Truthfully, when I first saw these images of Emily Ratajkowski wearing laceless trainers, they brought back vivid memories of a very similar water-friendly style I used to be forced into as a kid at the beach. Having resented this silhouette ever since, it seems almost miraculous that Ratajkowski has just made a pair seem incredibly cool.
Slipping on a pair of slip-on trainers from the Brain Dead x Oakley Factory collaboration in an imitation python print (£155), Ratajkowski donned her most controversial shoe yet. Not one to shy way from a shoe with a built-in talking point, I’ve spotted the model style jelly flats, ballet trainers and mesh shoes on multiple occasions recently, but never a pair as divisive as this.
Cut to the height and size of a conventional trainer, these shoes are designed without laces, and instead are lined with a lycra fabric that closely hugs the foot, keeping them in place, creating a sort of Croc/trainer hybrid.