I bought my first pair of Converse 17 years ago, and I was smitten. They were black, low-top Chuck Taylor All-Stars– rubber sides and toe caps adorned with the markedly chunky print of teenage-girl graffiti, canvas body softened and faded by devout wear. They were classic, comfortable, and maybe even cool by certain standards.
I recently decided to buy a new pair of Chucks, inspired in part by “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” in part by my eight-year-old daughter’s Converse-copycat Payless Airwalks, and in part by what my husband so lovingly refers to as my “midlife crisis” (which, if you do the math, has me kicking the bucket by 62, so I may as well live it up with my footwear while I can).
I had no desire to play the part of old-lady-clinging-to-youth for the entertainment of mall rats too young to have seen the eponymous film in theaters, so I ordered the shoes online. I waited with eager anticipation for them to arrive, but as soon as I took them out of the box, I knew these weren’t the Chucks of my youth.
Compared to the shoes in my memory, the new ones were too light. I tried them on, and my feet confirmed what my eyes already knew: the rubber soles weren’t nearly as thick as they used to be, and the canvas felt cheaper, too. I went back to the online store to make sure I’d ordered the right ones, but I had. It was just that the “right” ones weren’t so right anymore.
As it happens, the day my anticlimaxes arrived was the same day I tried out my French press for the first time. Before you call me a coffee snob, let me just say: my friends gave me the press as a gift. It was time-consuming and a little messy, but it made a cup of coffee that kicked my automatic drip’s ever-loving ass. I may quite possibly be ruined for life.
I sat with my (ridiculously snobbish but) exquisite cup of coffee and did a quick Google search to find out what had gone so terribly wrong with my beloved sneakers, and what I learned made perfect sense. A few years after I got my first pair, Converse was sold to Nike and production was moved from the United States to China. Evidently quality was lost in translation.
When my daughter came home from school and found me wearing shoes that resembled hers– not only in appearance but now, clearly, in quality as well– she was excited and even a little jealous. She told me that I was lucky I got the All-Stars because they were better than her Airwalks for “walking on your toes.” And while I had to concede that that was a valid, if moot, point, it made me realize: Our consumer culture has settled for mediocrity.
The fact that my child is so accustomed to her knock-off shoes as to consider the demonstrably decreased-quality Converse to be superior is telling. We’ve accepted crappy shoes in place of decent ones, quickly dripped coffee instead of a well-crafted brew. We want what’s cheap and convenient, and usually, that’ll do for me.
But these shoes I’m wearing– I wish they were a little more classic, a little more comfortable, maybe even a little more cool by certain standards. If I could just have my old Chucks back, I’d even let you call me a sneaker snob.
i assume that by “devout” wear you mean “a lot”.
i just ruminated on that sentence for far too long. almost want to jesus juke you.
Dude, I think you kinda just did.
You should check out some Vibram 5 Fingers. Now those are skippy.
Oh man…this is right on. I feel like I bemoan this daily, to the point of being a broken record.
I hate that Transformers are now injection-molded plastic pieces of junk. I just wrote about knockoffs yesterday but this captures it so much better.
Ha! My chucks were maroon plaid and awesome. I think I retired them about the same time I retired my hemp necklace – you know the kind that dont ever come off, even for a shower or a dip in the gorge?
And I can’t believe you have not known the wonders of a French press until now! Snappy and I got G on board years ago! Enjoy it, and when you see one on sale, grab it to keep in the box until the day the one you have breaks, for it will surely break one terrible day.
…make that *necklaces. Stupid ipad is always rewriting stuff for me, and then it’s a PITA go go back and fix!
Mine were high-top, two-tone blue Vans from Robby’s Sporting Goods (Champs big brother)…and I am, admittedly, a sneaker snob. Now – the coffee press, that I have not yet tried though it calls my name every time I walk by it at my $4-latte-cafe. You capture the essence of people so well. Wise beyond your years, but definitely NOT mid-life.
My husband received a gift certificate that was for a custom design Chuck Taylors. They should arrive today and we’ll see if they are any different than the kind you can pick up at Le Target.
Have him read this first so his expectations are lowered. I kept turning my nose up at the Target version, and now I think I’ve just paid slightly more for only slightly better. (sigh)
The shoes arrived that day – sorta ookie I gotta say. He loves them. I’m not sure if they are as thick as he remembers them being but he loves the customized version. Red shoes, black laces and grommets, dark purple interior/inside of tongue. He also has a pair of navy blue Vans that he loves, too. Shoes that remind him of his childhood make him smile. Hoping you find some shoes that fit the bill for you!
I loved every single second.
Ah, yes… “Our consumer culture has settled for mediocrity.”
Enjoy the shoes as best you can… preferably while enjoying a cup of your French pressed coffee, you snob, you!
For what it’s worth, Airwalk used to be high end skateboarding shoes only able to be purchased in surf/skate shops. I used to own some as a teen growing up at the beach living that lifestyle. (I also owned some Chuck Taylors back in the day) Like you though, imagine my horror the first time I saw them in Payless of all places, or what were once considered high end dirt bikes, Mongoose, being sold in Walmart. Things change for the worse it seems and we now sound like our parents. Ahh the good old days.
I remember thinking of Airwalks and Vans as the same type of shoe. Now, not so much.
If we have to sound like our parents, at least it can be regarding (once-)awesome footwear.
Converse by John Varvatos are the closest thing to old style Chucks. They are heavier, with a thicker, cushier sole, and the canvas is sturdier. I have the slip-on, no-lace variety, and I love them. They cost a little more, but they’re totally worth it. And they put the new All Stars to shame.
You’re a snob. Of course, I understand where you’re coming from on both the shoe AND coffee tip. No fashion guru am I, but last year I went on the quest for the perfect Vans. Took me weeks, but I found those black beauties eventually. Gotta love the eBay.
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