Sneakers For Summer: 3 Styles to Lighten Up Your Closet {Guest Post}

Sneakers are having a big moment in fashion and with good reason. They can dress an outfit up or down, make a statement, have an attitude, and are both cool and comfortable. A couple of years ago designer Isabel Marant put sneakers on the forefront of covetable fashion with her wedge sneaker, and of course Converse can be found everywhere from the streets of Paris to the prom.  Collaborations between designers and big name athletic wear like Adidas and Nike mean you have a match made in fashion heaven. These designer kicks bring it up a notch with patterns straight from the designers’ latest collections, like Raf Simons for Adidas, and add a stylish edge.

Sneakers rule in summertime, and this year they go way beyond athletic wear; they not only elevate your look, they can be paired with literally anything. Although I could assemble a seemingly endless list here of all the pairs I covet, here are three of my current favorites.

I am a huge fan of Superga, “the people’s shoe of Italy”. This classic canvas sneaker is no flash in the pan; it’s been around since 1911 and the style remains true to its original design today. The brand has several genius collaborations of its own. Mary Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen of The Row, as well as style icon Alexa Chung, have been creative directors of the brand.  A second collaboration with Man Repeller, aka Leandra Medine, recently introduced the 2750 style in five different satin colors that pretty much knock it out of the park. I have the black pair, which replaced my ballet flats this season, and are a chic addition to my summer wardrobe that will work great this fall as well. Superga has florals, high tops, a rainbow of colors and patterns to suit whatever your style is. The Superga x Man Repeller “Cotu” retails at Nordstrom for $124.95.

Converse is of course, a classic. From babies to Nirvana, these iconic shoes are an emblem of cool at its most laidback. The company’s most famous customer, a basketball player named Charles H. (Chuck) Taylor, become an ambassador of the shoe company for almost 48 years, and “Chuck Taylors” still reign supreme today. My current favorite take on Converse is the Maison Martin Margiela x Converse collection.  This collaboration consists of the Chuck Taylor All Star and Jack Purcell silhouettes dipped in a white paint treatment. Like an art piece you wear on your feet, these shoes will definitely be a conversation starter at your next outing. They launched in four different color ways on Friday, May 23, 2014 at Converse San Francisco, Santa Monica and Soho stores, Maison Martin Margiela stores, select Converse First String retailers, and Converse.com for a suggested retail price of $250.

My final favorite is a feminine pair that is just gorgeous, and beyond the ordinary. The Pedro Garcia Parson sneaker has an element of trendy cool with its metallic finish and the frayed edge satin body that gives it a girly appeal. This shoe company from Spain is a third generation run business of shoemakers whose pieces have a gorgeous aesthetic. This particular shoe is both sexy and sweet, making them versatile and as fabulous with a dress as with denim.  Pedro Garcia can be found at Shopbop and retail for $450.

Summer dressing is about being laid back and fun, while still keeping a fashionable edge. Whether they are high tops, wedges, lace up or slip on, sneakers are a modern approach to looking cool this summer.