How to Wear Sneakers Without Looking Like a Slob

from left: nike (on sale!), michael michael kors (also in black), new balance

For years, I owned only two pairs of sneakers. They were big and bulky and not cute, so I dug them out from the depths of my closet to wear only for those one or two times a year when I pretended I was a jogger. Or for those one or two times a year when I would randomly find myself on a farm for pumpkin picking or something. (Actually, just pumpkin picking. I can't think of another reason I would have to be on a farm.)

Then I became a Mom In Her 30s, and comfy shoes started to sound a lot more appealing. Luckily this seemed to coincide with sneakers becoming cool...and cute! You guys, there are SO many cute ones these days. I especially love them with gold or silver metallic accents, touches of salmon pink, or anything in a really basic (black, gray) or really fun (burgundy, teal) color.

The key to wearing sneakers and not looking like a slob is to make the rest of your outfit a little fancier. Sneakers with schlubby clothes looks schlubby, whereas sneakers with a midi skirt or skinny jeans and a fancy necklace looks more "Olivia-Palermo-casually-running-errands-in-Soho."

Right now, I especially love slip-on sneakers worn with a skirt like my friend/street style star/master-of-making-sneakers-look-cool Eva Chen is wearing in the center photo above. I'm also really into more athletic styles paired with leggings or skinnies and a big sweater.

If you happen to be feeling the dressing-up-sneakers trend, too, I've pulled a few of my favorite pairs available right now, below.

top row, from left: gold nike, gray new balance, gold new balance; middle row: gray-and-pink puma, blue-gray new balance (similar), peach/gray nike. bottom row: black nike, aqua/gray nike, burgundy nike

Which one is your favorite? And tell me: What's your favorite way to wear sneakers so they look cool/cute not gym-esque?