Last October, while my roommates and I set off for our usual weekday afternoon Target spree and scattered ourselves through different aisles of the massive store, I found myself drawn like a magnet to one particular pair of shoes in the Junior’s department. I picked up the oddly vintage-looking, $17 sneakers and brushed my fingers over their incredible chunky features with my hands- had I just found Balenciaga look-alikes at Target?
I’m kidding. But I will admit that I jumped on board the “Dad sneaker” trend almost as soon as it rose to popularity. Finally, a trend that offers constant comfort and a polished touch to your overall appearance- plus Cardi B sings about them, so they must be cool.
When Coco Chanel developed her first ever little black dress in the 1920’s, it recieved more criticism than a millennial could have imagined for such a staple piece. Nobody wanted anything to do with the simplicity, dominance, and cutting-edge movement that was the little black dress. Chanel’s motive in creating such an unusually simple female garment was the idea of individuality being found in the monotone. The little black dress was the first fully assembled, effortless outfit for women, and it could be worn any season of the year. The same way that the little black dress quickly became a go-to in every woman’s closet, white Dad sneakers are on the rise as the most versatile accessory to trend in decades.
It seems a bit bizzare that the clunky, chunky, and sometimes nerdy looking sneakers resembling a kind that many of us probably sported in kindergarten would cause so much hype among fashionistas and celebrities alike. But just like the little black dress, chunky white sneaks have made their debut not only in the athleisure world, but are now worn with a variety of styles. It’s rare that our market comes across an item that can be used to make an outfit more casual, or polish it up more with a touch of clean white. On a more basic level, it all comes down to color. Just like black never goes out of season, these white sneaks have survived the test of time, in terms of our short attention span as a generation. First it was the brief return of overalls, then ultra high-rise bikinis- but this staple footwear isn’t going to change with each generation, because it is already being brought back from your father’s closet in the 90’s. If that’s not appreciation for vintage, I don’t know what is.
So, what’s the verdict? Would Chanel approve of what we have made of her versatile and groundbreaking concept of the black and white essentials? Her little black dress was considered boyish and unflattering by many, and introducing sneakers into everyday female fashion breaks the pattern of hyper-feminizing women through more restrictive clothing. It’s a revival of athleisure that’s shockingly unisex for 2019, and I think Coco would be here for it. They’re boyish, they’re obnoxious, and they’re exactly the statement we all want to make- and that’s why the White Dad Sneak isn’t going anywhere.