Reminiscent of supermarket own-brand footwear, trainer wedges are all the rage. It may just be down to good taste but some people (me) are clearly having difficulty understanding their appeal. While magnates such as Selfridges claim that wearing them “will see your fashion status soar to new heights”, it’s difficult to see how.

Thoroughly unconvinced that these foot-huggers add value to any wardrobe, I took to the streets of London to give the brave-new-worlders wearing the damn things a chance to defend themselves:

“They can be worn with anything”. Sure, anything long that covers your feet.

“They make a statement”.  Statements like, “I can’t distinguish between things that look good and things that don’t”?

More costly versions (such as Isabel Marant’s selection, at £400 a pair) simply note the inclusion of a concealed wedge, as if it hadn’t dramatically altered the shape of the shoe. Let’s observe the logic: take a sexy wedge, shove it inside a cheap looking high-top and sell it to people who are too posh to slum it in trainers you can actually walk in. They might lengthen the leg, but they’ll damage your reputation long before anyone notices.

Emiliano Diego-Franceskides

This entry was tagged as bad style, bad trend, trainers, wedges.