In my 20s, my style was all about maximum impact. I would wear wildly inconvenient apparel (my approach to sleeves was the puffier, the better) and I believed the misconception that heels mean business.
Now, at almost 32 and still a humble 5ft 3in (and a half), my wardrobe has shifted to something much simpler: functional fashion. Gone are the days of teetering off to meetings and allocating extra time to get anywhere according to my shoes; now I’m all about situational dressing. My pièce de résistance? My solid collection of trainers.
Considering that my weekdays now mainly consist of working from home, autumnal walks and turmeric latte runs, I’ve somehow managed to resist the urge to live in tracksuit bottoms – knowing that, for me, personal presentation equals productivity.
But there’s nothing more rewarding than finding footwear that’s stylish yet as comfortable as slippers, and super-wearable trainers from brands like FitFlop actively encourage me to leave the house. Here’s how I style mine.
Palazzo pants are my favourite type of trousers – I enjoy dressing up their relaxed silhouette with a tailored jacket, longline blazer or coat. To make this work uniform weather-appropriate, I’ll add a rollneck and slip-on plimsolls instead of a blouse and mules.
A T-shirt and jeans has been a classic go-to look for decades, but team with a long overcoat and you’ve immediately elevated a plain outfit to smart-casual. Especially now, when I’m socialising outdoors more than ever, it’s an excuse to build my look around my outerwear. I keep this look simple with my staple pair of go-with-everything black trainers.
The perfect way to modernise a ribbed body-con dress? It’s all about making use of different textures and dimensions. In the colder months I’ll add an oversized, slouchy cashmere jumper, along with platform trainers, to offset the sleekness of the dress with some extra shape.
I live in tiered dresses and sandals during the spring/summer months, and I’m loath to stop when the cold snap hits. My solution? Swap in box-fresh trainers with pop socks to contrast with a floral dress and make it suitable for the current season (as long as you’re prepared to brave chilly bare ankles).
If there’s one thing I’ve mastered with my dress sense, it’s how to look taller than I am. I can vouch for high-waisted tonal or block-colour ensembles. Not one to don black tights with black shoes, thanks to my terrible habit of snagging hosiery, I like to match my trouser colour to my trainers instead – in this case, my trusted non-black option: navy blue.
Find your go-to pair of comfortable and chic trainers at FitFlop
