The comfort of a trainer. The glamour of a shoe. Meet the... TROE
ALMOST every time she steps out, Theresa May’s footwear makes headlines. From shiny, thighhigh boots to funky flats and flirty kitten heels, our new PM is well known for her showstopping shoes — particularly in her signature leopard print.
Last week though, she showed off the most surprising yet: a snazzy hybrid of trainers and shoes, known as a ‘troe’ (pronounced ‘troo’).
Smarter than a trainer, yet more comfortable than a shoe, the troe is the latest must-have for busy working women.
They’re usually slimmer than a chunky trainer (none of the foam padding as they’re not meant for exercise) and come in discreet colours as well as prints. However the laces and shape are those of a trainer rather than a traditional leather shoe. Striding out in skinny jeans and sneakers on the byelection campaign trail in outgoing MP David Cameron’s constituency of Witney, Theresa’s £359 Joe Sneakers by Emma Hope struck exactly the right balance with her dressed-down outfit.
In contrast to the men canvassing in suits and brogues, whose one concession to casualwear was leaving their ties at home, May looked as though she was trotting off to her local cafe for a cappuccino and croissant — and was all the more approachable for it.
She’s not the only professional ‘serious’ woman tapping into the advantages of the troe.
Previously only acceptable when worn with leggings or sweatpants, sales of casual shoes such as this for fashion (rather than simply a sporting sensibility) have soared.
Data from consumer analyst, Mintel, shows that over the past year, more British women have bought trainers than high-heeled shoes for the first time ever (37 per cent versus 33 per cent who went for heels).
And it’s no longer teens and twentysomethings who are monopolising the market; women aged 35 to 44 have become the main buyers.
As trainers have gone upmarket, so have their price, which has the effect of making them seem more appealing to professional women.
The style has also changed — trainers morphed into smarter troes as women demanded something that looks almost acceptable for the office, rather than firmly for the gym.
LOOK around every morning, and the majority of women wear them to commute (though they may slip on their heels at work).
According to fashion data company Edited, with higherend fashion brands entering the market, the average price for newly-in-stock trainers has grown by 53 per cent.
As a woman past 50, it’s something of a stretch to accept how the sports shoe I associate with my son’s teen years, and the whiff of unwashed feet encased in sweat-promoting man-made fibres, has become the footwear of choice for the fashion pack and celebrities alike; as at home at dress-up events as when walking the dog in the park or dropping the kids off at school.
But I’m coming round to it.
While actress Julianne Moore teams her trainers with a camel coat and looks chic rather than scruffy, Samantha Cameron proves there’s nothing mismatched in her combination of an elegant silk blouse and white trainers.
NOW Mrs May has bestowed the (previously) humble sneaker with power as well as purpose. It would be easy to argue that a mass rebellion against stilettos is taking place inspired by the desire to free women of their shackles — self-inflicted in this case, which have resulted in bunions, backache, hammer toes and damaged tendons.
But I’m more inclined to believe that it’s simply the fashion industry’s way of getting us to buy more stuff rather than taking pity on our painful tootsies.
Trainers pose particular problems in the workplace, especially when it comes to wearing them with skirts or dresses.
Personally I’d steer clear of them in a professional setting that doesn’t involve an outdoors walkabout of the kind Theresa May went on at the weekend.
You can’t rid trainers of their sporty connotations completely, which may be fine for employees in cool companies such as Google or in the advertising industry, but just doesn’t chime in a more traditional setting.
Put them on for the commute and leave them on when your legs are under your desk by all means, but turn up at a meeting in the conference room in trainers and you’re treading a potentially perilous path.
The other thing to bear in mind is that while women of all ages can get away with trainers with trousers as long as the trainers aren’t too bulky and have a bit of added style, they are deeply unflattering with skirts or dresses for most women.
If you’re remotely thick of ankle or heavy of calf and middle-aged or beyond, you will look your worst. Frumpy, too.
And if you have ultraskinny rather than slim legs, you’ll look like Olive Oyl in her dotage.
Theresa May is a gamechanger in the shoe department. I salute her casual confidence on the campaign trail and know many women will want to follow suit.
But if she wears sneakers to the House of Commons or on the international stage, I’ll eat my hat. Or maybe even my new troes.