While many of us default to the ease of jeans, the undeniable comfort of cargo trousers or joggers, or perhaps the reassurance of a tailored trouser, 2026 is making a compelling case for the skirt as the new cornerstone of casual dressing. And the easiest way to make even your most statement-making skirts feel wearable? Pairing them with the king of all casual footwear: the trainer.
Across the spring/summer 2026 collections, designers leaned into the slightly less traditional pairing of a skirt and trainers. At Dries Van Noten, the brand’s now-cult slim-profile trainers were styled with a variety of skirts: ruffled miniskirts with playful movement, sheer styles that skimmed the floor, and low-rise embellished A-line silhouettes.
Elsewhere, Cecilie Bahnsen continued her ongoing collaboration with The North Face, offering a romantic-meets-gorpcore vision that has become her signature. Technical, trail-ready trainers were paired with puffball skirts and sculptural volumes. Moschino, meanwhile, took a more straightforward approach, styling a buttery tan leather maxi skirt with box-fresh white trainers, proving that even the most classic creps can feel directional when paired thoughtfully. At Celine, similarly clean-cut sneakers were worn with embellished miniskirts and polo tops, as part of the brand’s preppy revival.
Crucially, the skirt-and-trainers formula works so well in 2026 because it dovetails neatly with the season’s biggest skirt trends. “Movement is very much the name of the game, whether in the form of dynamic textures, explosive silhouettes or undulating hemlines,” wrote Vogue’s Joy Montgomery in her trend report. Drop-waist silhouettes, puffball hems and asymmetrical cuts dominated the runways, bringing volume and movement that benefit from a grounding shoe.
Craft-led textures, from sequins and laser-cut finishes to fringed, bohemian details, also featured heavily, alongside fluid waterfall skirts and grown-up takes on boho. Even bold colour moments, like the return of saturated turquoise, feel more wearable when offset with a clean, sporty trainer.
In short, as skirts become more expressive, sculptural and tactile, trainers act as the perfect counterbalance, keeping even the most statement-making pieces rooted firmly in real life. Consider this your cue to channel your inner Lily Allen and wear something tiered or ruffled with sporty, retro-inspired trainers – a red rah-rah skirt with vintage runners and a balloon-hem mini with silver mirrored kicks. Scroll to discover 7 Vogue-approved ways to wear a skirt and trainers in 2026.
