How to "Dress Up" Sneakers

In Montreal, the style is completely different than the rest of Canada's laid-back nature (besides the two other major cities, Vancouver and Toronto). Montreal has a style that is almost similar to the unique fashions of New York and London, but of course, it contains a large portion of Parisian style, which brings a certain cool-girl elegance to fashion. But also, the laid-back style of Canada has to enter into this equation, and it definitely does, but in the best way possible. Not in the leggings and T-shirt kind of way, but in a subtle way that somehow combines the three other styles I mentioned above. In Montreal, many achieve this with sneakers. Not by wearing Converse or the typical running shoes (although some can somehow pull off a dress and running shoes), but by wearing the cool and stylish sneakers that everyone either wants or already has (and luckily, I am now one of the people who has them.) Hi-top Vans, Nike Air Forces,  and of course, the classic Adidas Superstars and Adidas Stan Smiths. I used to not be the type of person to ever wear sneakers unless I was working out. I'm usually the person who wears boots year-round, but when I saw this resurgence of "cool-girl" (and guy) sneakers paired with outfits I would normally wear with boots, I thought that I should get a pair. Maybe it's because "everyone wants what everyone already has", but isn't that how all fashion trends work? Anyways, I figured that I could work a comfortable, laid-back, but definitely stylish pair of shoes into my current wardrobe, so I bought the Adidas Stan Smiths in green online, and they happened to arrive the day before I left for Montreal.

Before coming to Montreal, I had no idea that the sneaker trend would be as big as I found it to be. I figured that they would be a cute yet comfortable way to get around the city, and even if I was the only one wearing them, I'd still feel stylish. But right when I stepped outside the airport, I immediately saw people wearing various types paired with various outfits. I did see the classic jeans

and sneakers look, but I also saw people pairing it with dresses, skirts, nicer shorts, or practically anything that I would wear. I've always known by the street style photos I see on Tumblr and Pinterest that wearing sneakers with dresses and skirts was definitely a thing, but I didn't fully realize it until seeing it in person. So, I was inspired to do the same but also fit into the unique Montreal style. I fit into the Parisian style by wearing my graphic shift dress from Zara with Parisian-styled sketches and sayings. Even though they're in English, the dress only screams French to me. To fit into

the laid-back Canadian style, I, of course, wore the Adidas sneakers. Before I even continue, I have to say that these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. It's almost strange for me to wear something this comfortable and for it also be fashionable, and that's almost how a lot of the Montreal style is -- stylish comfort. And finally, the combination of the two fit in perfectly with the fashions from New York and London -- a unique combination that pairs the comfortable with the elegant yet quirky and that also subtly uses the monochrome trend. Throughout the day, I continued to see more and more people dressing up sneakers, especially at the fashion events I went to. So that's how to dress up sneakers -- pair them with a dress. There's no complex formula to follow, because I've come to understand that basically everything looks good with these sneakers. You can dress them down with boyfriend jeans, or you can dress them up with a dress or skirt. Whichever way they're worn, they're always bound to make a slightly dull outfit more vibrant.

Dress by Zara. Shoes by Adidas from Urban Outfitters.

Photos taken by my dad