It’s Throwback Thursday here on The Style Safari and I’m taking it back to the old school, ’cause I’m an old fool, who’s so cool….
Please tell me you know that song. If you don’t, this post is probably not for you. Hah! No really, I’m excited to partner with Famous Footwear on this post because the subject matter is something that is right up my alley: 90’s throwback sneakers.
With all the yeezy’s and the flyknits launching every day it’s easy to walk into a footwear store and get sucked into buying one of these newfangled models that inevitably leaves you wishing you just bought a good old classic pair of sneakers. I have fallen into this trap a few times, yet always come back to my favorite 3 sneakers: Converse All Stars, Vans Asher Slip Ons, and Adidas shell toes, which were all popular when I was in middle and high school.
I wore the Adidas non-stop from probably 8 years old because I played soccer, and it was the shoe to slip on and off post practice and games. But then they morphed into my sneaker for tennis matches (which I’m not sure was that smart) and basically every activity beyond. Truthfully, I wore Adidas shell toes lonnnng after they ‘weren’t cool anymore’ into college.
Post college living in New York I switched to the Vans Asher Slip Ons, and have been known to rock them on this very blog from time to time (see here and here). I am actually currently in need of a new pair because I buy white (obviously) and they will be perfect in a few weeks for stroller walks when I just need to slip my feet into something comfortable.
A few years ago I bought my first pair of Converse All Stars and never looked back. I have so many posts where I’m rocking them, (see here, here and here). Because of the high top (my personal choice) and the lacing, they are the perfect styling option to counteract a flowing dress or a mini skirt, and I love that even with leggings and a jean jacket they look cool. I always recommend buying classic white since I think white shoes add the exclamation point on any look, making any outfit look so fresh and so clean, clean.
Since Converse All Stars can really be thrown back way further than the 90’s I did a little research on their history and found it quite fascinating that I am wearing a shoe that is officially 100 years old. Here is a little background:
The Converse Rubber Shoe Company was created by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908. The first rendition of the modern All Star was designed in 1917, and marketed under the name “Non-Skids”, which makes sense because these shoes definitely have traction!
In 1923, American basketball player Charles “Chuck Taylor” played for a basketball team sponsored by the Converse Shoe Company called The Converse All Stars. The more he wore the shoes, the more he was able to sell and influence some of the future design changes that we see today, such as the iconic star patch on the ankle of the shoe. A variety of professional basketball players soon wore All Stars and they became extremely popular for basketball players and watchers alike. In the coming decades, All Stars were being worn by athletes in the Olympics, and during the second world war American soldiers began to wear All Stars while in training.
(Read more about Converse All Stars here on Wikipedia)
I love that Famous Footwear is throwing it back to these classic sneaker styles by relaunching them all in their stores and online, and reminding us that classics are meant to be worn, not stared at. Now I’m just trying to figure out where I can get a super mini baby pair for the little one that’s on the way!
Shop my Look:
Converse Sneakers // Stripe Leggings // Bag // Jacket // Hat
Thank you to Famous Footwear for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own!
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