The Death Of The Trainer? Not So Much

Earlier this year, Pandora Sykes- whom I adore and worship- declared the trainer to be dead. To be honest, I could totally see where she was coming from. In pure fashion terms, the Stan Smith, the Superstar and even the Old Skool had all been very much gobbled up by the mainstream, and had seemingly had their moment. Me personally? I'm a sneakerhead, and will always be so. Thankfully, Scandi gals weren't having any of this death thing- they embraced kicks again- and where Scandis go, everyone else follows (even Pandora agrees), and so, at the moment I'm eagerly coveting a list as long as my arm (the Balenciaga Triple S, Eytys Angel, Stella's Eclipse, Acne's Manhattan and Louis Vuitton's new offering for S/S18); but my latest additions to my collection are on my feet as we speak- the Clean 360  from Axel Arigato. If you like your kicks simplified but bold, these are your babies. (You can also shop Axel Arigato here and here). What are your current fave kicks, and which ones are on your wishlist? Let me know x

SHOP THE POST

Trench- Zara // Similar- Here

Check Trousers- H&M // Similar - Here

Tee- H&M // Similar- Here

Trainers- Axel Arigato // Similar- Here

Bag- Zara // Similar- Here

Has Adidas Eaten Itself?

 Ever felt like going on safari? (Sartorially, that is). Well Adidas are here to help. They've branched out. Into animal-print. I refer of course, (the clue's in the picture) to the zebra print Stan Smith. (There's also leopard for the fleet of foot). So, I love them, right? Actually, not so much. In fact, not at all. Am I having some sort of mental breakdown? Quite possibly. Not to get all sneaker purist about this shit, but some things shouldn't be messed with. I believe these kicks to be one of those things. There's no doubt Stan Smiths have reached critical mass. Are they over? Possibly. Maybe. Who knows? I think I even saw Robin Van Persie in a pair the other day, which disturbed me greatly, and may indeed signal the death knell. Meanwhile, over at Man Repeller (yes, her again, I'm not obsessed...much) an interesting post appeared recently about the Adidasification of Isabel Marant. Now, there's no chicken-and-egg discussion required here. Adidas were first. Very much so. But actually, does that even matter in this case? As Leandra pointed out Isabel has a tremendous knack of making everything cool and desirable. In fact, it's a pretty remarkable achievement to take a trainer that costs £65, copy it slavishly and then charge £260 for the reworking- AKA The Bart. So do I hate Barts too? No man, I do not. I'm a complete Marantphile, as it goes. She can do no wrong. For me the issue is- should Adidas be responding to all this? Annnnd....that's a no from me. They shouldn't mess with perfection. It feels wrong. Kinda watered down and uncool and uniconic. Am I a contradictory bastard? Absolutely, given that I realllly like Pharrell's Stans. At which point it might be salient to say that sometimes a kick feels right, and sometimes a kick feels wrong. And I'm absolutely sure Adidas want advice from me on this issue :) You feeling the animal-vibe? Or do you wanna join me in Purist's Corner? Lemmie know x

Leopard Print Stans Photo via KixandtheCity

Isabel Bart Photo via KajaMarie

Starry Eyed

My exhausting search for some Stan Smiths *Headless Fashion Sheep/Chicken Alert* has left me white trainerless....up until now. I decided to go for a pair of Superstars in the meantime to scratch that little itch. And, I love them. Back in the day, I had a pair of Stans and a pair of Shell-Toes, both with reallly fat laces. I'm sure they must be under my bed somewhere (along with about two hundred other pairs of shoes I can't be arsed to rummage through). Anyway, box-fresh is so much nicer, innit. *Gangsta Face*

So, what does everybody think of Porter? I just kinda thought it was like Harpers 2.0. Not surprising really, given that Lucy Y is at the helm. It is deffo incredibly slick....but for me...it's just a bit....static. A touch, corporate maybe? It's bound to get better. Anyone remember Grazia when it started? They used to put six month old pap pictures on the cover. Quelle Horreur. And the horoscopes were at the front (of book...as we say in The Bizz). I'll buy it again, no diggity, but then again, I am The World's Biggest Magazine Addict.

Oh, and you might have noticed....I've bought a new nail polish. Appaz, 'Charivari' means loud noisy folk music, and it was also the name of a nineteenth century French satirical newspaper. How it sums up this lush deep plum colour I'm not quite sure, but it's heaven, so whatevs. If you've got any white sneaks/magazine/polish thoughts hit me up. Laterz chicks xx