Remember the time you used to go out with your dad and he'd wear his sport sneakers – white, chunky, often with a reflective strip for running at night, which, incidentally, he never did – with ... jeans? You know, the Jerry Seinfeld look.
Jerry Seinfeld made the 'dad sneaker' part of pop culture in the 1990s.
Well, just when you had finally recovered from your embarrassment, the Dad Sneaker is back.
This is not an April Fool's joke. Rather, the chunky sneaker is on track to become the "ugly" shoe of the year.
Much like the pool slide was in 2017, the chunky sneaker has transcended from backyard barbecue punchline to high fashion statement, thanks to the likes of Calvin Klein and everyone's favourite "ugliness" merchant, Balenciaga.
It was only a matter of time before the purveyor of the $2500 IKEA bag was going to resurrect the shoe that brought shame to the teenage children of fathers everywhere as they went to watch Kindergarten Cop at the local Hoyts. Especially the bit when "boys have a penis and girls have a vagina". Gee, wasn't that an awkward car ride home.
Anyway, I digress. It seems even the fashion industry was initially baffled by the return of the dad sneaker.
Chanel and chunky sneakers ... Rita Ora.
Anna Kennedy, marketing manager for Wittner, said the company's design team at first dismissed the trend before seeing it at a trade show on a buying trip to Milan.
"It was completely unavoidable, everyone was wearing a version of it, men and women had embraced the trend," she says.
Myer's Joanne Mercer agrees the trend is too big to ignore.
"If it’s in fashion and particularly if the Kardashians are wearing it, [customers] want it," she says. "We can sell all sorts of seemingly unattractive shoes because they are in fashion."
After years of minimalist trainers, Kennedy said it's exciting to see a new shape making such a strong impression.
"It’s a metaphor for the fashion industry becoming more inclusive. Everything doesn't have to be so perfect and pretty," she says.
I know what you're all wondering: how do I wear the dad sneaker so I don't look like a sitcom Mum?
Kennedy said she loves to pair the chunky sneaker with a dress, to add femininity to the overall look, or with a relaxed jean and a leather jacket.
For me, the key to delineating the style from the 1990s is by pairing it with a cropped, slim-leg pant, the addition of the exposed ankle making the overall look more modern.
If you're embracing the colour trend of this winter, opt for a white sneaker – kept as fresh as possible or it just looks like you're doing double duty with your gym shoes – that will pop against denim, yellow and green.
Otherwise, if your wardrobe is more monochrome, a multicoloured dad sneaker will become a fresh focal point of your look. Feel free to add some bright hoop earrings in a contrasting colour for a full 1990s effect.
Best of all, street style photographers, including Australia's own Liz Sunshine, have given the nod to wearing formal wear with a chunky sneaker. Still feeling your feet by dessert? That's definitely a look we can get behind.
Get the look
Adidas by Raf Simons at Farfetch, $510
Sportsgirl, $90
Elka Collective, $130
