Every woman needs a comfortable and stylish pair of trainers as a wardrobe staple. Even for the ‘not so sporty’ amongst us, we like to wear our favourite pair of trainers while walking to work; with a long, floaty boho dress in the summer or for a more casual look with a sweatshirt, jeans or leggings to chill out in any time! There are currently so many styles and colours to choose from so I went shopping this weekend to check out my favourite brands and what’s new to the market this season.
Nike
My first stop was at Schuh to try on my all time favourite trainer brand, Nike. The brand has been going strong since 1971 and the company takes its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. So for the athletes amongst us, this is the brand of choice! I tried on the Nike Flex trainers in black and white for €56.95. These are super comfy and engineered with a flex outsole delivering six points of flexibility. Lightweight and breathable, the mesh upper features Nike’s Flywire Technology locking down the upper to the forefoot for a secure fit. I loved them from the moment I tried them on and not only are they stylish and comfortable but the mesh upper is a very practical feature providing ventilation to keep your feet cool in the heat and preventing the dreaded stinky trainer!
Vans
Next I tried on Vans ‘Off The Wall’ Old Skool MTE shoes in black and white for €75. Compared with the Nike Flex, these were a lot heavier to wear and not as lightweight. They are super cool and stylish but don’t have the mesh upper. I can imagine how hot my feet would get while wearing these for a whole day during the summer! However, they feature a durable water-repellent Tec Tuff finish, warm flannel linings and a heat retention layer between sockliner and outsole to keep feet warm and dry. So perfect for the unpredictable Irish weather!
Converse
I have always been a big fan of Converse and own several pairs, both high-top and low-top sneakers. Charles Hollis “Chuck” Taylor was an American basketball player and shoe salesman/evangelist. He is best known for his association with the Chuck Taylor All-Stars sneaker, the most successfully selling basketball shoe in history. I tried on the Converse All Star rose gold low-top sneakers in metallic leather for €71. Comfy and stylish, these would be perfect to wear during the summer and would look fantastic worn with cropped, step-hem white jeans and a funky tee shirt.
Schuh
Lastly I tried on Schuh’s own brand trainer, the bold stone vlogger trainers for €33.95. The man-made Vlogger boasts sports-luxe influence with a tonal stone profile and metallic rose gold accents for added glam. These are perfect for those who make style and comfort a priority as well as wanting to be trendy and fashion forward.
In the end I bought my all time favourite Nike Flex trainers because they are comfortable as well as stylish and the new mesh upper is an added bonus. I would recommend styling these with jeans, leggings and chunky sweaters in the winter and for summer they can be worn with long, floral print dresses or with a tailored blazer and short pleated skirt to add some edge to your work wardrobe!
