The Chucks Report – Exclusive Edition

This caption from the March 2010 Harper’s Bazaar caught my eye, “Vintage Missoni prints go modern in a new collaboration with Converse.”  These Chuck Taylor sneakers featuring the iconic Missoni print are $200 a pair and will be available at boutiques in NYC and Beverly Hills early next month.  But at that price are they still the ultimate in cheap cool?  Would you wear them daily until the soles disintegrated?  Would you wear them in the rain or on a muddy field?  How about to a beer-soaked dance party where they’re destined to be stepped on and splashed on?  If I bought these, I'd have them encased in glass with a prominently placed sign, "For Emergency Use Only."

The Chuck Report

Now available -- trimmed down Chucks!

$150 will buy the new white leather Chuck Taylor designed by the artist Terence Koh for the Converse 1 HUND(RED) line. Less rubber, styled more like the shoes that boxers wear in the ring. Minimalist, stripped down, they make a entirely different statement - delicate, not tough. Jazz, not hip hop. Peaceful posse, not gang wars. The NY Times quoted Mr. Koh as seeing the shoe as "a perfect round white pearl."

Judge for yourself. These shoes will be available beginning November 21 at Opening Ceremony, 35 Howard Street, New York. The design is appealing, and will likely sell well. I am partial to the traditional style (and the traditional price), but Christmas is coming and I've been pretty damn good ...

Click here to see Mr. Koh and his new design.

What's News?

Casual Friday is making an impact! Readers are connecting to their inner glamazons and this fashionista is reaching a wider audience! Holla!

One reader bought her first pair of Chucks. Zappos is sending her a cool pair of low tops in a green, coral and orange tropical print that suit her sunny personality, love of the beach and preference for tropical drinks. I hope she enjoys wearing them.

I bought another pair of Chucks last week. Black and white low tops that look like saddle shoes for lead guitarists. It was a surprise find at TJ Maxx. There were also icky "flesh" colored sneakers that looked like Band Aids with laces. I've never met a living soul who had that color flesh.

Another reader bought a maxi-dress and is hooking up her look for special occasions with a sexy little jacket and glamorous wedge sandals. She will not use her evening bag to cover her behind (see June 6 post).

I love hearing from you, so please keep posting comments and sending emails. Thanks!

Aw-w-w Chucks!

My mom wouldn't let me wear Chuck Taylors when I was growing up--she thought they were ugly. She preferred Keds, so that's what I wore. They were cute, ladylike, and came in every color in the rainbow. Through the years I had pairs in navy, red, aqua, white and spring green, but my heart belonged to Chucks. It was like dating Steady Freddy but lusting after Randy Ricky.

Chucks are perenially cool--the shoes of basketball stars and rebels. On the street they were called "gang wars." I bought my first pair as an adult in the 1980s, and have kept at least one pair in my shoe collection at all times over the past 25 years. I have eight pair in rotation right now, including chocolate leather high tops and licorice black leather low tops for winter cool. Last summer, while shopping at Filene's Basement in DC, I found "superstar" Chucks--white canvas sprinkled with dozens of tiny silver stars--and added them to my collection.

I bought another pair last weekend. They are black canvas with tiny multi-colored loops scattered all over. Got them at Kohl's. I'm not a Kohl's shopper, but I was chasing a skirt that I saw in Vogue. Didn't find the skirt, but I found a pair of funky red high top Chucks in the men's shoe department.

So, why Chucks? I prefer a little sass with my casual wear. They look great with jeans and add a rocker's edge. I rarely wear gym shoes if I'm not at the gym. Why so many pairs? They're like Lays potato chips--I can't have just one!

When I was in Rome last year I was surprised to see that Chucks were everywhere--worn with very skinny jeans on young men and women. I'm sure that I'll see them on the streets of Paris when I'm there this summer. If you want to see them in action, check out old NBA footage or the film version of West Side Story.