Why Lily Allen Was The Noughties Sneaker Icon We All Needed

In 2006, we saw Lily Allen wearing trainers and prom dresses, so we bought trainers and prom dresses. The self-confessed Queen of MySpace, Lily Allen saw a lot of millennials through their teenage years with bangers like ‘Smile’, ‘LDN’ and ‘Alfie’ and was famous for her zero-f*cks-given attitude, city-girl style and penchant for sneakers. Paving the way for a new wave of female sneakerheads, Allen brought Nike Air Max 90s to a whole new audience and kick-started a trainer obsession for a lot of girls.

When we think of Lily Allen, the image of her in a pretty prom dress with thick gold hoops and fresh AM90s often springs to mind. It’s no accident that this is the signature ‘fit that we often picture; when Allen was debuted to the world in 2006, she donned the dress-and-AM90s ensemble on the cover of her first album, ‘Alright, Still’. As Allen started to release music videos, that signature style continued to steal the show. The video for LDN sees Allen skipping through London in a red, tulle floor-length gown with a pair of matching AM90s. In the video for Smile, she opts for a pink prom dress with pink AM90s… and that’s it, a trend is born.

After ‘Alright, Still’ debuted, it reached number two in the UK charts and Lily Allen quickly became a household name. She often took to the red carpet in her signature sneakers and challenged the style conventions women were expected to adhere to up to that point. Flat shoes on the red carpet were practically unheard of, but sneakers!? Scandal alert. In a conversation with Virgil Abloh, Lily Allen discussed the origins of her famous look, saying: “I’m really short, I’m 5’2”, and all my friends are really tall and had these amazing legs. And I felt really insecure about the way I looked, and I figured out that prom dresses accentuated my waist but covered my legs.” She went on to say, “And who wants to wear fucking high heels all day! So, I’d wear with sneakers.”

As the years have gone on, Allen’s love for sneakers hasn’t gone anywhere. Most recently, the singer fronted the campaign for the now-iconic Off-White x Jordan 4 and 5 collaborations. The campaign centred around Allen’s legendary dress-and-sneaker look as she posed in pretty-pink tulle with a high-neck tee and a box-fresh pair of Virgil Abloh’s Jordans. The embodiment of smart-casual dressing, the campaign championed uniqueness and bridged the gap between sportswear and high-end fashion.

A fashion icon in her own right, Lily Allen has often graced the front row of catwalks and counts Kim Jones and Virgil Abloh as close friends. When showing Vogue around her closet, Allen shows a glimpse of her sneaker collection which includes some seriously high-heat Jordans that she often pairs with vintage designer finds. Proof that the styling options for your fave kicks are endless, make like Lily and team your best Jordan 4s with a cute dress and you can’t go wrong.

Sneakers and fashion aside, over the past few years, Allen has become an advocate for self-expression, women’s rights and normalising mental-health struggles. In 2018, she released a memoir that she dubbed “her truth”. Throughout the book, Allen recounts times in her life that are often kept hush hush in public. She writes openly about losing a child, struggling with eating disorders and discusses her up-and-down relationship with alcohol. In the book, she writes: “telling stories is important, especially if you are a woman. When women share their stories, loudly and clearly and honestly, things begin to change – for the better. This is my story.” By being unashamedly honest throughout the book, Allen inadvertently gives other women permission to talk openly about their mental health.

In true Lily Allen style, the Queen of MySpace recently collaborated with sexual wellness brand, Womanizer, to release Liberty by Lily Allen. A collab that aims to empower women to take charge of their own sexuality, the campaign pushes stigma to the side. Allen said of the launch: “I think the only way to make taboo subjects no longer taboo is to speak about them openly and frequently without shame or guilt.” An ode to the no-bullsh*t approach she’s always taken publicly, it’s not just Allen’s iconic style that makes her a noughties legend, but the way she’s continued to be authentically her throughout her career, while taking responsibility for any wrongdoings on the way.

Whether you’re a Lily Allen fan or not – even the singer compared herself to “marmite” – one thing’s for sure; Allen created a signature, iconic style without even trying and simultaneously paved the way for future female sneakerheads by donning AM90s with everything, to every occasion. Some of the colourways sported by Allen are still available to this day, so if you want to dig out your old prom dress and rock the look, head to our Nike Air Max 90 page now and take your pick.