Wimbledon Approaches: How To Wear Tennis Shoes

CHO Fashion & Lifestyle
Wimbledon Approaches: How To Wear Tennis Shoes
Wimbledon is less than a month away, strawberry and cream season is almost upon us and the CHO team is super excited. To acknowledge the country’s return to centre court on 2nd July, we’ve been taking a closer look at the ever-stylish tennis shoe, also known as the plimsoll. We’ve got lots of top tips on how to wear tennis shoes in 2018, but first, a little history:

The Tennis Shoe: A Sports Staple Turned Fashion Love Affair

The very first tennis shoes, called plimsolls, were designed during the nineteenth century for croquet and tennis players. It wasn’t long after that when some of the most famous tennis shoes were invented, including the Converse All Star, which is still going strong today. Canvas shoes with rubber soles continued as the most dominant tennis court shoes, until along came two Swiss brothers who in 1966 designed the first ever all-leather tennis shoe; the K- Swiss. Then, during the 1970s, the tennis shoe began to appeal as an off-court fashion staple, with more and more influential designers creating decorative and extravagant variations on the classic style. Soon the world was enjoying luxury tennis shoes with satin and sequin uppers, colourful soles and statement embellishments, and the rest is history. Advantage point if you picked up on our tennis ‘love’ pun back there, by the way.

How To Wear Tennis Shoes

After they developed from a court-only sports necessity into a fashion sensation, tennis shoes have become one of the most versatile footwear styles in the casual shoe market. Here’s a few of our favourite ways to wear tennis shoes this season, courtesy of the K-Swiss stylists.

The Everyday Jeans Look

It’s almost as if the classic low tennis shoe style was made to be paired with jeans. This easygoing everyday look is so easy to pull off, with classic denim working perfectly with practically any colour shoe. Tennis shoes will look great with any style of jeans, but the straight leg and skinny leg cuts will always be the winners in our opinion. They work especially well with an ankle-grazing length, showing a bit of skin between the bottom of your jeans and the top of your tennis shoes.

The Work Look

If you’re lucky enough to work for a company that allows casual shoes in the dress code, tennis shoes are the versatile office companion you never knew you needed. You’d perhaps be surprised at just how good a crisp, white leather tennis shoe looks with a pair of smart cigarette-cut trousers or chinos and a shirt. Together they create the perfect blend of smart and casual, with a laid back look that still means business.

The Summer Shorts Look

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Given that tennis shoes were originally designed for the tennis courts, matching them up with shorts is guaranteed to look good. And they don’t need to be sports shorts, either. Tennis shoes work with shorts of all kinds and styles, from ¾ chino shorts to denim shorts and colourful summer shorts; it’s all good. Get creative with your tennis shoe colour choices for a really bright and playful summertime look.

The Sporty Skirts Look

Skirts and tennis shoes are a great match, no matter what the style. Again, given that their original design function was to perform on the tennis court, they naturally look at home when paired with skirts and dresses of all lengths. A pleated gym-style skirt and tennis shoe combo creates a super stylish twist on the classic tennis court look, while a floral printed A-line skirt with tennis shoes creates a wonderfully whimsical, feminine aesthetic. You can also pair them with practically any daytime dress styles for an equally stylish look; we especially love pairing them with maxi dresses and short skater style dresses. The great thing about the tennis shoe is that you simply cannot go far wrong with your fashion pairings, leaving you free to experiment with your looks. With the tennis season fast approaching it’s time to update your Wimbledon Wardrobe with this classic footwear staple. And where better to find them than the creators of the original leather tennis shoe, K-Swiss? Our latest K-Swiss tennis shoes collection is packed with the best new season styles from the classics to the extra sporty. Game, set, match.
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