I’m not sure when my addiction to kicks, sneakers, trainers, Creps, whatever you want to call them, started. What I do know is, no matter the occassion you can guarantee I will be rocking trainers with my outfit. Despite the questioning looks from friends, family and partners, the cries of ‘why don’t you wear some ladylike shoes for once?!’ I have always felt most comfortable and ‘me’ sporting kicks. I do own some great pairs of heels, I even have some skyscraper Stilettos I may add, but I look at trainers with the same lust-filled, adoring eyes most girls coo over a pair of Louboutins or Jimmy Choos. Even at those landmark events like my graduation ball or my 21st birthday, I wore a stylish, almost designer, dress and started off wearing a ‘nice’ (agonisingly painful) pair of heels, making me an intimidating 6ft blonde, but by the middle of the night I’d have swapped into my air max quicker than you could mutter ‘Milly OnAir’. I’m one of those freaks of nature that has unladylike large feet any way, so I often find it hard to get shoes in my size but trainers never presented that problem – even with my disproportionately big feet I can choose trainers carefully that make them look neat and almost, dare I say it, small.

I’m not one of those ‘true’ millitant sneaker heads that queues around the block for hours to get the latest, rarest releases and I can honestly say I’ve owned some incredibly chavvy trainers in my time, the reality is I’m just your ‘middle of the road’ trainer lover. I will say this though, for us ladies that love kicks and rock them with pride, it’s not a simply ‘throw away’ approach to putting together an outfit. I didn’t put on trainers because I ‘couldn’t be bothered’ to make an effort. Au contraire my friends, a lot of thought goes into an outfit and I tend to work from the bottom up carefully choosing trainers that compliment it and don’t make my feet look like two boats which is by no means a small feat (excuse the pun). All of which neatly brings me to the point of this epic post….I noted that a female journalist was starting a blog about Stilettos and documenting herself wearing a different pair everyday (http://www.thestilettodiaries.blog.com) and what made each pair so great etc. My initial reaction was that there wasn’t an equivalent for ladies who are equally passionate about their trainers. So, my idea was to blog 52 weeks of kicks and name it ‘Kicking the Habit‘ as I documented my attempt to give up wearing trainers and become a conventional, socially acceptable ‘lady’. I quickly realised this was never going to happen so, instead, I will be blogging a weekly diary of ones I’m wearing, be it the battered old reliables or the new, shiny boxfresh gems, one’s that have caught my eye and are throwing me into a tailspin or ones I’ve spied and coveted on others. You my lovely readers can then tell me your thoughts, likes and dislikes as we go along.

My name is Milly and even at the age of 31 (well almost 31) I am still addicted to kicks.

My friend, the wonderfully talented Ross Cooper, decided with this in mind we should celebrate the fact by shooting me in a bath a la American Beauty surrounded by my grimy kick collection. Check out his work here: www.extantphotography.co.uk