If you’re going to wear all white…you need white shoes.
I wanted something casual, something very like Converse, with the versatility and casual style of Converse…but maybe not quite Converse. Something unfamiliar and new. Maybe something more in the classic tennis sneaker silhouette….And so I browsed.
months elapse
Finally I went for these classic Supergas (via Zappos). A few weeks after coming across the brand online I saw a woman on the train wearing some red ones with a dress and some funky glasses, which was advertisement enough. Supergas are like the Converse of Italy, with a sturdier canvas upper and a [much] heavier sole (though both benefit from some kind of insole). They have pleasing seam detailing along the sides that makes them more interesting than the ultra-plain tennis shoes (why are they called that? You couldn’t properly play tennis in them at all – they have almost zero support) in addition to being better constructed and more durable. [And here is a random tidbit for you: Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen are the current artistic directors of Superga.]
They have the inbuilt impracticality of all white things vulnerable to stain and wear, and we know how I like impracticality. [As if one pair of impractical white shoes were not enough.] I’ve treated them with a fabric protector to extend the life as long as possible but I understand this can only accomplish so much. So be it.