On and off the court these 1960s Tretorn Nylite tennis shoes happen to be a hit for many years. As well as for a very good reason.

But it had been on the court that these shoes first caught the attention. The Tretorn Nylite design dates back to 1967, with this particular Swedish tennis shoe soon being adopted by professionals at the time as well as for some time after. Long before Bjorn Borg wore the Diadora B Elite in the game, he was wearing a set of these.

Soon after it started to make waves on the tennis circuit, it was also making its name as a ornament too. Over the years it has be a 'preppy' classic and has been worn with a number of movers and shakers. You may well recall Dustin Hoffman, wearing a pair with the classic All The President's Men movie in 1976.

That 'cool' hasn't really gone away, perhaps because this is a tennis shoe (or plimsoll) which has stayed firmly individually distinct. Should you ask someone to name three classic running sneakers, this would unlikely to make the cut.

The design hasn't really changed as time passed. The only real difference may be the number of variations currently available and also the inclusion of an EcoOrtholite sock liner. Basically this is just a canvas upper, rubber outsole and the classic Tretorn branding.

For me, they work best within the original tennis white, as you can see here, with a pair selling for lb60 if you want them. But if you would like something more colourful and cheaper you can get discounted coloured variations within the John Lewis clearance right now for lb42.