Word on the street is that – just in time for Halloween, nonetheless – the ‘90s are coming back from the dead and in huge ways. And no, Mom, this doesn’t mean your fire-engine-red-shoulder-padded pantsuit with the matching kitten heels.
The year was 1999. We were on the brink of elementary school and we had all fallen hard for MK and Ash and their sense of style. Yes, at the ripe age of thirteen, the Olsen twins knew how to rock scrunchies, overalls, anything Velcro strap-ons and pumped-up Keds like nobody’s business.
While we scoured Kohl’s and Limited Too for the perfect “Passport to Paris” ensemble, what we really wanted to find was that perfect accessory to tie the outfit together. Yes, chokers were in, but so were pumped-up Keds and Converse High-Tops, and thus the sneaker craze swept a generation. So in this season’s fashion shoe market, it’s out with the old and in with the older that is ‘90s style kicks.
Refinery 29 Roundup: Antipodium dress, Converse High-Tops
“It’s about time comfort was the new black,” said every heel-clad fashionista ever. This fall, sneakers have graduated from treadmill conveniences and stepped out onto runways around the world. Gone are the days where we have to take a step back from our fast-paced lives due to complications from sore shins, raw heels and Charlie Horses. Now, as trendy media outlets report, we have every right to slip on a pair of thrifty Vans and strut our ways to class blister-free.
Major women’s fashion houses have gradually leaned towards a more androgynous, comfort-chic look over the past half-decade. This is no surprise for our fast-paced, ever-changing society and the women it supports. Women, especially in the fashion realm, have long deserved a break from constricting shoes. When we look and feel comfortable in our own shoes, we’re also able to look and feel more comfortable in our own bodies, and the sneaker trend supports this.
To those of you who question the legitimacy of this reverse trend, we ask you to think back to your elementary school days when you were young and in love with your new suede Merrels, neon Converse, and chalk white New Balances with the Velcro. While those days are far in the past, they echo a sort of fashion coming of age that the fall shoe trend aims to rekindle. If we want to walk, talk, and feel like professional women, then why wouldn’t we rock a pair of Nikes with Ponte leggings and a jean button-down?
Sneakers are the perfect fearless accessories that, if you rock them with confidence, can and will go with just about anything. And, unlike fire-engine-red-shoulder-padded pantsuits with the matching kitten heels, the sneaker trend will keep it kickin’ without the possibility of going out of style anytime soon.
Her Campus Bucknell Fall Sneaker Roundup:
- The Classic Kick with a New-Age Twist: Converse X UO Chuck Taylor, $80
- The Out-of-this-World: Vans Classic Slip-On, $60
- The Platform: Xhilaration, $24.99
- The Sporty: New Balance for J. Crew, $80
- The Retro Tennis Shoe: Tretorn, $65