Did you wear high top sneakers as a fashion statement in the late ’80s? I did, in white, with belted, acid wash paper bag waist jeans and a bright tucked in pullover. Then I discovered Dr. Martens and wore those with Levi’s 501s until the cows came home, leaving my high tops orphaned at the back of the closet. As the years went by, I became dressier and dressier, vowing that I would never wear high top sneakers again. I’m about to eat my words because I’ve fallen for the high top sneaker trend big time. 

As part of the sporty trend, high end designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Isabel Marant, Rick Owens, Jimmy Choo and Alexander Wang are showing high top sneakers in their collections at the moment. And Stella McCartney, who designs a line for Adidas, has been on the high top sneaker kick for several seasons. Although these sneakers are intended to be worn as a fashion statement, many of them are surprisingly athletic looking. Some have heeled wedges while others are flat. There is lots of colour, fabric and style assortment. 

The trick is to wear high tops in a fashion forward way, as shown in the photos below. The outfits incorporate on-trend pieces, like leather skirts and pants, short flouncy skirts, burgundy skinnies, printed skinnies, leather jackets, striped tees, sassy sweatshirts, oversized knitwear and cuffed jeans. I can also see high tops worn with the right midi skirt, slouchy trousers, boyfriend jeans, faux fur vests and short shorts. With a certain amount of sophistication AND the right pieces to match the right kicks, I think this look can be pulled off at any age.

It was an outfit on Northern Light a few months ago that first got me thinking about high tops. At first glance I thought that the blogger was wearing white booties, but they’re the Ash Bowie Wedge Sneaker. So fab!

The street style at recent New York and London fashion weeks was the additional inspiration I needed to seal the deal.

I don’t know how I’m going to work this trend into my style just yet. It might be for Fall with a darker pair of kicks, or for Spring with a pair of Marimekko high tops, like this pair in white with the fun flowers. I’d like to wear them with a skirt or dress as well as jeans and trousers. I’ll be doing the flat version instead of the wedge, and not investing too much in the look. I’m excited to give it a bash, just for fun. 

Over to you. What’s your take on the the fashion forward high top sneaker look? Would you wear it?

I have no qualms about repeating outfits. If I feel confident and fab in a particular ensemble, I’ll happily wear it over and over again. I’m not sure if there’s a connection, but I’m also that way with books and movies. I love to revisit old favourites. It’s true that you lose most of the suspense the second time around. There are no more unexpected twists around every corner, no new characters to meet, but that leaves more room to home in on the details. The first time, I’m usually very focussed on plot. Eager to find out what is going to happen next, busy digesting all the story lines and getting to know the characters. Rewatching allows me to savour the story more slowly, and suddenly I notice all kinds of things I had missed before, the smirk on an actor’s face, a cool turn of phrase, a designer chair in the background.

This Fall I plan to watch season 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey again. I do love a good period drama, and this series set in post-Edwardian England has all the right ingredients: wonderful acting, drama, romance, intrigue, an unprincipled scoundrel everyone loves to hate… And then there’s the costumes, of course. I thought that Lady Mary and Lavinia’s wardrobes were especially divine. Plus it’s fascinating to see how much effort has gone into creating clothes that accurately capture the period. From the ornate evening frocks of the dowager countess, and the white tea gowns of the young ladies to the servants’ liveries, each outfit reflects rigid social rank and the changing sartorial customs, such as the shift towards more simple designs and fabrics during the First World War. You bet I’ll be studying every single outfit even more closely this time.

Do you also like to revisit favourite books and movies, or do you prefer to always explore new titles without looking back?

Now in YLF Books

Downton Abbey, a period drama set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of  the same name, follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V. In this grand home, the Earl and Countess of Grantham and their three daughters of marriageable age live under the watchful eye of the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie Smith). Their secure and ordered world, and the social hierarchy are rocked as their lives are shaped by the great events in history, romance, heartbreak and ambition. The first series spans the two years before World War I beginning with news of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The second series covers the years 1916 to 1919.

This one is for Team Polka Dot! There are playful polka dot pullovers in an assortment of colours in stores at the moment, which makes for a nice change alongside the abundance of stripes and animal print. 

I LOVE polka dots, but do not like polka dots in every clothing item. I like two-toned or self colour polka dot scarves, belts, bags, skirts, blouses and dresses. I also like polka dot pullovers, but I’m very fussy about the colour combination and the size and spacing of the dots. Sometimes a polka dot pullover can look juvenile and clown-like, especially when the dots are multi-coloured. 

None of the polka dot pullovers below give me that clown-like impression. To my eye these styles look fun, yet grown-up. Wear them as is or over a blouse or shirt. Any one of them would be exactly the item to cheer you up on a gloomy, grey Seattle day. 

I’m a yay vote all the way. What’s your verdict? Would you wear a polka dot pullover? Or do you think they look  unsophisticated and childlike no matter what?

“Duchess Goes Digital”, for all the Kate Middleton fans out there former actress Helen Barclay has developed Kate’s Style List, an iPhone app that tracks and locates Kate’s clothing choices, from her high street pieces to designer gowns.

Japanese designer Kenji Ikeda, known for his luxurious quilted leather handbags, has teamed up with electronics company Amadana to produce a collection of bags that can charge smartphones, portable music players and other small gadgets. The first four bags come in black, brown and navy and have a unisex look. These styles aren’t my cup of tea, but I’d be all over a fab patterned, colour-blocked or bright-coloured satchel with this tech feature.

Would you use the hi-Call glove from hi-Fun? The hi-Call is a Bluetooth enabled glove with built-in speaker and mouthpiece. It pairs with your mobile device and allows you to chat on the phone by holding your hand up to your face using the traditional miming signal for a telephone. Your hands won’t be cold, but you might be getting a few funny looks this Winter.

Fab Links from Our Members

Lady Gaga opened milliner Philip Treacy’s hat show at London Fashion Week. You definitely won’t see Transcona Shannon wearing any of these, but she admires the creativity, artistry and pure fun in them all.

Angie enjoyed browsing this rundown of NYFW’s most awesome street style kicks by Refinery29. We even spotted some sneakers!

This October Banana Republic is bringing out a clothing line inspired by the upcoming Anna Karenina movie starring Keira Knightley. As Suz recently wrote an essay about rereading this Russian classic, she was extra interested in hearing the thoughts of costume designer Jacqueline Durran.

Scarlet found this NYT article an interesting read. It explains how the fashion industry is trying to get their wares featured in fashion blogs.

Deborah thought that this Office Chic Work Outfit grid from Catherine over at Not Dressed As Lamb was a clever idea.

“More Models of Color Are Working”, Annagybe points us to Jezebel, who did the numbers and calculated that this fashion season proved to be the most racially diverse ever.

MNSara recommends this cute blog post about One Uuugly Dress, because it might help spark our own imagination and help us to come up with new ways to wear an item that would otherwise be tossed without a second thought during our next closet purge.

Charmian has been dreaming of “wardrobe nirvana” for so long that she was both terrified and entertained by this humorous post describing what happened at the end of one woman’s shopping list.

In 1997 Clark Whittington came up with the idea to convert old cigarette machines into art dispensaries. MaryK loves the surprise element and thinks it’s super cool that the Art-o-Mat also contains jewellery made by independent artists.