The Year of the...Sneaker?

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Tommy Ton is street photographer royalty. He sees everything—and everyone—so when he calls a trend, aspiring fashionistas would do well to pay attention.

Among the expected off-runway fashion statements in his 2011 wrap-up for Style.com yesterday—color blocking, bold prints, the jelly clutch, yes, yes, yes—we were surprised to see him call out the humble sneaker as one of the major moments of the year.

Says Ton:

After years of towering around in sky-high heels, it was only a matter of time before fashion insiders came back down to earth and slipped into something more comfortable. Embraced by tastemaker Phoebe Philo as she makes her Celine bows and also seen in countless editorials, the sneaker has become the shoe of choice.

What do you think? Are you trading in your stilettos for running shoes?

•Tommy Ton Picks the Best Off-Runway Fashion Statements of 2011 [Style.com]
•All shoe coverage [Racked]