The world of high fashion adopts the sneaker By MARIAM SHEIKH Daily Style Editor A few words and images immediately come to mind when I hear the word “sneak- ers.” Athletes, sports, working out — basically anything that has to do with being physically inclined or fit. What doesn’t come to mind is fashion, run- ways, models, celebrities. But that’s the surprising thing — recently, the world of high fash- ion pulled an Angelina Jolie and adopted the sneaker. Gain- ing traction in 2014 with the emergence of the classic white sneaker on major runways, coupled with everyday not-so- active active-wear, the sneaker trend is still in full force as we near the end of 2015. Some argue that it’s getting out of hand — but is it really? Kickin’ it old school: Fashion always finds ways to recycle itself. What’s trending is direct- ly pulled from different aspects of culture, street style, Kylie Jenner’s Instagram and so on. One year a design is on the run- way, the next it’s marked down for the rest of the world to wear the shit out of it. Sneakers are the perfect example of this. Oh, sneakers. As someone who has never been naturally athletic, sneakers have always been the shoes I wear when I’m doing something that is truly physi- cally demanding, like helping my mother bring the grocer- ies in or when I embark on my once-a-year trip to the CCRB. I remember the history of them all. Starting with my very first pair of light-up Skechers from way back in the day, I soon graduated to my mandatory Catholic school gym uniform white sneaks (they were even less cool than it sounds). But don’t worry guys, my parents decided to take me shopping for a weekend pair of slip-on DKNY sneakers (needless to say those were only for those hot summer days). Fast-forward to today, a #blessed world where I no longer have a school uniform, light-up shoes are out of style and my parents have stopped picking out my clothing. Fast- forward to today where any- one on the University’s campus can be found in a classic pair of sneakers. Black and gray, roshe flyknit, with that unforgiveable Nike “swoosh,” I’m officially a conformist. But I have no regrets and here’s why: The comfort factor: While my history with sneakers is both worrisome and complicated, there’s no denying their prac- ticality. When running around Downtown Ann Arbor doing a variety of random shit, it’s nice to have a shoe that is not only wearable for every season, but one that is also comfortable no matter what. The comfort fac- tor extends beyond physicality. Sneakers have become, for me, an accessory that makes me comfortable in my own skin. I know that for whatever outfit I have on, a pair of sneakers will go a long way no matter what. From a non-athletic girl, to the rest of the world: This is what I like to call the “I’m down to earth and low-key athletic factor.” A pair of shoes, espe- cially customizable sneakers, is something that reflects you. Some people think the eyes are the windows to the soul. First off, that’s definitely something a hippie just made up. And sec- ond, think what you want, but a pair of sneakers can tell you a lot about a person as well. Sneakers will customize any outfit and add your own unique style. They can say a lot about your identity in that moment, for that day. Are you trendy, athletic, strong, a hot-mess, allergic to nature, or do you just radiate an air of hipster-esque vibes? The list goes on. People equate “starting over” to mov- ing away and making new friends. I equate a change in identity with a simple change in your sneakers. In the end there’s nothing like putting an athletic touch on an outfit that has nothing to do with athleticism (guilty). The options are endless (lit- erally): It’s amazing that we live in a society where I can customize my own sneakers right down to the pattern on the sole of the shoe and have them delivered to my doorstep within a few days. From colors, to texture, from design, to type — it’s overwhelming. Bright- colored sneaks are the shoe of the moment for everyday wear. Matching shoes to one’s outfit is out, and making a statement by what you wear on your feet is in. Apart from average humans, like us college students who are almost always dressed casually, there are those with cause to dress fancier. Models, celebri- ties, influencers of all types, are starting to pair sneakers with formal wear. Gigi Hadid is often photographed wear- ing the same pair of classic white Adidas sneakers on vari- ous occasions, from running errands to going clubbing. Ball gowns, suits, tuxedos — a pair of quality sneakers can go a long way. But of course, with so many options, there’s room for chaos to ensue, and this chaos comes in the form of hideous designs and lack of consideration for the masses — the spawn of over- zealous designers. The most hideous byproduct that comes to mind is the wedge sneaker. A shoe that is an entity of its own should not be fused with some- thing else, least of all a wedge. Another — while they are sleek and beautiful in design — the $20,000 eBay price tag on a pair of Adidas Yeezys is enough to make Donald Trump cringe. Listen to the kids, Kanye. The world of fashion — and style itself — is cyclical. Just a few years ago I thought I would never be caught dead in anything suede, fringed or entirely made of jean, and yet that is exactly what’s trending. There’s something liberating and almost comical about it, really. In regards to the shoe of the year, there’s a refresh- ing touch about something as simple as a pair of ripped blue jeans and some fresh-to-death sneakers. No end of options for cool sneaks Some argue that the sneaker trend is getting out of hand. My history with sneakers is both worrisome and complicated. Fashion always finds ways to recycle itself. STYLE NOTEBOOK The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Arts Friday, October 16, 2015 — 5A SMTD brings Green Day to Mendelssohn By MICHAEL FLYNN Daily Arts Writer Since the ’60s, rock music has served the dual purposes of both communicating socio- political messag- es, as well as provid- ing ener- getic, joyous enter- tain- ment. While most modern bands have aban- doned that tradition, Bay Area punk rockers Green Day have been a notable exception. Their 2004 album American Idiot cap- tured the paranoia and frustra- tion of young people growing up in post-9/11 America, using a loose narrative and multi-part musical suites to create a 21st century rock opera. After the success of the album, Green Day lead sing- er Billie Joe Armstrong and “Spring Awakening” writer Michael Mayer collaborated in adapting American Idiot into a stage play, which premiered in 2009 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California to rave reviews, before moving on to a Broadway run in 2010. Now, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance is presenting the moving and lively play. “It’s been a great labor of love from the beginning, from the audition process through rehearsals,” director Linda Goodrich said. “It’s a subject that’s relevant for the students, and it’s been a wonderful collaboration between faculty and students.” Goodrich was inspired to direct the play after seeing it on Broadway. “I was really shocked to know how much it did resonate with the students,” Goodrich said. “It’s written in the post- 9/11 era and was very much about the disillusionment of that time and the saturation of media (with) some people feel- ing alienated and disempow- ered. If anything, it’s even more so, as social media (contributes) to the saturation of media.” The use of rock singing makes “American Idiot” unique from the other plays in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance’s schedule, but also presented a great challenge in trying to blend the loud rock music with clear vocals, to keep the music from distracting from the story. “It’s just unusual to have a Green Day rock sound in the theater, for getting the balance of making it feel like a rock con- cert and also keeping story firs; and we had a limited amount of time to tech that element,” Goodrich said. “In a profes- sional setting, you would have a month of tech rehearsal, and in a school setting, because the- ater, dance and opera are work- ing in the same space, we have a very short window to get in the theater to actually get all of the technical elements happening.” Students who grew up with the album American Idiot may wonder how the story has changed in its translation to the stage. They can rest assured that the story remains intact. “They’re all from the con- cept album,” Goodrich said of the songs featured in the show. “There are these letters that Johnny writes to his mother throughout the show, or to his friend Will, and those letters are the only interstitial dia- logue in the show.” While the plot of the story remains unchanged, seeing it onstage will make the plot clear- er than it was on the record. “It is in the album, but you’re kind of like a treasure hunter, finding those moments and what’s really in the poetry and what it’s saying,” Goodrich said. “Essentially it’s all there, but it becomes clearer as you put it on stage and give those character voices to individuals.” Not only will the plot be clearer, but also the emotions conveyed through seeing actors perform the material onstage. “We work for a certain amount of time to put a show up, and when an audience comes, that’s when the real commu- nication happens,” Goodrich said. “We get to learn from the piece; the audience takes it in, and there’s that kind of synergy between actor and audience. It’s really magical, and when the idea’s actually communicated and taken in and responded to by an audience. Hopefully it’s more than entertainment — we really grapple with these issues together and go away from the theater and are changed by it.” The show also boasts a style of dance that is looser and more unrestrained than what one would normally see in a musical. “Visually, there’s almost a modern dance element,” Goodrich said. “The dance is not only telling the information of the story but also uses dance and movement in a way that cap- tures the emotion of the music. Most of the original company weren’t dancers. It’s so interest- ing to see a raw mover express themselves choreographical- ly. It’s different from seeing a trained dancer.” With this in mind, Goodrich urges students to come see the show, enjoy the visual additions to the album’s story and bask in the community element of watching a live performance. “It makes the storytelling so clear, to actually see the story and all of the richness of the poetry, it really comes to life in the stage play. And just the community of coming out and experiencing it together, and addressing it as a community. It promises great fun and enjoy- ment and thought and it’s going to hit you on many levels.” American Idiot Oct. 15-25 Lydia Mendelssohn Theater $22 amd $28 $12 students EVENT PREVIEW COURTESY OF THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC, THEATRE & DANCE “So then I tells ‘em ‘This isn’t Rent, goddamnit!’”