Every fashion girl's worst nightmare is realizing you packed the wrong sneaker trend for 10,000-step days on vacation. It's happened to me in New York City, Boston, and even Alaska. I envy Selena Gomez's smart move before her trip to London. She chose an ultra-supportive take on the white sneakers trend—for just $150 at Cole Haan.
Yes, Gomez crossed the pond to shoot Season 6 of Only Murders In the Building, but her filming schedule encourages plenty of tourist time. She and her friends picked the perfect spot—and street style looks—for an impromptu Instagram photoshoot. Gomez posed in front of Big Ben in a little white dress from For Love & Lemons, which matched Cole Haan's GrandPrø Tennis 2.0 Sneakers.
In the midst of a Hollywood-wide ballet sneaker takeover, Gomez's trainers stood out for being somewhere in between slim and chunky. The New York brand says their almond toe boxes, leather uppers, foam-lined footbeds, and grippy gumsoles were "built for the kind of days that don't stop." (And Gomez is having a lot of those between work and play.)
It seems a new sub-genre of sneaker trend is blossoming this season: chunky low-top trainers. Gomez's Tennis 2.0s mirrored the same structured, nostalgic silhouette as the Adidas Superstars, a circa-2016 staple Kendall Jenner is still loyal to today.
Meanwhile, Lily Collins's Adidas Handball Spezials—a heightened alternative to Sambas—offered just as much sole support as Gomez's Cole Haans. Fashion e-commerce editor Julia Marzovilla saw this comfort-first wave coming, though. Last month, she flagged elevated, orthopedic-adjacent sneakers as the It-shoe to watch for 2026.
Gomez never really joined the corps de ballet sneaker trend, contrary to Hailey Bieber, Dua Lipa, and Bella Hadid. She's always been loyal to styles that bridge the gap between cozy and chic. (See her brown $80 Steve Maddens, rare Dior D-Connects, or another pair of classic white sneakers she tested last September.)
The Rare Beauty curated her sneaker shopping checklist years ago, so why would she abandon it now? Clearly, it's working—and influencing my next travel shoe splurge at the same time.
Shop White Travel Sneakers Inspired by Selena Gomez
