Coquette trainers are trending, here’s how to DIY

elevated DIY trainers

Credit: Alina Rolling

Fashion


Coquette trainers are trending, here’s how to DIY

By Emma Ó Cuinneagáin

10 months ago

3 min read

The functional aspect of the trusty trainer is enjoying a resurgence that goes far beyond funky shades – here’s how to upgrade your trainers at home.


Trainers, for most of us, are a practical purchase. While we’ve been enjoying increasingly colourful kicks in recent years, the main draw of the trainer remains: they’re comfortable, they’ll see you through miles of walking and they’re are incredibly easy to pull on and go. Plus, thanks to an array of styles, the shoe is now much more socially acceptable outside of fitness-focused activities: many of us even wear them to work.

And now we’re seeing a new focus that’s sure to appeal to any keen DIY fashion fans. Leaning into the coquette styling trend – think big bows, red shoes and large collared blouses – trainers are being made ‘more feminine’ with strings of pearls, floral brooches and lashings of lace. And it’s proving incredibly popular.

While Caterina Mongillo (@metagirl.studio) has created a business from elevating everyday trainers into show-stopping styles, content creator Alina-Mariia Shchurova’s (@alinarolling) viral video immediately caught our eye, demonstrating how to easily upgrade our own trainers at home with a deft hand and a few bits and pieces from your local haberdashery store.

Leaning into the feminine look once more, and throwing away the mindset that trainers have to be functional over fashionable, Shchurova shared three steps to help us elevate our own kicks. 

Pick pearls for laces 

You may be wondering what made Shchurova turn a trusty pair of New Balance trainers into a coquette fashion statement. But, as a fashion fan with a keen eye for detail, the answer is rather simple. “I got a pair of comfortable shoes and decided that they would look cute if I hung different things on them. So I just bought some items I can use for it and did it in nearly 10 minutes,” she says.

Beginning with one simple swap, she used a couple of pearl necklaces she found in a thrift store and threaded them through the loopholes in place of laces. Perhaps not the most sturdy of shoe ties, but it certainly looks lovely. Just be sure to tie them loose enough that you can slide the shoes on and off without having to touch the strings of pearls too much. 

Have fun with flowers

Of course, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to personalising your trainers. For some, the pearl laces will be more than enough of a style statement. But, if you’re looking to add even further detail or perhaps opt for a faster, less fiddly way to customise your footwear, floral brooches could be a great place to start. For Shchurova, it was a rose hairpin that sits on top of the new shiny laces –  it can be added and removed effortlessly within seconds, plus you can opt for different shades of flowers for different styling possibilities. 

Treat your trainers like a charm bracelet

To really lean into the look, more is more is certainly the mindset. “I was inspired by the recent trend of many keychains and decorations on bags, and I thought sneakers could look cool with those too,” says Shchurova. So, the finishing touch to her trainer design were small detailed charms that wouldn’t look out of place on a bracelet and it’s here’s where you can truly add touches of your own personality. 

Images: courtesy of Alina-Mariia Shchurova

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