Running shoes rule at school and everywhere else, too
Published Saturday August 23rd, 2008
Soon all those flip-flops will be just a happy summer memory.
Once school begins, out come the closed-toe shoes, an increasingly routine requirement of school dress codes.
For many students, the preferred closed-toe shoe is a running shoe.
Running shoes, though, are defined much more broadly than they were when today's parents were kids.
"It used to be that kids had play shoes and dress shoes, but today they're wearing sneakers for all kinds of occasions - it's more of an everyday fashion statement," says Catherine Beaudoin, general manager of Gap Inc.'s online shoe shop Piperlime.
True, the same Converse Chuck Taylors that dad wore are still popular, but now the same brand might be found on his young daughter in hot pink with a hippie floral print.
His son's kicks might be orange Air Force 1s by Nike with bright green laces. Other styles you'll likely see on kids this year are Puma's Wheelspins, Adidas Superstars, Reebok's Marvel superhero sneakers with Iron Man and Hulk, Nickelodeon-branded Slimer sneakers and, for preschoolers, New Balance's classic running shoe decorated with Sesame Street characters.
"It's more practical and easy to wear sneakers," says 15-year-old Elizabeth Laleman of Monroe, Conn.
One of her favourite pairs last year? Plaid Pumas that she used her own money to buy.
"They were pink and blue - very feminine and you couldn't tell they were sneakers!"
From toddlers to teens, there will likely be more than one pair of runners per closet. Nike spokeswoman Kilee Hughes says the company's research finds that kids tend to have three:
1. The prized pair - a fashionable, bright high-top or mid-top running shoe that matches a handful of well-planned outfits. "Our focus groups say brighter is better," Hughes adds.
2. A classic "sport" shoe, either for real athletics or a lazy Sunday.
3. A utility pair, probably mostly white, that's able to blend in with the rest of the wardrobe.
Andy Navarro, 16, of Norwalk, Conn., counts even more. He has his all-white and all-black pairs for school because they do indeed match more clothes.
But for hanging out with friends, he has four pairs with distinct colour combinations, including Air Force 1s adorned with the Puerto Rican flag.
Aside from two pairs of flip-flops, Andy doesn't own any shoes that aren't sneakers.
The shift toward runners for all occasions also reflects the popularity of comfortable, ath-leisure hybrid shoes among grown-ups.
More Balance
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
