Terrace Trainers

The Rule: Wear With Smart-Casual Pieces

America, you can keep your basketball high-tops because quite frankly, when it comes to true sports footwear icons, the terrace trainer (popularised on England’s football terraces) is untouchable. Okay, we may be – slightly – biased but there’s a reason that the terrace trainer’s gum soles have been pounding the pavement for decades; they’re truly classic kicks.

As such a ubiquitous shoe, however, there’s every danger of being mistaken for a rain-sodden teenager chilling at the shopping centre on Saturday. “Terrace trainers provide an instant way to add a dash of vintage to an outfit,” says Phill Tarling, a menswear stylist who has worked with the likes of Tom Hardy and John Hurt. “When it comes to styling, try getting smart.”

That means swerving the joggers and keeping it classy by teaming with heritage pieces like wool trousers, macs and houndstooth coats, or contemporary staples like cropped trousers and chambray shirts. Leave the football scarf at home, too.

Minimal Trainers

The Rule: Wear With Simple, Pared-Back Pieces

Cast your mind back 10 or so years, if you will. Minimal trainers weren’t a ‘thing’ and the closest you’d get to inconspicuous was a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors, which (though admittedly great) are pretty standard issue. Then came the minimal movement, when everything got a Scandinavian dose of good taste and designers began to rein in the crazy.

Minimal trainers are really, really, ridiculously good looking, so you’ll need to keep the surrounding pieces simple and the lines of your outfit sleek to do them justice. Think tailored separates, pared-back normcore or something a little more formal. “Styling a sharp suit with trainers is one of my favourite looks for the office,” says Seamons.

“A pair of plain leather lace-ups from Common Projects or Eytys will look smart and modern, though the high street has lots of versions from as little as £25. The most important point is to keep them pristine by investing in some shoe wipes to restore the box-fresh look for every outing.” It’s not just the cut of your clothes that should be clean.