My first pair of Converse sneakers were turquoise high-tops lined in fluorescent yellow that I loved to wear with the tongue rolled down and two layers of mismatched slouchy socks. It was the late 80s, after all, and Debbie Gibson and the girls in Teen magazine were my fashion role models.
I stopped wearing Converse sometime in the mid-90s when I feared they looked like clown shoes on my narrow size-10 feet. But a couple of months ago, I started noticing more and more of my new fashion role models, bloggers, pairing sporty white Converse sneakers with otherwise chic outfits — and looking effortlessly cool in the process.
So when we first visited Omaha’s new outlet mall last fall, I pulled JB and Levi into the Converse store to try on a pair of white low-tops, mostly for shits and giggles. I still worried my feet would be too long and skinny for them but was curious to see if I could somehow make them work.
Wouldn’t you know, Converse All-Stars run big, so instead of a size 10, I only needed a 9.5. And anyone with big feet can relate to the joy of wearing a size or even a half-size smaller than usual. I was nearly ready to pull the trigger based on sizing alone, but first I needed reassurance that I could really pull them off.
To my surprise, JB didn’t think the white Converse made my feet look like Ronald McDonald’s, but he wasn’t sure that I was actually a “Converse girl.” So I wasn’t hip (or hipster) enough to wear Chuck Taylors? No, that wasn’t it, he said, trying to explain that he thought I was too “fashionable” for them. Whatever that meant.
So I did what any modern girl would do when she needs a second opinion: I snapped a photo and asked my Instagram followers. The general consensus was that the white low-top Converse were cute and — hooray! — I could pull them off, but that they’re really, really uncomfortable. Like, sit in your closet uncomfortable.
Despite JB’s hesitation, I bought them… and they sat in my closet for months. But not because they were too uncomfortable to wear; I just didn’t think white Converse were “winter shoes.” (That’s weird, right?) Plus, in my very pregnant state, I tried to avoid wearing shoes that needed to be tied. At a certain point, you just can’t bend over to deal with shoelaces.
I’m still debating whether I’m truly a Converse girl, but I’m going to give them a shot this spring. With some Dr. Scholl’s insoles
What do you think of wearing white Chucks with, well, everything? Are you a Converse girl?
(images: [first and last] Polienne, Sincerely, Jules, P.S. I Love Fashion, Moeh Fashion, A House in the Hills, Remain Simple tumblr)
Dear Asa,
swaddle and sometimes with your arms overhead in a touchdown position, and we don’t have to do much shushing or swinging when you’re upset; you’re much happier just being held. And you almost always fall asleep in the car (I don’t remember Levi doing that).
might help motivate me to stick with it for a month. Sadly, I have a track record of giving up on to-do list systems and apps. By announcing my intention to stick with the Bullet Journal for all of April, perhaps I’ll be more likely to follow through.
