Style inspiration

How to style trainers with a Maxi dress

How to style trainers with a maxi dress. I remember when I first started to wear trainers/sneakers with my formal clothes. It was back in the early 90s. Women in New York were just starting to wear them to commute to their offices. Trainers/Sneakers were beginning to be seen everywhere in the street. Maybe that was the beginning of “street style” as we know it.

Mixing trainers with a more formal outfit

At the time I was working as an image consultant and corporate coach in some of the top accountancy and retail companies. I had to wear very formal business suits and respectable court shoes. Travelling by train, tube or car was challenging in heeled shoes so I adopted the “trainer look” and took a pair of smart shoes to change into when I reached my destination. I have never looked back. I still love the casual with the more formal look.

In these photos have teamed my Pavers Bellissimo chunky trainers (gifted) with my new maxi dress from Arket which is a lovely coloured purple with dark pink spots and is made from recycled viscose.

Basket and hat both from St.Tropez market.

My trainers are so comfortable. I wore them all day without socks and no blisters.

Close up of the star trainers. They are ideal to wear with dresses as they are more delicate than many styles.

Pavers leather lace-up trainers

The dress and trainer look has now been popular for quite a few years and continues to be popular with all ages. Combining the aesthetic with the practical. Curating the look does take some planning. The trainers need to be in harmony with the dress. Personally, I prefer the more pared-down simplistic trainers in white to the very chunky athletic variety. Although I sometimes wear chunkier styles with trousers.

Pavers leather lace-up trainers Lilac printed shirt dress from Arket. Pink cardigan over my shoulders from Cos (comes up large and is quite long).

Scarf from St.Tropez Pink bag many years old.

Thank you Pavers for gifting me these comfortable trainers. I will be wearing them all summer long.

Photographs were taken by Laura Hines. Follow her on Instagram

Chicatanyage

I write a fashion and beauty blog for women over 50 with the aim of inspiring mature women to continue to enjoy and have fun with their fashion choices. I have spent most of my working life in some way connected to fashion. I started my career in Fashion PR and then trained as an Image Consultant when my children were young. I subsequently worked in the corporate world running seminars, doing private coaching and speaking at conferences. I started my blog in 2009 as I wanted to share my years of experience working in the world of fashion. I truly believe we can continue to have confidence in the way we present ourselves. Our style may evolve with time and changing lifestyles, yet with a little knowledge and inspiration, we can all continue to have fun with fashion. As women of a certain age we are a growing demographic let us prove that we can also be a chic one.

View Comments

  • I love this look. Feminine and fun. The colors in this outfit are so lovely on you, and the sneakers are cute with the white star. I, too, loved wearing sneakers (or cozy, faux fur lined boots in Winter) to work and carrying my shoes - especially when going in and out of New York.

  • I absolutely love the colors you wear, so flattering. You always look comfortable, very classy as well as current, which isnt easy to achieve all at once. Look foward to seeing more

  • Wonderful dress Josephine and l love the way you are styling it.l often wear dresses with sneakers as l like to move fast when l am out and about and be nimble on my feet. You look terrific in these colors and l love your hair cut!! Happy weekend :)

  • I love tthe dress on you and I think with the trainers it looks very modern.
    Greetje

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