Hi-tops

Hi-top trainers have been in fashion for men and women for the last year now. When I think of hi-tops the first image which comes into my mind is of La Roux wearing a grey pair in the video for "Bulletproof" (2009). The demand for hi-tops started in the 1980s which I believe was a decade interspersed with faux-pas and success for fashion. Whilst I hate the heavily shoulder-padded suits, I admire the sharp suits, starched shirts, coloured hankerchiefs and thick braces from films like "Wall Street" (1987) and "Scarface" (1983).

In my opinion hi-tops are very attractive trainers. I have seen a few pairs on asos.com which I have been close to purchasing. I saw a nice multi-coloured pair which would go with pretty much anything casual, irrespective of colour co-ordination, for £25. However, the only reason that I have not bought a pair thus far is because they need to be worn with one's jeans tucked in.

Whilst I am a fan of hi-tops, I am vehemently against skinny jeans. A few years ago when I was slightly heavier and bigger than I am now, I prefered to wear quite baggy jeans. This was also due to a hip-hop influence in my fashion sense at that time. I have considerably smartened up my appearance since I have left University and I now wear fitted jeans. I have also become more streamline around my lower body which has allowed me to fit into these types of jeans. Skinny fit jeans, however, are still far too tight and uncomfortable for me to adorn. At the back end of last year I accidentally picked a skinny pair of jeans off the hanger at the TopShop flagship store in Oxford Street. In the fitting room I could barely squeeze my legs into them, let alone do zip up the fly at the top. They were testicle-squeezingly uncomfortable around the crotch region.

Now, in no way am I saying that I have thick legs. I would say that they are average size. I have always had strong legs and have squatted 150kg ass to grass in the past, although genetically they have remained relatively thin and lean (thanks Dad). In my mind, a man should seek to possess a muscular set of legs. Nothing conveys strength in a physique like tree-trunk quadriceps; even more so than a barrel-like chest or bulging biceps. Wearing skinny jeans, to me, is almost symbolic of an acceptance of physical weakness. One truly needs chicken legs to fit into them.

Unfortunately for me the types of jeans that I wear would look stupid tucked into hi-top trainers. The options are more plentiful for girls since they can be worn with tights and leggings.