing high heels to an office. The day I heard the clip-clop of stilettos hitting the marble lobby floor, I reasoned, would be the day I knew I was a grown-up.
Fast-forward 20 years and I fear my childhood self would be severely disappointed. Not in my choice of career — which has given me the opportunity to march across a marble lobby floor every morning, and wax lyrical about such revered items of footwear as Alexander McQueen’s Armadillo shoes and Manolo Blahnik’s Hangisi pumps — but in the hugely practical, rubber-soled and determinedly flat trainers that rarely leave my feet.
There is one consolation I can offer my shoe-obsessed soul: the designer trainer. This seemingly counterintuitive combo is nothing short of ingenious, allowing one to saunter down the street in Christian Louboutin red soles without having to squeeze one’s foot into a patent court. Or to own accessories by Gucci and Chloé that aren’t sculptural sandals reserved for special occasions (read: consigned to collect dust at the bottom of the wardrobe).
In fact, the best women’s trainers have little in common with the mud-splattered, cross country-running kind of my youth, or the springy, fluoro sneakers so often paired with Lycra at the gym. True, luxury fashion houses such as Miu Miu and Jacquemus have ensured that this particular item of designer footwear is fit for purpose by partnering with sports stalwarts including New Balance and Nike. But as seen on the runways of Loewe, Prada and Celine — and below — the high-fashion trainer is every bit as pretty as it is practical.
