If there’s a theme running through March’s selection of running shoes, it is colour. From the Art Attack take on the Dunk Low – Nike’s legendary skate shoe, repurposed by the brand’s in-house craft studio – to a baby-pink update of adidas Originals’ Hu NMD from Mr Pharrell Williams. The Vaporwaffle, Sacai’s supermarket sweep through the Nike archives, arrives in a new colourway, another nod to the sporting powerhouse’s heritage. And if Maison Margiela’s upgrade of Reebok’s classic Club C tennis shoe is the obvious exception here, the complete lack of colour is a statement in itself. Spring is clearly around the corner, as well as in your step…

I am wearing leather trousers. Just writing it down feels a bit obscene, like the fashion, nay, the actual police are going to come and take me away. But here I am, proud and shiny-legged. The last time my editors roped me into trying out a new trend it was men’s heels. This time, they’ve coaxed me into wearing something perhaps even more controversial. Who said friendships in the workplace were dead? As trends go – and believe me, they’re definitely trending – leather trousers are a tough thing to pull off (no pun intended). For men, anyway. In the comparatively expansive world of women’s fashion, leather trousers are far more socially acceptable.

Fans of cult Japanese label KAPITAL will already know that a smiley face makes a regular appearance in its collections – in fact, it even has its own hashtag (#KapitalSmile), making it easier to spread the cheer. Whether the egg-yolk yellow splodge is printed on hoodies or embroidered in patches onto 11-ounce denim, it never fails to make us feel a touch brighter. Something else that made us happy last year was spotting that the man behind the brand, Mr Kiro Hirata, knows how to have a laugh himself.

If there’s a theme running through March’s selection of running shoes, it is colour. From the Art Attack take on the Dunk Low – Nike’s legendary skate shoe, repurposed by the brand’s in-house craft studio – to a baby-pink update of adidas Originals’ Hu NMD from Mr Pharrell Williams. The Vaporwaffle, Sacai’s supermarket sweep through the Nike archives, arrives in a new colourway, another nod to the sporting powerhouse’s heritage. And if Maison Margiela’s upgrade of Reebok’s classic Club C tennis shoe is the obvious exception here, the complete lack of colour is a statement in itself. Spring is clearly around the corner, as well as in your step…

I am wearing leather trousers. Just writing it down feels a bit obscene, like the fashion, nay, the actual police are going to come and take me away. But here I am, proud and shiny-legged. The last time my editors roped me into trying out a new trend it was men’s heels. This time, they’ve coaxed me into wearing something perhaps even more controversial. Who said friendships in the workplace were dead? As trends go – and believe me, they’re definitely trending – leather trousers are a tough thing to pull off (no pun intended). For men, anyway. In the comparatively expansive world of women’s fashion, leather trousers are far more socially acceptable.