Spotted in London, Lisbon and Barcelona: The It-Girl Way to Wear Trainers in 2026

The mountain of neatly stacked trainers in my room has grown considerably in recent years, and so has the colourful tangle of loose laces. We're talking Adidas Originals x Wales Bonner, Fenty x Puma Avanti, Nike x Ambush Dunk High, and other pairs even have extra laces hidden at the bottom of the box, sometimes with a dust bag.

I wear trainers with the day-to-night dresses, cosy knits and fluid midi skirts that make up my winter uniform to give a sporty edge (I’m a football fan) to proceedings. The bigger the double-knotted bows I tie, the better for maximum security, relegating the chunky boots, Tabi flats and polished loafers to the back of my wardrobe.

But since stylish minds think alike, I've been spying the same kicks in my collection on other women around London, leading me to wonder how I can personalise mine to make a one-of-kind statement.

I have boldly customised trainers in a dedicated workshop before, but seeing as the lace brooches and jewels I punched into the heel collar fell off during the first few wears, I wasn’t overly optimistic about embarking on something similar again. That was until I had a eureka moment mid-IG scroll recently: double-lace trainers. This involves two laces threaded through the eyelets of each shoe, usually stacked one on top of the other and tied separately. It’s a matter of self-expression and experimentation; the contrasting tones, textures and thicknesses adding various levels of flair. This aesthetic is giving old-school PE kits, and I’m into it.

Double-lace trainers are another classic case of Miu Miu runway-to-real-life styling brilliantly orchestrated by Miuccia Prada. The co-branded Miu Miu x New Balance drop, the 530 SL, debuted on the spring/summer 2024 runway, with mismatched laces that echoed the sandals and boat shoes from the same collection. A hybrid trainer-mule version was first seen in the autumn 2024 collection, and now standalone Miu Miu double-lace styles are available, with colourful laces sold separately.

From campaign stars Coco Gauff and Little Simz to Lily Allen and Elsa Hosk, It girls around the world can’t get enough of double-lace trainers, inspiring other brands to follow suit to create their own versions in reinvented leather and suede silhouettes.

When it comes to tying and styling double-lace trainers, if you can be bothered, the opportunities to show your individuality and get creative are endless. Nothing is stopping you from borrowing the laces from your other pairs, or choosing combinations that really pop against your favourite jeans, say, or the dominant colours in your wardrobe. But there are also plenty of pairs of ready-made double-lace trainers to pick from. Go for the shades and placements you like the best, and focus on tying each lace differently.

Don’t underestimate the versatility of this trainer trend, either. There are no skirts or dresses in the five winning outfit ideas you’ll find below, but trust that these trainers will earn you compliments, however and whenever you wear them.

5 Double-Lace-Trainer Outfits to Try

1. Double-Lace Trainers + Layered Top + Black Leggings

Style Notes: Felicia Akerstrom’s Miu Miu trainers are clearly the main character here, with their contrasting, stacked laces. In front of a fail-safe supporting cast of leggings and on-trend layered tops. Any activity that requires a high step count calls for a comfortable trainer outfit, and this particular pair adds a dose of chic.

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2. Double-Lace Trainers + Red Cardigan + Cargo Trousers

Style Notes: This is the kind of outfit that will help you get over your "too matchy-matchy" ick once and for all. The bold red of Alice Satterthwaite’s cardigan and the white of her socks pop even more thanks to the dark jacket and trousers that offset the look. Plus, they mirror the gorpcore-style speckled double laces of her trainers. Anything but boring, this feels fresh for an everyday look.

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3. Double-Lace Trainers + Suede Blazer + Light Jeans

Style Notes: Here, Mimi Orere gives us a masterclass in bringing together different leather elements in one refined look. The epitome of smart-casual thanks to her effortless white T-shirt and loose, light-blue jeans (both capsule-wardrobe staples), the double-lace trainers are the anchor, reflecting the suede of the chocolate-brown jacket and the woven-leather bag’s expensive-looking neutral shade. The beige laces are leather too, adding yet another tactile texture into the mix, in pleasing contrast to the white laces.

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4. Double-Lace Trainers + Embroidered Jacket + Brown Trousers

Style Notes: From the beautifully embroidered jacket to the highly desirable Chanel 25 handbag and wide visor-like sunglasses, Rebecca Olivia’s outfit has several attention-grabbing details, but it’s the double- lace trainers that come out on top. There are not one, not two, but three different lace colours threaded through her retro-inspired New Balance pair; one a spirited flash of burgundy, whilst the others pick up the brown of her trousers and the white of the trainers and jacket.

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5. Double-Lace Trainers + Coat + Pinstripe Trousers

Style Notes: If you're someone who swaps out their commute trainers for heels or boots when you reach the office, these double-lace trainers will put a stop to that. In possibly the most work-appropriate look of them all, the floor-sweeping length of Débora Rosa's wide-leg pinstripe grey trousers hides most of the mismatched laces, but the peekaboo glimpse animates the softly structured lines and chic maxi coat, allowing these tonal trainers to act as a stylish dressing-down device that disrupts the formality.

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