In the most shocking news to come out of the UK since Brexit, Kate Middleton has been spotted in trainers.
Yes, I am talking about the lace-up variety of shoe one wears jogging. On the Duchess of Cambridge’s feet.
And yes, she was (gasp) at an ~official~ event while doing so. Waving and smiling alongside Prince William at the America’s Cup headquarters in Portsmouth, K-Middy walked around with her usual bubbly, royal air wearing a polo shirt, black jeans, 18-carat gold and diamond earrings that cost $3863, and some decidedly un-royal shoes.
Image: Getty.
I know, I know — I can basically hear your eyes rolling into the back of your head right now. “Lady, sneakers aren’t a new trend; who cares if she wore them or not?”
But in thinking that you’ve actually hit the proverbial stiletto right onto the toe.
When Kate Middleton, she of the $10,000 outfits, the jewels, the crowns and the Alexander McQueen everything, decides it’s appropriate — fashionable, even — to wear jeans and sneakers to an official event, this is big. I don't think humongous would be a stretch.
Image: Getty.
It can only mean one thing: we’ve hit the pinnacle of the sneaker. I wasn’t sure if this day would come but we’ve finally done it. We've reached Peak Trainer. There is no turning back.
Not only does the Duchess’ sartorial choice mean sneakers have been officially accepted into the Everyday Footwear Category, they’ve now been welcomed into our work and event wardrobes with open arms and silent tears of happiness. (Post continues after gallery.)
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Because, you see, if Kate's comfortable to slip her feet into some Adidas PureBoost X trainers (you can buy them here for $170, FYI), lace ‘em up, and greet thousands of adoring fans, then surely it’s OK for me to wear them to work?
Surely we can all trade our heeled boots for our Nikes without receiving awkward glances and warnings from Human Resources about our too-casual work attire?
Image: Kate's Adidas kicks of choice.
Surely now I can rock up to a friend’s birthday drinks, a dinner, or a work event powered by comfortable feet encased in joggers?
When you think about it, the humble sneaker has been on a sartorial journey long before it graced the feet of the Spice Girls (in platform form) in the late ‘90s.
Image: Getty.
Thanks to the normcore trend (where blandness and comfort are king) of the noughties, sneaker-clad feet have snuck back into the fashion vernacular to the point where Jerry Seinfeld’s signature jeans and white sneaker look is now ironically cool.
If trainers are good enough for Kate Middleton — someone regularly in the presence of the actual Queen of England — then they’re most definitely good enough for me.
Do you wear sneakers as part of your everyday outfits?
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