Shoes, shoes, shoes, oh my God, shoes. Yes, yes, yes I love shoes. I won’t lie, I fucking love shoes. I don’t collect them to stare at or hawk on eBay 10 years from now. I don’t buy a pair to wear and another to keep on ice, nope I wear my shit. I love shoes, all kinds of shoes. I love sneakers, I love brogues, I love boat shoes and desert boots and slips ons (Vans only) and hybrids and penny loafers and oxfords and saddle shoes and boots - oh I forgot about boots - I love boots too. But I can’t buy any more. Why? Because I shot the moon and bought three pairs of shoes in 5 days late last December. They were on sale! It was like they were giving them away!
Well, now I’ve got to take a timeout from the whole shoe game. And truth be told 08 was a fairly lousy year for the shoe game. So I thought to myself, I’ll just grab these three and I’ll be cool for 09 since the game is just about dying out. But wouldn’t you know it, things just started heating up all over again. Aint that a bitch? So since I made a resolution not to buy a pair until one of my current pairs blow out, I’ll use this blog to get some of this shit off my chest. It’ll be cathartic.
Boat Shoes. If you’re not wearing boat shoes by now, you’re sleeping. Boat shoes are back in full-effect and have been for the last 4 seasons. Now they are going to be everywhere, which isn’t such a bad thing for a few reasons. First, with more people looking for boat shoes, more brands will be making them and adding more comfort, more styling, etc. Second, more boat shoes, more competition, lower prices. Economy of scales mother fucker. Here are my favorite boats shoes right now:
Sperry has teamed up with J Crew to create a unique Top Sider style. Suede on the outside, cotton-chambray on the inside. Definitely a cool shoe to rock to work or to the beach.
Sperry and J Crew also teamed up to pull out this older Sperry Chukka boot with the same worn suede outer and soft cotton-chambray interior. This is definitely how you stunt on your pals who are already wearing boat shoes.
Just one more Sperry! This Sperry for Urban Outfitters is something I would never wear, seriously blue and red on a boat shoe? But for some reason it works and I absolutely love it.
Vans will be getting a lot of love in this post and this Vans Vault Del Barco LX is my favorite of the bunch. Boat shoe/chukka design on top, with an Era/Authentic sole. Probably a little too casual for the office, but seriously dope for going out or weekend swag. Double points if you live in an area with a lot of hot hipster/granola-type ladies.
White Mountaineering x Timberland Boat Shoe. Good luck finding this thing stateside, it’ll be a Japan-only exclusive. I love the blue suede with white laces, combine that with the comfort of Tims and you’ve got a serious boat shoe.
The grand-daddy of them all, the Visvim Hockney. Absolutely incredible design work. Black leather outside with a mesh inner-sock and leather inner lining. A sneaker-esque, sporty sole for absolute comfort that will prolong the life of the shoe. The shoe is designed to mold to your feet, and after a couple wears you’ll never want anything else on them. Again, have fun trolling eBay to find a pair in your size.
Sneakers. I don’t know how I really feel about the whole sneaker game these days. I guess I just really don’t know how I feel about Nike, which means they probably need to go back and do a little strategizing because after a quick blog roll, you’ll see I’m not alone. I’ve got one in there, not necessarily because I want to wear it, more because it’s probably one of the most hyped sneakers ever. I guess I just really want to see the reaction when it hits the streets. Let me know!
The checkerboard swag is finally over. The crazy designs and band logos still persist, but I won’t hold that against Vans (they are making the biggest showing on this list). This spring, you’ll be rolling your jeans, chinos, cords to show the world your ankles. Leave the socks at home and throw on a pair of these neutral gray slip-ons to complete the look. ‘Member those hottie hipster chicks I was talking about earlier? Yeah, they’ll remember these.
Common Projects: Cool, simple, wear with jeans not shorts. Oh and start saving because they go for close to 4 bills.
Chances are you’ve already heard all about the Air Yeezy. Chances are you’re already sick of this shoe. Chances are there are people walking around right now with this shoe tattooed on their body. This shoe has been loved, hated, blogged about, written about, argued about, fought over, shot over and my dear lord hyped like crazy. Will it come out in March like everyone says? Who knows, but I tell you what’s for sure - this shoe is going to cause a serious ruckus at the few accounts that have it. Take my advice: tickets, formal lines, security.
Collections. Collections get passed over quite a bit when it comes to shoes. Everyone seems to focus on one at a time, while completely forgetting that there is a designer with an idea that he or she is trying to convey. They have a style or lifestyle they are attempting to promote, and most of the time their overall design aesthetic takes a backseat to what a critic, blogger or forum poster has to say about that one “gem” of the collection. So, I’ll take this time to shout out a few entire collections or “packs” of footwear.
Breaking away from the style that made them an overnight blogger sensation, Gourmet, cools the jets on all the Jordan reinterpretations and is preparing to launch a collection of footwear for next Winter that is going to turn heads. Hopefully by then we’ll all still have some cash to spend.
Pointer Footwear, a UK based shoe company, is a brand that I am really starting to like. Their shoes remind me of a more dressed up Vans, without the skate influence. They seem to be pretty affordably priced, but I have still yet to find a domestic outlet. They do great combinations of color and their slimmer silhouettes go with just about anything.
Vans x Taka Hayashi will probably be the most talked about collab this year (outside of the ones Mr. West is running with Nike and LV). The reason being - it’s original. For the first time in a long time Vans has a collections of new shoes that are actually really cool. I love Vans, don’t get me wrong, but I love Eras, Authentics, Gray Slip-ons, Half-Cabs, Skate-His, etc. I don’t really love anything new they’ve been putting out, until this. One word - UNIQUE.
Conclusion. So, I can’t have any of these shoes, but now that I’ve told you all about them, perhaps I can let them go. Yes, I think I will survive without them after all. I mean, I’ve got some great things in my closet already. I’m secure about what I have … I think, I hope … Ah fuck it, where’s my credit card at?
January 30th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
damn. Shoe Season is back. I have no room in my closet for anymore! I guess I might have to start giving some away to make room. Boat shoes here i come!