What’s Old Is New Again! But Is It Classic Style?

April 23, 2018 - By Nina Bradley Clarke

Growing up as a preppy kid in Connecticut, I wore Tretorns for sneakers especially on the tennis court.

Tretorn is a Swedish company established in 1891. Almost a century later in 1980, my favorite coffee table book, “The Preppy Handbook“, cemented the Tretorn as our must-have fashionable sneaker, and the rest is history.

I’ve been hearing about a comeback for my favorite old school sneaks, and I finally saw them up close and personal this weekend at my local J.Crew store in Westport, CT.
I was excited at first to see Tretorn being displayed so prominently, but you see, I’m conflicted. On one hand, I love seeing old school iconic shoes making a comeback with a new audience and a new demographic. On the other hand, I didn’t love seeing my old school preppy sneakers take on such a modern day look. I think what I have always liked about my Tretorns was that they are unchanged and awesome the way they always were.

(Sidenote: a tennis pro once told me to get real tennis sneakers because my Tretorns have no ankle support and I would twist my ankle. But I didn’t really listen to that pro. Tretorns rocked! :))

Since I was feeling conflicted, I thought I’d ask my bestie, Kate Schelter, for her “voice of reason” feedback on these new Tretorns. Kate and I have known each other since we were toddlers! Kate was like a little sister to me. I would always give Kate my hand me down clothes, like Guess jeans and Benetton sweaters. Heck, I probably handed down my Tretorns to Kate once or twice, too.

(She has written the hot selling book “Classic Style“, which is actually the modern version of “The Preppy Handbook”. If you haven’t checked her book out yet, or her Instagram page: @kateschelter, then make sure to do so ASAP!)

I asked Kate for her response to the new Tretorns I found at J.Crew. She told me, “I don’t recognize the Tretorn soul of the brand. These are not your mom’s Tretorns. They also aren’t Classic Style.” Bingo! That’s just it. Thank you, Kate!

They’re just not classic style. Sorry, Tretorn! My preppy husband and I are going to stick to our old school Tretorns that we both love from the ’80’s with our L.L.Bean duck boots, khakis, Ray Bans, pink and green Lacoste alligator shirts, and monogram everything! Special kudos to Jeff Clarke (fab hubby), who actually still owns his original Tretorns from high school!