Best and brightest trainers

Freestyle Hi Reignbow, Reebok, from the company's website.

Freestyle Hi Reignbow, Reebok, from the company's website.

Published Aug 14, 2012

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London - There is a change afoot in fashionable circles. Where once a casually dressed creative’s regulation trainer was a pair of Converse – usually low-tops, the original optical white mellowed to a less blinding hue – there is now something far more eye-catching in its place.

Bright trainers with their flashy connotations of speed and sporty endeavour are having something of a moment – unsurprising, given the Olympics.

People are finishing off their usual look with a splash of neon.

Nike leads the pack with the Free Run +3, which combines streamlined design with technical proficiency in a myriad of neon colour combinations to create a functional shoe that still looks great.

Reebok’s retro-fabulous Freestyle Hi Reignbow, meanwhile, recalls a style first popularised when wearing a thong leotard over the top of a pair of leggings for a step-aerobics class was all the rage.

Sporty trainers may have been detoxified by a lick of bright paint but there are still certain outfits for which they are not an acceptable accessory. They can be the bright cherry on the top of a breezy summer dress, shorts and even smart trousers, but worn with a pencil skirt and shirt they will immediately transport you to commuting secretary territory.

On those occasions, stripping back to a canvas plimsoll – Vans, Superga and Converse excel at their own distinctive styles – is hardly limiting your choices. It’s putting your best foot forward. – The Independent

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