Chic Sneaks

April showers bring Mayflowers, and Mayflowers bring white sneakers? Spring 2015 brought a lot of trends. One major trend that came back was white sneakers.

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In the 80's white sneakers were totally in. Ked's were super popular with the preppy girls, specifically. Why? John Hughes. The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles. What do these have in common? PREP. Molly Ringwald was Queen of Prep, and thus everyone wanted to dress like her. Another popular pair of white sneakers are Treetorns. They became very popular as well. The company was started in 1891 by Johan Dunker in Sweden. They became a must-have for the most preppiest of teens when it was included in the "Official Preppy Handbook," by Jonathan Roberts, Lisa Birnbach, and Mason Wiley. There are variations, but for the most part, they were white petite sneakers with a bit of color on the side. Personally, I believe these shoes are a must-have for Spring 2016.

This trend continued for a little bit, into the 90's. Although some people still went for the whiter, brighter shoes, others went for the dark, black, grunge shoes. This started with Michigan University basketball players. They began wearing black socks with black basketball shoes. And if a trend is consistent in sports, it is likely it will travel to mainstream society, maybe with a slightly different spin on it. Thus, the Converse became popular. They were first made in 1908, and were purchased as a subsidiary of Nike. The black converse with different colored laces were very in at this time and continued into the early 2000's. Of course by then, the trend changed slightly. At this point, different patterns, like florals and bright colors became more popular, although the black ones were still very edgy and had not died out.

In Spring of 2015, Keds made a huge comback. I would attribute this to Taylor Swift's Ked's Collection launch. This, I believe renewed the "white sneaker" trend. This continued through the Fall and even through the Winter. Hello! Winter is time for boots! But for some reason, these petite canvas shoes maintained their momentum. Probably the most popular of these are the All-Star Converse. High tops are especially trendy. Usually, these are worn with light skinny jeans and maroon accents to match the maroon line on the side.

Although these shoes come in a mulititude of colors, for some reason, the white ones have become most popular. Personally, I would almost always stray away from white, simply because they're white. Ans they're shoes. Dirt + white = shoes ruined. However, there are ways to minimize this. They say regular spot treating is key. Personally, I believe the key is Scotchguard as a pre-treatment. Or the Never Wet Spray. Basically, you put this on the shoes and wait a bit, and dirt and liquid are practically repelled off, at least to an extent.

Personally, I think this trend, while cute, is a little overrated. They are great in the Summer and the Spring, and could even work in the Fall, but the Winter? I suppose it depends where one lives, but in the midwest, Winter is COLD. These shoes are thin canvas and provide little to no warmth. Plus, let us not forget salt damage from the snow. However, if the trend continues into the Spring, I may have to give in eventually.