Earlier this month, my colleague Daniel Rodgers declared sneakers "dead" in British Vogue. "Almost everyone I know has started weaning them out and replacing them with hard-bottom boots, penny loafers, lug-soled derbies, double-monks, mules - anything leather and substantial," he wrote.

All of the above pains me, of course, as a long-time lover of trainers. Right now, I'm wearing Wales Bonner Adidas Superstars, and they feel like a hug to the feet. But one shoe trend I can get on board with? Unisex lace-ups, which are sort of like the middle ground between a loafer and a trainer. Smart, yes, but with all the bulkiness and practicality of a trainer. And, thank the Lord, I can wear them with jeans.

I'm not the only one who's been warming up to a unisex lace-up as winter descends properly (and by "unisex lace-up" I mean what it says on the tin: smart, genderless shoes that look like they would have been worn with a suit in the 1970s, but are now worn with jeans, midi-skirts, slouchy trousers and the like). Over the past few weeks, I've seen smart lace-ups (Derbies, Oxfords, the occasional brogue) everywhere, from the packed commute to the bars of Deptford and the rain-slick streets of Soho. Clearly Daniel was right: it's sensible shoe season.

The unisex lace-up has been creeping onto the runways, too. See: the polished, cherry-coloured brogues for Chanel's spring/summer 2026 collection, or the square-toed derbies for Victoria Beckham's autumn/winter 2025 offering, and the endless, buffed-up lace-ups all over Calvin Klein's autumn/winter 2025 runway. And that's without getting to all the softer jazz shoe lace-ups that seem to have proliferated every fashion girl's wardrobe mostly thanks to Jacquemus, Celine and Dior. If jazz shoes are for the dainty girls, their bulkier cousin - the unisex lace-up - is for the practical girls and guys, such as myself.

Unfortunately, you'll never catch me in a Chelsea boot. Not since the year 2016 have I worn those horse-ish boots with the elasticated patch on the side. A unisex lace-up though? Count me in, from now until March 2026 at least.