In the 1988 film Working Girl, Melanie Griffith’s character famously wore sneakers for her daily commute, swapping them out for heels at the last possible minute outside the office. These days, both designers and street-style notables are leaving their dressy footwear at home and making fashion statements with athletic shoes. And no, we’re not talking about those ubiquitous Isabel Marant wedges. We’re referring to a specific subgenre of sneaker, i.e. competitive trainers made for running sprints (whether they be around the track or on the city sidewalks).The trend really kicked into gear last month, when Tommy Ton snapped dapper guys wearing Nike and New Balance in Milan and Paris. Similar styles showed up on the runways at the Salvatore Ferragamo, Raf Simons, and Valentino menswear shows. Girls are embracing the look, too. At the opening of Yayoi Kusama’s Whitney retrospective, the artist Kara Walker dressed down her Zero + Maria Cornejo dress with sporty sneaks, while Vika Gazinskaya was among those who wore them during Couture.
