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A NEW AND IMPROVED MODEL…
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THE ESSENTIAL is our new weekly blog which will guide you through this season’s trends. Being the helpful people that we are here at JA, we not only like to offer the best products of the season but also like to guide you through the trends to help you with those important style decisions. We’ll be looking at the must-haves of the season so all those key pieces which you shouldn’t miss out on, the essential packing list for those seasonal breaks so you don’t leave anything important behind, and how to style those critical outfits like a pro. For our first edition of THE ESSENTIAL we decided to focus on a trend which is going to be huge this year and we know that because it already is! It’s an old school classic in a new and improved body resurrected during Fashion Week this year, it’s going to be a global trend one which cannot be ignored. So this Autumn we’re stepping away from the typical brogues and winter boots for the ultra cool sports shoe AKA The Trainer.
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If you’re off to the gym or going out for a run it’s all about trainers, but within the fashion world and even in certain establishments (I’m sure we’ve all been there) they’ve somewhat of a pariah as they’ve always been known as a piece of sports wear, not to be worn outside of the gym or your back garden. But now things are different, we’re in the age of teenagers twerking semi naked with a band of dwarfs and Russell Brand’s ridiculously large hair, something like wearing trainers outside of the gym is now fairly standard. AW13 is set to be the season where we’ll see sports shoes dominate men’s fashion, with the reinvention of the classic into a variety of new contemporary styles.
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THE 3 CATEGORIES: SPORTS, STREET AND LUXURY
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There are three types of brands who are bringing out the best trainers the first of which is the classic sportswear brands like Adidas and Puma, who have now introduced the more fashion orientated sub-brands to their names -enter Puma McQueen and Adidas Y-3 with Yohji Yamamoto. These are those strange borderline sports shoe where you wouldn’t wear them to the gym or to play footie in, but they just aren’t quite demure enough to dress up. So this makes them ideal for jeans, t-shirt and jacket combo when you’re just out and about during the day or popping to the cinema on an evening.
Secondly you have the luxury trainers from designer brands like Stone Island and Lacoste, some of which are new to the casual footwear category but are showing some great designs that are by no means amateur. These can usually vary in style some of which you could definitely dress up a bit with a nice pair of slacks and a blazer jacket, or you could stick to a more casual look with jeans and a shirt.
Then lastly you have the urban streetwear brands who live for trainers and bring some amazing prints and colours into the mix, our newbie Gourmet and US brand Creative Recreation are firmly sat in that category. These shoes really add something to an outfit with their amazing patterns, textures and colours, drawing all attention down to your feet. Go crazy with this look and mix it up with a splash of streetwear with some sleek tailoring.
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Unlike many trends this one actually gives you options, so even if you’re not really into the ‘sporty’ look then there’s always the luxury sports shoes which will create a different image. If you only buy one pair of shoes this season make it a set of trainers, lets be honest they’re a pair of shoes which you can wear anytime of the year and are true investments.
JOHN ANTHONY PICKS….
