When you wear a dress, you make a decision that you want it to be the standout part of your whole look. It’s not an outfit, it’s a dress. For this reason, when discussing which trainers go with dresses, it’s all about finding the right sneakers that blend into the background. They want to look great too, of course, but they can’t take centre stage—that is reserved for your dress.
As someone who has had a long love affair with sneakers, and has recently built up their dress collection, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two main trainer styles that work with every dress in your wardrobe. It sounds like a small selection, but hear me out: You only need a couple of styles of sneakers that’ll look really great with your dresses. No need to endlessly mix and match different styles.
And the two sneakers in question? First, high-tops, and second, chunky “dad” trainers. That’s it—those are your two. My reasoning is clear: Both of these sneakers are happy to take a back seat to your look, and they’ll never outshine your dress, provided you stick with a muted colourway, that is. Below, I’ve taken these sneakers and put them with nearly every kind of dress I own. Keep scrolling for what trainers to wear with dresses.
