Trainer Trends

[Trickyvee]

I've had a few pairs of trainers in my day and it's interesting to look back on the trends of fashion and coolness over that time.

At 11 I escaped the hell of the Marks and Spencer trainer and got my first designer pair - Reeboks. Intriguingly, after that I got a pair of Hi-Tecs. "FAIL! UNCOOL!" I hear you cry. Not so. I did in fact scrape through on the cool front with the hi tecs, until they suddenly became hideously uncool just as mine wore out.

Then TONGUES arrived. Naturally I had to follow the ridiculous trend of having the biggest boots you could find (mine were a size too big), leaving the laces undone and having the gigantic tongue lolling out the front. I had LA gears with three laces per boot in white, yellow and pink...I mean, honestly, what a sight!

Some low key Nikes and Reeboks followed for me and then it was RETRO time with the coloured suedey numbers arriving. I went all Britpop with my own pair of green Adidas campus.

THEN...all bow down to the new phenomenon...the bubble heel! Nike Airs are the only way to go! I grabbed myself a pair of tailwinds and, of course, wore them with my smart trousers, as you did.

Next Nike swept in with those funny-shaped slippery-type trainers. Got some of them, but mine were Converse.

And finally...retro again. Mostly Adidas... All stars, Rio Grandes and Olympic marathons ended up in my shoe rack, followed by a final nudge to Diesel.

Now I think trainers have fallen out of fashion...for the time being...

[Marine Boy]

Re: Trainer Trends

Three words: Dunlop Green Flash! I bought them for years and years. Not for any fashion reason, obviously. But they were really comfortable and suited my rather wide foot.

[Trickyvee]

Re: Trainer Trends

Oh yes, I forgot. I had a pair of Green Flash too a few years ago, but they were dark blue not green.

[Heather74]

Re: Trainer Trends

The big tongues were also all the rage in my high school days

[Marine Boy]

Re: Trainer Trends



You realise of course that I now have to go out and buy a pair! lol

[Trickyvee]

Re: Trainer Trends

Snap! I've just been on ebay got my eye on a pair of green ones

[Richard1978]

Re: Trainer Trends

You realise of course that I now have to go out and buy a pair! lol

My mum had a pair of these for playing badminton (in the early 1980s playing this or squash to keep fit seemed very trendy), & they seemed to hand around the house for many years afterwards. They might be in the bottom of here wardrobe it they haven't been disposed of.

[branny]

Re: Trainer Trends

At school you were ridiculed if you didn't have adidas. My parents didn't see the sense in paying £30+ for a pair when a cheap pair off the market would last as long. I usually had to settle for black leather John Players £6 a pair. If I wanted adidas I had to wait til my birthday (still wasn't allowed to wear em at school though). Maybe my parents had a point though as a pair of £6 JP's were stolen from my bag during PE.

When I was 16 I got a part time job at Tesco and the 1st thing I bought was a pair of Puma Tiriac (soles like barges). My favourites ever were adidas Lendl court. I wish they'd do em again as my first pair were stolen from my locker. I've had loadsa different pairs over the years and have about 20 pairs at the moment. The more I buy, the less I wear each pair so my collection grows. If I see a pair I like I buy em, well, because I can (I blame my parents)

[Paulos]

Re: Trainer Trends

I remember my pristine white hi tec trainer boots in the eighties they were a must have.

I must be getting old because I definitely need a new pair of trainers but everything I see in the shops just doesn't look quite what I want.
Maybe I'm going to have to check out the dunlop green flash aswell!
Mind you I remember my hi tec silver shadow II's being comfortable and I think you can get those again now!

[Richard1978]

Re: Trainer Trends

One brand of trainers I remember being slightly fashionable for a couple of years was Inter.

The normally came in brightish colour combinations, my brother had some that were green & silver in places.

[Trickyvee]

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I'm now the proud owner of a pair of Green Flash. Only 8 quid too on the bay of e .

[Lilacmoon]

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The first trainers I remember buying was some Le Coq Sportif monstrosity ..... then Nike Wimbledon's ..... then Diadora Borg Elites (gold). This was early-mid 80's, and after that just pairs of Adidas Samba!

Funny how all these years later I bought a new pair of Borg Elites (navy blue this time though) last May!

[Scottie_UK]

Re: Trainer Trends

I brought these last year. They are a modern day remake of 1980's Adidas ZX500 trainers.





Anyone who know's anything about British 1980's computing will see they are ZX Spectrum inspired. It's for this reason they came with a memory stick containing a retro themed computer game.

[stuckinthe80's]

Re: Trainer Trends

My first fashion trainers that I had were Puma 'Set' (i think thats what they were called). They had thick white soles and the toe area had holes punched in them. I loved them. I'd really like another pair!

[sarcymarky]

Three words: Dunlop Green Flash! I bought them for years and years. Not for any fashion reason, obviously. But they were really comfortable and suited my rather wide foot.

I still wear DGF! They're really comfy.

In about 1982/83 Rucanor basketball boots were the must haves: