Sneaker Freaker

GABRIELLA / MAMA / SAN FRANCISCO / CONVERSE ALL-STAR

When Mafia asked me to pick my favorite sneaker release of 2007, I had to dig deep in my mind to filter out previous year’s releases. I started out looking at my shoes one by one but the line between late-2006 and early-2007 kept blurring. Luckily, I’m a bit obsessive and I usually blog about my shoe purchases so I went through my archive to see what sneaks came my way this year.

The shoes that got me most excited were the two Nike Dunk High iDs that I made at the New York studio – but they weren’t ‘releases’ so it was back to the blog archive. After going through a few more months, I remembered the pair of black Chuck Taylor Highs I picked up in April during a visit to LA. I didn’t pay it any mind at first. After all, the shoe has been in release for the last 90 years. Not very new. Not very hyped. I went through a few more months of my shoe blog-obsessiveness but my mind kept going back to those Chuck Taylors. My decision was made final when I realized I was wearing them at that moment!

2007 has simply been about loud shoes: fifteen different colors on a shoe, twenty different materials or a sometimes horrific combination of the two. Enough is enough, at least for me, and I noticed that in 2007 I was definitely keeping it more back-to-basics. Lots of black and white, dark or black denim and simple accessories. The Chuck Taylor fits in perfectly with my classic style.Though not the most comfortable shoe (Air Max and Frees take the cake for comfort), I think the Chuck Taylor High pulls together any outfit. The musical history can’t be ignored – whether you’re evoking a greaser, punk rock misfit or a grungy hipster – the Chuck Taylor holds a place in fashion/ music history. You can’t go wrong with the classic black and white colorway and I love the way the white mid-sole is getting dyed blue from my denim. I got my first pair of Converse Chuck Taylors when I was thirteen, and twenty years later, they are my release of the year.