This is the post where we talk about fashion. Trainers (or sneakers) in particular. I’ve had a lot of discussions recently about my shoe collection. It’s not that grand in the wider scheme of things, but I suppose I have more shoes than is considered average.
My love of trainers began when I got a little more than what was normal for me for my 10th birthday. £30 I recall. I was in primary 5 at school and the cool boy in primary 7 called Ryan O’Hare had recently got a pair of black Adidas trainers. I wanted them! It was the first time I’d wanted something different than my sister. She was three years older but my mum used to dress us in different coloured versions of the same outfit. Usually bought from my auntie Ann’s catalogue. Anyway, I had only recently learned to tie my shoelaces on a pair of burgundy Nicks trainers my mum had got me from Woolworths but I wanted these shoes.
On my birthday, I’d already decided that those were the things I was going to spend my money on. Mum took me into Stirling town centre on the bus and we went to a little shop called Sports Connection. It was a narrow shop with clothes and shoes piled high up the walls. When I was ten years old this seemed like an Aladdin’s cave of goodies. I remember they had to use a stick with a hook to get items down off the high racks.
I duly tried on those shoes. A size 1, I recall. Handed over the £25 and so began my love affair with trainers.
Let me present to you the Adidas Kick Tango trainers. The tango part was because of the red stripe around the gum sole. What a shoe! Look at these beauties.
And a weird thing is, I cannot wear all black trainers now. They feel weird when I look down at my feet. But walking into school on that Monday with my new shoes on, I felt like a king. It was only me and Ryan O’Hare who had these shoes. By the time they were worn out and ready for the bin, they fit me like slippers. They still look classic now.
Over the years I’ve bought many pairs of trainers. I’ve thrown away some classics that I deeply regret. Those Nike Air Max ‘95 (OG neon green). I could’ve sworn I kept them in a cupboard but no. I’m not hard on my footwear these days so every pair I have now are being kept in the archives.
Fast forward to today, and my latest purchase.
The Nike Dunk Low SB St Patrick’s edition. A lush kelly green suede, gold Nike tick, and a little white shamrock sewn into each outer heel. They come with white laces too but I prefer the all green colourway. Aren’t they just fabulous?
As the name suggests these were meant to be released for St Patrick’s day this year, but were delayed in Europe, I believe. Having made the mistake of downloading the Sole Suppliers app last year, I now get notifications of new releases of shoes. I soon learned to turn those notifications off, for all but these shoes, else I’d be skint.
Unboxing Nike Low SB Dunk St Patrick’s
Pictures of them first surfaced around Christmas and I saved them in my favourites. They would be released on the Nike Snkrs app around St Patrick’s Day, which also happens to be around my birthday. Then they disappeared from the app and I thought that would be it. But around June they appeared again, and having sworn not to buy another pair of trainers this year, I’d clicked submit before I gave it a second thought. I say ‘submit’ because now on the Snkrs app, for some limited edition releases, you have to enter a draw and you may or may not be successful in purchasing your trainers. About an hour later I got the infamous ‘Got It’ email indicating my success. I was delighted.
I’ve only worn them once, but they’re dead comfortable and look amazing on. These aren’t everyday wear trainers, and certainly not if there’s even a hint of rain around the corner. But I will enjoy pairing them with cool outfits.
What’s your favourite pair of trainers? (Sneakers, for our friends across the Atlantic). Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading.
The start of it all
Nice showcase of trainer love Angela!🙌🙌🙌👏😊🙏🏽💕👍🏽🤗🫶💯
Finally the backstory !
My favorite remains my Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'City of Flight'