It’s part of my job to watch the runway collections at New York, London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks. Once for Spring and once for Fall, in February and September respectively. There are hundreds of shows and I can watch them all online from the comfort of our home, pinning inspirational looks along the way. I’ve been watching designer fashion shows for many years, but browsing them online is a more recent thing. I used to rely heavily on magazines for show coverage before the internet made it so easy. 

For me the runway collections have become a twice yearly snippet of a fashion movie that never ends. Or perhaps more of a living encyclopedia of fashion that I can consult for inspiration again and again. My thinking about a particular fashion season, and the way I interpret the current trends, starts with my analysis of these shows. The way I evolve my own style, add and subtract from my wardrobe, advise and style my clients, predict trends, and assess whether a look is dated or fashion forward, starts with what I see at these shows. 

Runway shows are full of expensive and over the top clothing displayed on one very rare body type, but I don’t view them as unattainable style. Quite the opposite. The way the designers showcase new silhouettes, pull together colour combinations, combine items to create all sorts of new proportions that look fresh, is information that inspires me to dress all ages and body types. It’s not that I want to recreate the outfit from head to toe. Not at all. It’s that I want to recreate a similar mood with proportions, colours and item pairings, my way and for my clients their way. When you break down the items of a runway outfit and swap out some of the pieces for more mainstream ones, it often becomes completely wearable.

Do you ever watch designer shows to gather inspiration? If so, how have the shows influenced your style? Or do you find the runway collections unrelatable, unattainable, uninspiring and overwhelming?

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post on footwear trends, sassy sneakers and especially hi-tops, are trending. They are very much mainstream and are now available at all price points as the assortment keeps on growing. I find that many women are reluctant to incorporate fashionable sneakers into their style because they think they are too casual or too juvenile. So I’m readressing sassy sneaker style on the off chance that this changes your mind. 

Here are four reasons to give them a chance:

1. You can think of them as a sportier version of booties and flat oxfords. 
2. They are available in flat, low and high heeled versions, so you can choose the height that works for you. 
3. You can select a more refined style if the chunky Isabel Marant and Ash versions are “too much sneaker”. 
4. They can change the landscape of your wardrobe, making your everyday looks feel fresh, more hip and youthful. 
5. They make a great commuting and traveling shoe, and are perfect for the Mum on the go. 

First, let me get the age appropriate question out of the way. I have clients of all ages in fashionable sneakers — ranging from 26 to 75. My younger clients wear them with short flared skirts or dresses, super skinny jeans, and short shorts, while the others are all about adding a sophisticated edge and a level of refinement to their sneaker style. 

Second, there’s no need to feel sloppy and overly casual in a pair of sassy sneakers. I believe that you can look chic and polished wearing sassy sneakers if the rest of the outfit is just so.

Here are the elements that can add sophistication to your sneaker ensemble. Note that you do not need to incorporate all them at once, although it can be done. 

• Tailored Pieces: Wear a jacket, blazer, coat or topper with some or a lot of structure. Button down shirts and blouses also provide the right amount of structure. 
• Luxurious Fabrications: Wear sassy sneakers with fabrics like leather, silk, faux fur, crisp cotton, cashmere, daytime sparkle and woven wool. Wear some of these fabrications as bottoms. 
• Straight Legs instead of Super Skinnies: A roomier fit than a body con jegging can help kick things up a sophisticated notch. 
• Structured Bag: Or at least a semi structured style to help dress up the look. Anything from a satchel and bucket bag to a crossbody, shoulder bag or clutch will work. 

The outfits below provide a great starting point on how to add a sophisticated edge to sassy sneakers. Better yet, my Sneaker Style” pinboard showcases street style outfits incorporating these elements on everyday people, which is even more inspiring. 

I mentioned that I would be adding hi-tops to my wardrobe in my last post on sassy sneakers. I’ve chosen the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Hi-Ness in white because it’s refined, crisp, iconic, and the wedge is low. I’m excited about the look. 

Have I convinced anybody to give these fashionable sneakers a go? Or is it still a no go.

You are on Team Unrolled Jeans if you prefer to wear jeans without rolling up the hems. You are on Team Rolled Jeans if you prefer to roll them at the hems, thereby either exposing your footwear, ankle and/or lower leg. Note that rolled jeans do not need to finish at a cropped length. Some jeans are full length with a rolled hem. 

Rolling the hems of casual bottoms to expose the foot and lower leg, or to create “cuff interest” at the ankle, has been all the rage over the past few years with styles like boyfriend jeans, khakis and cropped pants. And not just for ladieswear but for menswear too. It’s a non-seasonal styling technique because wearing rolled jeans with boots and booties in cold weather is also an on trend look.

I have two pairs of boyfriend jeans with tapered leg silhouettes, one cropped and one full length, and both of which I roll at the hems. I miraculously managed to find boyfriend jeans that scrunch at full length with a roll and I absolutely love them. I also roll my Summer cut-offs because the hems are frayed. Other than that, I am not a roller and prefer to keep my jeans unrolled. I am on Team Unrolled Jeans. 

Over to you. Are you a roller? Or do you bat for Team Unrolled Jeans. Tell us why and no batting for both teams.

As a general trend, trendy footwear is becoming more refined. The writing was on the wall when this started happening on runway shows a few seasons ago, and the silhouettes are now filtering down to mainstream retailers. Note that every style of shoe has its “more refined version”. It’s important to understand the concept because refined footwear does NOT boil down to a pair of stiletto pumps. We’re talking about a style sensibility that is less chunky, coarse and clunky overall, especially in the heel shape. The visual effect is more elegant and tailored. Although it sounds counterintuitive, even shoes like sneakers, boots, shooties, booties and oxfords can have a more refined interpretation.

More specifically, here are the top 20 shoe trends for Spring and Summer 2013. Interestingly, the Fall 2013 shows across fashion weeks in New York, London, Paris and Milan all suggest to me that most of these trends also apply to Fall. 

1. Pointy Toes: We’re talking pointy toes on ALL types of shoes. Ballet flats, booties, shooties, heels, oxfords, closed toe sandals — you name it. This is one of the trends in footwear. 
2. Peep Toe Booties: Booties and shooties with peep toes and closed heels are very strong.  
3. Caged Sandals: We’ve seen this type of “covered” sandal at retail for a while. The style can also be thought of as a less covered peep toe bootie or sandal bootie with lots of straps. Your heels are usually exposed.
4. Booties: It’s amazing how the bootie has become completely seasonless. These days it can be worn with just about anything. 
5. Shooties: Just like the bootie, shooties are seasonless. High in the vamp but with less coverage than a bootie. 
6. Ankle Straps: Think both broad and narrow ankle straps on shoes like pointy toe pumps, flats, sandals and shooties. 
7. Low Heels: Dainty kitten heels, low block heels, and low wedge heels. 
8. Wedge sandals: Hectically high platforms, which were “the fashion shoe of the season” are on their way out, making room for lower platforms and wedges with no platform at all.  
9. Flat Oxfords: There are many versions as the trend becomes stronger and the assortment keeps on growing. 
10. Slipper Flats: These are the new loafer or high vamped ballet flat. 
11. Classic Loafers: Think Gucci-esque loafers and penny loafers.
12. Lucite Trim: Lucite is the transparent material found in the heels, straps or vamp of a shoe. 
13. Metal Toe Caps: Either in silver, pewter or gold on footwear styles like booties, shooties, slipper flats, oxfords and pumps. 
14. Patterns: Think floral and animal prints. 
15. Pastels: Pastel and mid-tone clothing is extremely on trend and this applies to footwear too. 
16. White: White, in all its shades from optical white to stone, in all styles of footwear. 
17. Sci-Fi: It’s about a very particular metallic shine that resembles a mirror in order to create that space-age vibe. It’s shinier than the metallic footwear that has been around for years. 
18. Stilettos: Both in high and low heels, and especially in the form of a pointy toe. 
19. High-Tops: Low wedges, high wedges, flat, bulky, tailored, studded, suede, patterned, distressed, crisp. Think sporty sneaker fun. 
20. Flatforms or “Creepers”: Flatform sandals, oxfords, sneakers, loafers or booties are very in. No arch but lots of heel height. 

You can cover a handful of trends with one shoe. For example, a mint pointy toed stiletto with a metal toe cap covers four trends. A floral slipper flat covers two.

Round toes are still in style so please don’t think that you have to stop wearing them! I’ll certainly continue to wear mine. Casual corked wedge sandals sans the high platform, gladiators, boat shoes, espadrilles and ballet flats are mainstream classics and absolutely in style. Chunky moto boots, although not as fashion forward as they used to be, have also become a mainstream basic that is always in style. And although ultra high platforms are on their way out, retailers will continue to sell them to a smaller market so they won’t disappear overnight. 

The styles below are just single examples of some of the trends. There are thousands of versions so don’t think that this is the only representation. As always, if you like a trend, you have to find the versions that work for you.

So which footwear trends grab you and which don’t? Are there any that you wish you could wear but you feet flatly refuse to co-operate?