Will it really be a BootsOnlySummer?

As soon as the online images of Rosalía arriving for her fitting for the Met Gala wearing a pair of white New Balance 442 PRO FG V2 with a highlighter yellow sole surfaced, the only possible reaction to the social media comments was #BootsOnlySummer. For those who are not true fans, the NB442s are a model of football boots, complete with boots for grass, a footwear that is difficult to see outside of a field due to the obvious challenges it presents in other contexts. However, more and more people, both online and offline, seem interested in defying the laws of physics and logic by wearing cleats with more casual and formal outfits. This trend, aptly named #BootsOnlySummer, is set to become the real craze of this summer.

Just like when we begged to wear our favorite boots under our first communion dress as children, these same shoes are now the stars of a new revival following the Bloke Core trend. If a couple of summers ago it was football jerseys that became the absolute protagonists of every outfit posted on TikTok, now it's the turn of boots. This was not hard to predict, considering how much sport and non-sport brands have put football shoe at the center of their programming, with retro releases and new models constantly appearing in the last few months - we ourselves have often pointed out how the football imagery has lowered its gaze. And after numerous attempts, such as the return of Nike Total90 with flat soles, and the search for the new adidas Samba - the lifestyle shoe born on the pitch - the opposite has happened.

Like what happened with the Bloke Core, when jerseys came out of their usual context to become real fashion elements, wearing cleats under a long skirt or tailored pants becomes a statement that has little to do with performance and much more with style. It's almost a rebellion against the idea of flat shoes that has dominated every aspect of footwear in recent years, whether it's the low-top sneakers borrowed from racing or ballet, or the formal shoes that range from boat shoes to slippers, with cleats increasingly lifting the foot off the ground. This tension obviously makes it difficult to walk on surfaces where you can't sink the sole, a small problem to overcome for #BootsOnlySummer to become a true global trend, following the footsteps of the Bloke Core. While we wait to see if this trend will last a week or a season, one thing is certain: football boots are here to stay. Even under a tailored suit.