Vans slip-ons: "the unofficial sneaker of Summer 2007" ?

[doktor avalanche]

i agree keds look better BUT UH VANS were around way before most skate shoes and have a pretty good skate team, and arent really looked down upon by the skate community, so to imply only wannabes wear them is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY OFF LIMITS on your part.

 

[fashion_boi_01]

I tried on a pair once, they looked like clown shoes on me, especially with tapered jeans.
I'm not really a fan of them, but I do like these Marc Jacobs ones.. they give kind of a Raf Simons vibe:

caliroots.com

 

[Lena]

i .......and arent really looked down upon by the skate community, so to imply only wannabes wear them is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY OFF LIMITS on your part.

well, sorry sir, but in my part of the woods, 'serious/longtime' skaters DO laugh with anyone sporting Vans, sorry

i know cause i asked some

even though i find them a bit too 'winter-y' for summer, the MJ's posted above are much better than Vans

 

[Beautiful Stranger]

i do own a red-white checked pair, but i rarely use it. Only if i'm running to the local supermarket or something, as it takes 3 secs to slip them on.

 

[Moda]

I like my Vans, I have a pink/brown checkered pair that I haven't worn in a while.

 

[Nyx]

Slip-ons are the official childrens' shoe of Summer 2007. I swear every pre-teen here has them. Do wear them if you want to look like your mum dressed you.

 

[Dustcakeboy]

I don't own any Vans, although I do own a pair of slip-onz everyone seems to think are Vans. They're by sicko-nineteen, in a pink and brown pattern.

I'm become totally desensitised to Vans, I mean they've been everwhere in my area for years and I don't hold any positive connotations regarding them. The only positive association I can think of is that Lovefoxxx of CSS fame wore them when I saw them live. *gusheswithhappiness*

 

[benny_c]

I had a pair of black and red checkerboards for a very long time, one of the best pairs of shoes I ever owned.

Very durable and comfortable.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

I got a pair of those from Gucci. I knew it'd be fashionable soon when I saw it there, haha.

 

[benny_c]

So Gucci were copying Vans eh?

 

[John_M.]

I'm with the majority who says that Vans are more relegated towards the skate/Goth/punk crowd. I usually say that not everyone has to be in love with or be indulged in rock music. Well, I'm not seriously sold on Vans. I don't care if every celebrity or music star ranging from Jay-Z to Texas' own Jessica Simpson are parading around in Vans slip-ons... I too think they're too much for the trashy crowd. Am I saying people are dopes for wearing Vans? Absolutely not, even speaking as a guy. I've just disliked the mainstreaming of the punk/skate crowd just for people to act all hard and stuff. Again, I wouldn't wear Vans slip-ons or anything like Vans. Don't usually like to sport such style. In fact, my style is just that- me. I follow no specific crowd for musical influence. I'm just me. Dustcakeboy in Post #47 commented that he wore some slip-ons that most people passed off as Vans. It's why I say "Vans-style" shoes, because people are usually going to copy the style of another shoe and come up with their own version so that no one shoemaker has a certain unique shoe. Take the Skechers Bikers series of mary jane sneakers for example (like this one: http://www.skechers.com/catalog/bro...Tag&srccode=cii_9324560&cpncode=07-27214284-2 ). It's a very popular shoe, but it doesn't mean that other makers wouldn't have their own style of this shoe. Enter Champion's style: the Jasmine mary jane sneaker ( http://www.payless.com/Catalog/Prod...e=Youth&Popularity=254&DescriptiveColor=Black ). Where I'm getting at is that people will still pass off most shoes as the regular creator's work. Regardless, it's still Vans-style stuff.

The last thing I hope for is that people TRY to make this the shoe of Summer by wearing these on the beach and trying to be chic with Summer fashion. One thing you have to admit about these shoes- people who have clean and white Vans would be able to use their artistic skills to dress them up however they want. But still, my all-year sneakers are my brown Skechers.

 

[Diorling]

So Gucci were copying Vans eh?

Those Lanvin sneakers everyone was/is freaking out over were direct Vans knockoffs. Balenciaga kind of knocked them off too...

HELL, everyone knocked it off...

Im loving ProKeds too, they're so damn hard to find though.

 

[Alejandro]

I have pro keds, i wear them to work in all black, i got them at the damn walmart!

 

[Alejandro]

I dont like the slip ons at all, I have two pairs of the Marc jacobs collaborations that i got for free from a SA, and they're sitting in my closet waiting for a day I feel like wearing them, but no.

I personally like better the ones with shoelaces.

 

[Diorling]

...Really? Which MJs did you get? What size? Details...

 

[libby_bee]

I wore them in grade school in the 80s, then got back into the checkered ones in the late 90s. I'm pretty sure this "2007 trend" started several years ago.

 

[Alejandro]

The high top laceup vans in plain beige canvas with the navy striped inside, and the other pair is just plain white. Both size 12.

 

[Angyl]

I was always more of a Converse girl and I agree Vans are more of a skate/punk thing. I still wear converse slip-ons occasionally, but I'm more inclined toward the Keds ballet flats nowadays.

 

[esile]

I personally like better the ones with shoelaces.

i agree, i like the laced ones more. not as trendy.

 

[tangerine]

...

Sincerely Vans slip-ons are worn in the same subcultures as Converse and have been enjoying the equivalent rise in popularity for the last few years so, once again, GQ is late to the party...

Couldn't have said it better myself, sir.

Plenty of skaters of my acquaintance wear Vans, but not slip-ons.

Many San Francisco bike messengers can be seen wearing slip-ons, though, and they would laugh loudly if you told them they were some kind of wannabees.

As far as fashion trends, though, Ale has it right; the hot ticket in these parts at least is the low, laced authentics and eras.

I like slip-ons when travelling by air; so easy at security gates!