I have mentioned a few time before how I love wearing sneakers, no matter what the occasion is I am most likely to be turning up in a pair of sneakers. I try my best to match my sneakers to the occasion so my outfits look a lot more put together and fit where ever I am or what I am doing. There is a pretty good selection in my collection to ensure I never struggle picking a pair to go with an outfit. I tend to sick to a pair of white sneakers, my black Converse or my River Island sock sneakers (which are meant to be like those Balenciaga's) when I want to get more dressed up as they are definitely the easiest to style for these scenarios. 

For me dressing up doesn't just mean for parties or events it can also be for something as simple as going for a day shopping when I want to make more of an effort, especially when I go to places like Leeds or Manchester, because for some reason I just prefer to feel a lot smarter and put together when I go to go to these places. At the same time I like to make an effort if I am out on a little pub crawl with family members but I still want to wear my sneakers to make sure I am comfortable. 

When it comes to pairing up the sneakers with an outfit there are a few things I take into consideration before actually getting ready and putting the clothing on and these things are.

Are the bottoms I am wearing the right length? 

When I am making more of an effort I tend to stick to the same pairs of skinny jeans, chinos or my favourite checked trousers. So when I am getting ready I want to make sure that whichever pair I pick aren't going cover up my sneakers and hide them, you want them to be seen as they are part of the outfit after all and if your trousers / jeans cover them for me this just doesn't create a good look as it looks like you haven't put much thought into the outfit. You need your whole outfit to fit correctly so there is no point focusing on all the details then wear trousers or jeans that don't fit. 

Do my accessories work well with the pair I have picked?

Something I have really started to enjoy doing is adding accessories to my outfit especially for those days when I am dressing up. But I always try to pair my sneakers up with the accessories I wear so that everything flows nicely and looks good together. Luckily as I tend to wear mostly plain sneakers when I am getting dressed up 90% of my accessories work well with the sneakers I pick and that is from the jewellery, hats (only when it is really cold), sunglasses to my usual glasses.  

Socks on show or not?

I have found that sometimes having your socks on show just really isn't needed and often makes the outfit look dressed down. That is why when I am now putting together outfits I even take time to consider what socks are being worn with the sneakers and the rest of the outfit. When I am wearing my River Island sock trainers I tend to wear my patterned socks or my crew socks as you can't see them due to the sneakers, same with my Converse, however, when I wear my white sneakers I tend to wear invisible socks or my ankle socks as these are a low profile sneaker and I don't want my socks standing out and taking away from the rest of the outfit. 

Are the sneakers clean?

If you want an outfit to look smart and put together you need to make sure that your sneakers are clean. That is why before I go out anywhere I give my sneakers a once over and if needed I give them a wipe over because dirty scuffed sneakers don't exactly fit in with the whole put together dressed up look. 

So here are two of my favourite looks for dressing up my sneakers especially for those smarter shopping days where I just want to make more of an effort...