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sneakers of the day
26 Feb 2009 01:30 pmToday's sneakers are the Adidas "Ulama" and Puma "Crete" Pique. It's been said very truly that metallic is the new neutral. Especially in summer, metallics are edging out pale neutrals (white, cream, tan) everywhere from gladiator sandals to driving moccasins (even Clark's has made a metallic gold brocade desert boot, which is possibly the least practical material for desert I can think of) to Birkenstocks to actual clothes. This isn't to say that metallics are going to stick around forever, but they've been more in than out for the last five years or so.
(click for bigger)
I'm quite grateful to see them retreating to the stripes on the sides of the "Ulama", in fact. I remember a few summers ago when I was afraid to walk around downtown for fear of being assualted by hideously tacky outfits, everything from t-shirt dresses to cocktail dresses to denim shorts and tshirts being glaring, bleach-white adorned with tremendous splashes of lamé like some kind of Janet Jackson video meets original Star Trek nightmare. So I'm divided on metallics. I think they're a great neutral for evening shoes like the ones I picked out for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lobelia321 here, especially in the darker bronze colour. They reach the height of their powers in the strappy sandal like mine from H&M's summer 06 line (back).
Anyway, I support the metallic loafer, and even the metallic driving moccasin, with reservations; there are shapes that work in allover metallic and shapes that don't. One of the shapes that doesn't is the sneaker. At least, I've never seen a 100% sparkly sneaker, aside from the sequin-covered Converse All Star, that didn't make me want to sneer at the wearer. (I probably did so unconsciously. I've been told I have a class A "Fuck Off and Die" face. Luckily, in Finland, a neutral expression is what is wanted on the street, in public, if not a constipated or irritated one, so I doubt they noticed if I wasn't pointing and laughing.) But metallic accents on sneakers I find very pleasing. The gold mixes well with white. These contain about the same ratio as my own most recent shoe purchase, the Puma Mystere Chevrons that I keep bragging about. These Adidas have a slightly slimmer silhouette than my Pumas - just a matter of taste.
The second pair are Puma tennis shoes, not running shoes (for once, from them) in a bright pink pique and a style highly reminiscent of Keds and the million knockoffs of their classic Champion that have come out in the last 3 years. This type of shoe is comfortable, casual, lightweight, a tad preppy, but a bit all-purpose, and not suited for, say, hiking, or standing on your feet all day, or extended running, not providing the same type of cushion/bounce that a typical runner sole does.
(click for bigger)
I'm quite grateful to see them retreating to the stripes on the sides of the "Ulama", in fact. I remember a few summers ago when I was afraid to walk around downtown for fear of being assualted by hideously tacky outfits, everything from t-shirt dresses to cocktail dresses to denim shorts and tshirts being glaring, bleach-white adorned with tremendous splashes of lamé like some kind of Janet Jackson video meets original Star Trek nightmare. So I'm divided on metallics. I think they're a great neutral for evening shoes like the ones I picked out for
lobelia321 here, especially in the darker bronze colour. They reach the height of their powers in the strappy sandal like mine from H&M's summer 06 line (back). Anyway, I support the metallic loafer, and even the metallic driving moccasin, with reservations; there are shapes that work in allover metallic and shapes that don't. One of the shapes that doesn't is the sneaker. At least, I've never seen a 100% sparkly sneaker, aside from the sequin-covered Converse All Star, that didn't make me want to sneer at the wearer. (I probably did so unconsciously. I've been told I have a class A "Fuck Off and Die" face. Luckily, in Finland, a neutral expression is what is wanted on the street, in public, if not a constipated or irritated one, so I doubt they noticed if I wasn't pointing and laughing.) But metallic accents on sneakers I find very pleasing. The gold mixes well with white. These contain about the same ratio as my own most recent shoe purchase, the Puma Mystere Chevrons that I keep bragging about. These Adidas have a slightly slimmer silhouette than my Pumas - just a matter of taste.
The second pair are Puma tennis shoes, not running shoes (for once, from them) in a bright pink pique and a style highly reminiscent of Keds and the million knockoffs of their classic Champion that have come out in the last 3 years. This type of shoe is comfortable, casual, lightweight, a tad preppy, but a bit all-purpose, and not suited for, say, hiking, or standing on your feet all day, or extended running, not providing the same type of cushion/bounce that a typical runner sole does.
