Posts with tag trainers

Gola brand shoes have been popular in the United Kingdom for over one hundred years. Yes, 100 years. Anything that can stay in style that long has got to have something going for it.

It is believed that the name is Gola is an anagram of 'goal,' which led to their first ad campaign "Gola means Goals" which you may have noticed sitting totally stolen in homage atop this post (followed by some lame attempt at a football tie-in, but what do we know, we call it soccer).

In a desperate attempt to get more Chuck Taylors on the feet of hipsters everywhere (not that they need that much help), Converse has turned to the world of music for guidance. Using the talents of Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Pharrell Williams of NERD and The Neptunes, and Santogold, the company hopes to form a music collaboration so awesome that the sneakers will go flying off the shelves. But, you know, in a cool way.

They have also filmed a video, in which the sneakers will be featured prominently. Let's see if they can pull this off as a music video with sneakers and not a commercial with new music.

As someone who has already bought into the scruffy Chuck Taylor lifestyle, we don't need any additional convincing. However, as cool as this collaboration sounds, we can't help but wonder just how effective it will actually be. There must be some tween-y skateboarders who will go nuts for it.

As someone who has both studied art intensively for the past six years and lovingly worn Chuck Taylor All-Stars for about just as long, seeing these DIY'd Chucks fills my cold heart with joy. These otherwise normal black Chucks have been custom painted in the style of archaic Greek red-figure pottery (learn more about that style here). I tried painting a pair of white Chucks in the style of Mondrian when I was in high school, but I somehow managed to screw that up. Always paint one side at a time, kids. Anyway, seeing these shoes inspires me to get creative with my own sneakers. I have a pair of new off-white Chucks that are screaming for something fun.

Recently, the creator of these red-figure Chucks started to take commissions, but because of the time and detail involved, the price tag would run a bit high, up in the $200 zone. Honestly, though, with some research in the style, healthy dose good old patience, and some acrylic paints mixed with textile medium should be enough for anyone to do this at home. Contact information can be found at the "Read" link.

From the feet of 1970s punks to the tenth Doctor of Doctor Who, Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, often affectionately called "Chucks", have been everywhere. Sure, they don't offer optimal arch support and, since Nike bought the shoe and moved production overseas, the quality is not as fine as it once was, but the look is too classic to pass up. They go well with jeans or casual skirts and even serve as a nice way of toning down dressy pants.

Also, Chucks hold the strange honor of being the only shoe that most people usually like better dirty and worn-in. Pristine new Chucks are actually a bit blinding and scary... But old Chucks with blackened toes, small holes worn in the sides, and fraying laces, instead of looking sad, they look loved, like a loyal pair of shoes that have joined you on every adventure of your life. Have I made it obvious enough that I love my Chucks?

Here's a helpful hint for finding cheap Chucks: While hunting in the clearance sections of shoe stores (or even online, like on eBay), take a look in the men's section as well. Labels on all the boxes are unisex, so no need to convert your shoe size to men's. On more than one occasion I've managed to find a criminally cheap pair of Chucks just because I took the time to peek.

I recently developed a gaping hole in the back of my favorite pair of low-top Chuck Taylors (I love them ever so much), so I had no choice but to purchase another pair. Since someone did a really crummy job with the shoelaces, I had to re-do them, and, instead of doing the usual cross-lacing, I wanted to try straight-lacing (pictured). I jumped online to find out the easiest way to go about it.

I stumbled across a website called Ian's Shoelace Site, which has illustrated instructions for 31 different ways to tie shoelaces. These styles range from the normal (criss-cross lacing) to the intricate (checkerboard lacing), but are all practical.

By the way, some of these will probably look a little ridiculous on a full-grown person, but if you know of any kids that are looking to have some fun with their shoes, totally go to town. I know any kid sporting the checkerboard would have been a huge hit on my elementary school playground.