Latest news with #TwofortheRoad
Elle
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
This Low-Key, Affordable Sneaker Is About to Have Its Biggest Comeback Yet
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. If you need any further proof that the '80s are back in a big way, look no further than the runways. Yuppies, power suits, and oversized accessories are all enjoying a renewed moment in the mainstream. Luxury fashion is once again experimenting with indulgence, and styling stood out as a huge factor across recent collections (especially as men's fashion week becomes an increasingly popular event). Amid the excess, one simple sneaker, which has ebbed and flowed in popularity over the past 100-plus years, is finding its way back into the limelight: Keds. The biggest hint as to the shoe's revival? The rise of the ultra-minimalist sneaker. The silhouette feels like a natural progression of the already trending ballet styles seen across brands like Puma and Louis Vuitton. Not to mention the Nike Air Rift, which is finally getting the funky footwear appreciation it deserves. Even high-fashion circles are not immune: Michael Rider's debut for Celine was filled with low-key leather footwear. Seeing his relaxed contemporary-dance-like shoes pad down the runway with beautifully crafted jackets and wide-legged tailored trousers felt simultaneously modern and nostalgic—an increasingly common aesthetic combination given designers' current penchant for re-editioned accessories and '80s styling. Gone are the days of circa-2018 chunky dad sneakers that were too heavy to pack in your suitcase for fear of an overweight luggage fee. With the simple sneaker renaissance, there's no doubt we're about to see Keds return to embody the sense of high-low dressing and ultimate sartorial ease that defined its 20th-century heyday. Birthed in 1916, the canvas and rubber shoe initially gained popularity as one of the first pairs of athletic sneakers; however, its stylish appeal quickly escalated as it graced the feet of stars including Marilyn Monroe in Clash by Night (1952) and Audrey Hepburn in Two for the Road (1967). Yoko Ono even wore Keds as a part of her bridal ensemble for her nuptials with John Lennon. Jennifer Grey famously sported them in Dirty Dancing, further catapulting the shoe into stardom and permanently associating the silhouette with that carefree '80s prep-meets-aerobics-workout look. Cut to the 21st century, and the sneaker experienced its first renaissance as the brand continued to tap into celebrity power, partnering with The O.C.'s Mischa Barton as the face of its mid-2000s campaigns. Some celebrities and former spokespeople, like Lana Del Rey, never stopped wearing them either. (Perhaps that's why her style has always remained so relatable to her fans.) Of course, Keds aren't the only 2000s It item to begin to trickle back into the mainstream. Following recent celebrity co-signs, including Charli XCX at Glastonbury and Timothée Chalamet in New York City, McQueen skull scarves are bringing nostalgia back in all the right ways. Not to mention that, also on the Celine runway, a new version of the Phantom bag made a reappearance. Although, in comparison to these other accessories, the shoe can point to nearly a century of style longevity—the ultimate proof that the fashion tides always come back around.
Scotsman
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Martin Taylor & Ulf Wakenius, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival review: 'nimble sparring'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Martin Taylor & Ulf Wakenius, Famous Spiegeltent, Edinburgh ★★★★ Between them, Martin Taylor and Ulf Wakenius have played with the greats – Taylor with Stephane Grappelli, Wakenius with Oscar Peterson among others. As a duo, the dapperly clad Taylor and the ultra-casual, baseball-capped Swede suggest an odd couple united in amiable virtuosity, at times duetting in blithe concordance or sparring with improvisational glee. Taylor's bewilderingly adept fingerpicking combines melody with bass lines and chording, the Swede's plectrum coaxes bluesy bending and darting note runs, while sly interjections might quote anyone from Edward Grieg to Deep Purple. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Familiar tunes could experience surprising encounters, as in their opener, With a Little Help from My Friends becoming a walking blues before morphing into a Norah Jones number, Wakenius introducing some funk, Taylor referencing Ellington. Ulf Wakenius and Martin Taylor Henry Mancini's score for Two for the Road provided a gently romantic interlude, gradually taking on a gentle bossa rhythm, while Wakenius's tribute to the late Barney Kessel, Barney Goes to Brazil, was a characteristically exuberant affair of high-speed runs and an interlude in which he attacked the strings with a water bottle, replicating the percussive twang of a Brazilian berimbau. Another Kessel number, Blues for a Playboy was a snappy affair, the players alternating increasingly intense improvisational bursts.
