IT’S ALL ‘ATHLEISURE’ NOW

YOU need only to walk down the street to see that the high heel is dead – and trainers have taken over.

At least half – if not more – of the women you spy will be in a pair.

And far from being a greying, slobby shoe furtively shoved on for the commute home or the gym, they’re now a fashion statement to be flaunted.

From teenagers to smartly-dressed 50somethings, the trainer has conquered all generations (my 83-year-old motherin-law wears hers constantly).

And stranger yet, it’s now just as acceptable to wear them in the office, to a smart lunch or even to church.

So what on earth has happened – and does this sound the final death-knell for feminine elegance?

The blame lies with sportswear companies who, over the past five years, have pumped hundreds of millions of pounds into advertising in an effort to persuade us that trainers are the next big thing.

Once they had persuaded fashion icons such as Victoria Beckham and Cara Delevingne into wearing them, high fashion brands — including Chanel, Prada and even Christian Louboutin — started to feature trainers on their catwalks (Chanel leather trainers will set you back an astronomical £1,073).

Sports companies sat up and took note, making trainers aimed at the fashionconscious woman: shoes such as Adidas Stan Smiths or Reeboks in rose gold.

But it’s not just about cynical advertising: trainers also reveal a sea-change in the way women dress, a move to more informal fashions, such as sportswear, leggings and puffa jackets. It is also a sign that today’s woman dresses more often for comfort than for male approval.

The danger, of course, is that the triumph of the trainer may spell the end of the art of dressing up. For the truth is that trainers may be comfortable, but there’s nothing that makes a woman look as sexy or powerful as a pair of killer heels.