I dig shoes. I always have. Even as a kid, I think I was pretty picky when it came to shoes, which probably caused my thrifty parents some considerable grief. Cool shoes complete my appearance and their coolness is absolutely necessary to me. I've even gone so far as to throw shoe function out the window in favor of fashion, which I'll be the first to admit is very foolish. A good-looking shoe to me is usually pretty simply constructed; clean lines, basic colors, not too flashy. Lately however, I'm starting to deviate from those qualities and lean toward a brighter, flashier look. Though when it comes to sneakers, the outsole CAN'T be darker than the upper--that's a must. So I guess I just like what I like for whatever reason. These are some shoes I have or have had over the years.
This is a limited edition Vans TNT 2. Tony Trujillo's second (or third) pro model, it's a collaboration between Vans and Tony's board sponsor Anti Hero. I'm really liking the low profile look of the vulcanized sole and even though yellow is super bright and eye-catching, I still think it's cool. They made this shoe in a mid-top too that was rad.
Vans Era. I think this was the first shoe that Vans put out in the mid 1960s. It's a classic that's currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Mine are made from leather instead of the traditional canvas. This shoe comes in a thousand different colors and combos.
I bought these shoes a few years ago in a lighter brown. They were suede. The company that made them, Savier, was an offshoot of Nike that didn't really take off. I seriously bought them only because Stefan Janoski wore them for awhile. I got a lot of use out of them though; skated in them until there were holes in the toe.
I bought these Socas by Lakai from a local shop in Eugene with money from my tax return. They were really stiff and took a long time to break in. I eventually sharpied some dark parts on the front and back of the outsole. I thought it looked cooler and had to redraw them every few weeks because they'd wear off.
Same shoe as above, different color. I still have these and I still like them. I switched out the laces and put whites in instead of reds. I've never even done an ollie in these.
The Vans Half Cab is timeless. It's been around since the 1980s and was introduced both as Steve Caballero's pro model and a response to skaters' demands. They had been cutting the Vans SK8-Hi (a hi-top) down to a mid for years so Vans decided to give the people what they wanted. This shoe has stood the test of time and been copied by every other skate shoe manufacturer. They're usually made of suede so they break in really quick and get super floppy.
I've had a few pairs of this shoe in different colors. The es Accel was my favorite shoe to skate in for a long time. It felt good on your foot and was thick enough to withstand the harsh reality of skateboarding and griptape, but thin enough to still feel your board. I wore through a grey and navy pair and a brown and tan pair. Maybe more...
This is Dustin Dollin's pro model by Vans. It's got a beefed up cupsole that looks vulcanized. They've put this sole under a few other shoes and it always works. It's even still got the famous Vans waffle grip. As an all-around shoe, this can't be beat. My first pair is on it's last legs but I like the shoe enough to buy a replacement pair.
I remember my friend John used to wear these Lakais. I liked them too so I copied him and got a pair for myself. A pretty plain shoe but I've had some good times in it. I filmed a line that I was really proud of in these shoes.
Nike SB team edition. I wore these shoes a lot but I was never really impressed with them. The tongue is huge and really puffy. The shoes wouldn't stay on my feet unless they were laced up tight as footballs so I could never skate in them. The insole got compacted very quickly and lost its cushioning. Plus they kinda pinched the sides of my feet up by my toes. Damn. These shoes really sucked. Funny though, none of that ever stopped me from wearing them.
This is the Emerica KSL Dos shoe. I had to order this shoe from a shop because I couldn't find it anywhere. I accidentally ordered it a half size too big so I don't wear it as often as I'd like. Like the Vans Dollin, it has a cupsole cleverly disguised as a vulcanized sole. See, people like the look of the vulcanized sole but it offers little to no protection from big impacts like the cupsole does. That's why I'm always impressed when I see some dude in the magazine jumping down a big gap or rail with thin little vulcanized soled shoes--it means he's either a dummy who doesn't give a shit about session-ending heel bruises, or it means he's a very good and confident skateboarder who lands his tricks in just a couple tries.
I liked this shoe when I bought it and I'd buy it again if they still made it in cool colors. I wore the hell out of these shoes and skated them until they were tattered. It's the Emerica Reynolds 2 and it's way cool.
The Nike SB Dunk Low. A basketball staple throughout the 1980s, the Dunk has since been adopted by the hip streetwear scene. When Nike tried again to get into the skateboard market (after Savier's failure), they came correct by bringing the dunk. Nike upped the cool factor by producing shoes in limited quantities thereby making each pair somewhat exclusive. I'd had my eyes on dunks for a long time but could never get my hands on a pair I liked before they sold out or ended up on ebay for triple the original sale price. I lucked out with these.
Adidas Rod Laver. These tennis shoes have been around for awhile now. I wanted a pair when I saw Max Fisher wearing them with red laces in Rushmore. I wore one pair out, got another pair and stopped wearing them.
Another accel. I couldn't find photos of my colorways on the internet. They've been making this shoe for a long time and they switch up the colors every season.
These are the first Geoff Rowley pro models from Vans. I bought these and didn't wear them for a year. I always liked the shoe but it took a year for it to look cool on my foot. It's really awesome to skate in and it doesn't use any materials from animals--totally synthetic leathers.
I bought these shoes in grey after winning half off a pair of Reeboks on a sratch it coupon.
These are my other dunks except mine are royal blue instead of navy. They're really tall.
A classis adidas shoe, the gazelle has been a favorite of mine since middle school. I wore adidas all through my younger years, I always liked the plain black with three white stripes. When I saw a pair with green soles, I couldn't resist. A few weeks later, I was playing soccer in them and jammed my toes pretty bad. The nail on each big toe eventually turned black and fell off.
I won a DVS Shoes contest and got all this stuff associated with Keith Hufnagel, one of their riders. I got two pairs of his pro shoe, the one above and another that I gave to a friend, some skateboards, trucks, wheels and shirts. Free stuff is awesome. I wore these shoes for a long time, I loved them. But now I think they're really puffy and make my feet like spaceman feet or something.
This is a limited edition Vans TNT 2. Tony Trujillo's second (or third) pro model, it's a collaboration between Vans and Tony's board sponsor Anti Hero. I'm really liking the low profile look of the vulcanized sole and even though yellow is super bright and eye-catching, I still think it's cool. They made this shoe in a mid-top too that was rad.
Vans Era. I think this was the first shoe that Vans put out in the mid 1960s. It's a classic that's currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Mine are made from leather instead of the traditional canvas. This shoe comes in a thousand different colors and combos.
I bought these shoes a few years ago in a lighter brown. They were suede. The company that made them, Savier, was an offshoot of Nike that didn't really take off. I seriously bought them only because Stefan Janoski wore them for awhile. I got a lot of use out of them though; skated in them until there were holes in the toe.
I bought these Socas by Lakai from a local shop in Eugene with money from my tax return. They were really stiff and took a long time to break in. I eventually sharpied some dark parts on the front and back of the outsole. I thought it looked cooler and had to redraw them every few weeks because they'd wear off.
Same shoe as above, different color. I still have these and I still like them. I switched out the laces and put whites in instead of reds. I've never even done an ollie in these.
The Vans Half Cab is timeless. It's been around since the 1980s and was introduced both as Steve Caballero's pro model and a response to skaters' demands. They had been cutting the Vans SK8-Hi (a hi-top) down to a mid for years so Vans decided to give the people what they wanted. This shoe has stood the test of time and been copied by every other skate shoe manufacturer. They're usually made of suede so they break in really quick and get super floppy.
I've had a few pairs of this shoe in different colors. The es Accel was my favorite shoe to skate in for a long time. It felt good on your foot and was thick enough to withstand the harsh reality of skateboarding and griptape, but thin enough to still feel your board. I wore through a grey and navy pair and a brown and tan pair. Maybe more...
This is Dustin Dollin's pro model by Vans. It's got a beefed up cupsole that looks vulcanized. They've put this sole under a few other shoes and it always works. It's even still got the famous Vans waffle grip. As an all-around shoe, this can't be beat. My first pair is on it's last legs but I like the shoe enough to buy a replacement pair.
I remember my friend John used to wear these Lakais. I liked them too so I copied him and got a pair for myself. A pretty plain shoe but I've had some good times in it. I filmed a line that I was really proud of in these shoes.
Nike SB team edition. I wore these shoes a lot but I was never really impressed with them. The tongue is huge and really puffy. The shoes wouldn't stay on my feet unless they were laced up tight as footballs so I could never skate in them. The insole got compacted very quickly and lost its cushioning. Plus they kinda pinched the sides of my feet up by my toes. Damn. These shoes really sucked. Funny though, none of that ever stopped me from wearing them.
This is the Emerica KSL Dos shoe. I had to order this shoe from a shop because I couldn't find it anywhere. I accidentally ordered it a half size too big so I don't wear it as often as I'd like. Like the Vans Dollin, it has a cupsole cleverly disguised as a vulcanized sole. See, people like the look of the vulcanized sole but it offers little to no protection from big impacts like the cupsole does. That's why I'm always impressed when I see some dude in the magazine jumping down a big gap or rail with thin little vulcanized soled shoes--it means he's either a dummy who doesn't give a shit about session-ending heel bruises, or it means he's a very good and confident skateboarder who lands his tricks in just a couple tries.
I liked this shoe when I bought it and I'd buy it again if they still made it in cool colors. I wore the hell out of these shoes and skated them until they were tattered. It's the Emerica Reynolds 2 and it's way cool.
The Nike SB Dunk Low. A basketball staple throughout the 1980s, the Dunk has since been adopted by the hip streetwear scene. When Nike tried again to get into the skateboard market (after Savier's failure), they came correct by bringing the dunk. Nike upped the cool factor by producing shoes in limited quantities thereby making each pair somewhat exclusive. I'd had my eyes on dunks for a long time but could never get my hands on a pair I liked before they sold out or ended up on ebay for triple the original sale price. I lucked out with these.
Adidas Rod Laver. These tennis shoes have been around for awhile now. I wanted a pair when I saw Max Fisher wearing them with red laces in Rushmore. I wore one pair out, got another pair and stopped wearing them.
Another accel. I couldn't find photos of my colorways on the internet. They've been making this shoe for a long time and they switch up the colors every season.
These are the first Geoff Rowley pro models from Vans. I bought these and didn't wear them for a year. I always liked the shoe but it took a year for it to look cool on my foot. It's really awesome to skate in and it doesn't use any materials from animals--totally synthetic leathers.
I bought these shoes in grey after winning half off a pair of Reeboks on a sratch it coupon.
These are my other dunks except mine are royal blue instead of navy. They're really tall.
A classis adidas shoe, the gazelle has been a favorite of mine since middle school. I wore adidas all through my younger years, I always liked the plain black with three white stripes. When I saw a pair with green soles, I couldn't resist. A few weeks later, I was playing soccer in them and jammed my toes pretty bad. The nail on each big toe eventually turned black and fell off.
I won a DVS Shoes contest and got all this stuff associated with Keith Hufnagel, one of their riders. I got two pairs of his pro shoe, the one above and another that I gave to a friend, some skateboards, trucks, wheels and shirts. Free stuff is awesome. I wore these shoes for a long time, I loved them. But now I think they're really puffy and make my feet like spaceman feet or something.Styles change and colors fade but I will always like shoes.
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1 comment:
Remley...I share you affinity for shoes. Rock on!
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