In lieu of finding them hanging from electrical wires all throughout town, designers have made an effort to  reinvent the traditional sneaker, by jumping on board of the minimalist, deconstructed bandwagon. Timeless styles, such as the Nike WMNS terminator are using unfinished uppers, leather laces and perforated leathers, to achieve a look with an all together lack of structure.

Converse LE Star Tech High

Converse Star tech high also dismantles the traditional sneaker look, for a more raw industrial feel, while others like the Buttero b4003 use perforated leather and a speckled soles to create a look perfect for pairing with any summer outfit. traditional desert boots are also being used as inspiration for sneakers like the  Vans Vault Chukka Bardenas and Nike Air Ralston both of which are great examples of  spot-on-trend.

Buttero B4003

Whats is great about the upcoming wave of sneakers is that menswear designers are serving an overwhelming amount of deconstructed minimalism this season and being able to pair a shoe with a great outfit is the cherry on top of the cake.  Designers like Rick Owens and Damir Doma, who’s design aesthetic have always had certain dark undertones  may have partly influenced these designs but none the less, their is no doubt that In dark economical times, mens fashion always finds a way to stay on the cusp of reality.

Nike Air Ralston

Model Mason poses for a BTS shot. Desk available at Pottery Barn Kids. Junk Food Kids T Shirt, available at GAP Kids.

And the Back to School 09 media tour continues…this morning I was in Oregon to do 7 live segments for KOIN, the CBS affiliate for Oregon, Washington and part of Canada.  I focused on fashions for elementary students and tweens.

KOIN reporter Kacey Montoya is a treat to work with and always so much fun!  She liked the fashions I picked out so much she couldn’t resist putting on one of the graphic t-shirts from the Junk Food clothing line… even if it was from GAP Kids!  Hey, it looked great on her so why not!?!  The bright blue shirt had a picture of Smurfet with the words “most popular” on it.

We shot the fashion segments live at Washington Square. We have put together a back to school fashions and gift ideas detailed tip sheet for elementary students on the official Washington Square site.  Click here to be directed to it.

Retailers featured in these KOIN segments:  XXI Forever, Zumiez, Vans, Pottery Barn Kids, GAP Kids, and Narrtjie.

Also, some more tips I picked up while researching this fashion segment…

Back to School Shopping Guide

For tween boys:

• Animal graphic t-s are flying off the shelves —  dinos, raccoons and pandas are very popular.
• Dark denim skinny jeans.

For tween girls:

• Leather jacket is a must.
• Also skinny jeans are very popular.

For young boys:

• They are really loving graphic t shirts with transformers and superman pictures.
• Also, a throwback to the pac man era, pac man logos on watches and lunch boxes are very fun.

For young girls:

• Bright colors and lots of polk a dots and stripes!  The more the better.

KOIN Back To School Segmentss

Behind The Scenes Pictures

Click on the behind the scenes pictures to take a look at the fashions included in these KOIN live segments…

[Show as slideshow]