Is fashion duping us once again or is this a legitimate trend? According to fashion bibles from Vogue Italia to ELLE Australia, ugly sneakers are the hottest trend for the summer, and maybe even beyond.
Also known as “dad sneakers,” (those poor dads — can they ever score a sartorial win?) the shoes are characterized as chunky, with a double or triple sole, and have a two-tone or multicoloured upper that’s reminiscent of those kicks your dad likely paired with his relaxed fit jeans and fleece vest.
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They’ve been spotted on trend-setting celebs like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Kim Kardashian, as well as style bloggers and influencers. And they don’t come cheap. Designed by renowned fashion houses like Chanel, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, most of them ring in at over $1,000, although brands like Nike and Adidas make more affordable (and just as ugly) styles.
Some have pointed out that these ugly sneakers have also given rise to another unsightly trend not seen since the ’90s: Velcro. While the aforementioned fashion labels favour lace-up versions, edgier brands like Acne and Alexander McQueen have put out bulbous sneakers with oversized Velcro straps. It’s a style that actress Tracee Ellis Ross has been seen in more than once and which she posted to Instagram to decidedly mixed reviews.
In a post from March, Ross enumerated the creative and disparaging names followers gave her sneakers.
“I really love my sneakers. Like, I’m obsessed with them,” she wrote. “But it turns out that some of you don’t feel the same way, and the names you had for them made me giggle!!”
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She went on to list some of the funniest names, including “Help I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up” Yeezys, Old Balance and Granny Smiths.
As if this weren’t enough for us to stomach on the summer streets, hot on the heels of this trend could very well be Nike’s fanny pack sandals. A riff on the brand’s popular Benassi JDI slides, these take normcore dressing to the next level with a zippered pouch on the upper that’s just large enough to hold a debit card or a few pieces of loose change.
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Although it’s unclear when Nike will begin to sell these sandals and in which markets, for those interested, the hybrid style will be available in a lime green and blue colour combination, as well as hot pink and purple, and black and grey.
Considering the fanny pack stormed the spring runways, this could be the next logical step, although it remains to be seen who will be willing to take things into fanny pack sandal territory.