Some people avoid darker sneakers like the plague. Whether that’s because it reminds you of those miserable school shoe years, your horrible corporate 9-to-5 or they just look a bit too masculine, don’t worry, we get it. But once you know this one technique, you’ll no longer hate darker sneakers.

That technique is called the colour sandwich. The idea is simple: your top and shoes echo each other, and the middle piece softens the look. To show you just how easy it is, we put it to the test by styling these ASICS Gel-Kinetic Fluent sneakers in three different outfits.

Here, we’ve put the colour sandwich into practice in its most obvious form. Opting for a dark oversized top, we balanced out the boxy silhouette above with these Stradivarius scarf trousers. To elevate the outfit, we added a lace belt for extra detail, playing into the darker notes of the ASICS on our feet.

This time, we chose an oversized leather bomber jacket for the darker top third, using these Mango pleat trousers for the lighter mid portion. So far it’s looking like a sophisticated brunch with the girlies, so we added a playful touch via the cherry red handbag, which of course, matches the Gel cushioning on the heel. Details ladies, details.

For the last outfit we went with an oversized leather funnel bomber jacket again, it just worked too well with the feminine energy of the polka dot midi skirt below. The transition between the silk cream skirt and techy-looking ASICS is softened through the skirt’s lace trim, a clash of feminine and masculine that works beautifully, especially with the added frilly socks.