The other day, I was shopping for new sneakers at DSW, which despite losing two of my credit card numbers, still has my brand loyalty when it comes to shoe buying. I found some cool New Balance 574s, but that was actually less important than what else I found - the shoes I wanted, wanted, wanted as a kid but never had - all black Chuck Taylor Converse All-Star high-tops. Wow. I was stunned and psyched. I had to try them on, and the more I walked around in them, the more I thought, "These might actually work." I loved high-top All-Stars as a kid and had a black pair with white trim, but the bad-ass Chuck Taylors were all black. So there I am in DSW some 20 years or so later actually thinking about buying them. They are still bad-ass, by the way.
But I said no - not practical, too much extra money, blah, blah adult stuff. But since that day I've been thinking about those shoes, remembering how much I loved them as a kid and how fun it would be to rock them around NYC as an "adult." I haven't gone back to the store yet to even look at them again, but this week DSW sent me a $5 coupon as a birthday gift (a nice brand touch, BTW, much better than the "your credit card numbers were stolen" letter), so I think I'll have to give in. Not to peer pressure, but to brand pressure from my past still calling. Bad-ass Chuck Taylors...
