A Love Letter To The Chuck Taylor II

On July 28, 2015 Converse released a sequel to arguably the most popular and recognized sneaker of all time, the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star. Originally basketball shoes, the original Chuck Taylor or “Chucks” became a fashion icon seen on every one from superstar rock drummer Tommy Lee to Tommy the kid down the street. Black canvas, white laces, the classic logo made Chucks the quick, easy, fashion choice that goes with everything. Hell, I wore a pair in my wedding.

There was one small problem with Chucks. A problem that became more pronounced as Gen Xers who adopted them as their footwear of choice began to notice as they aged. Comfort. Originally designed in 1917 to 1917 standards comfort was not a consideration. These were basketball shoes meant to be worn on the court, not all day on college campuses and all nights in bars discovering grunge music. So, it was time for a sequel.

The Chuck Taylor All Star II started with the standard design, but then modernized it, made it slicker looking using modern fabric, more lightweight rubber, a wider toe box, and as a result of Converse joining the Nike corporation Lunarlon technology. The Lunarlon insert meant a revolution in comfort for long time Chuck wearers.

I headed to the Kenwood Towne Centre as soon as they were available and went home with one pair of all three colors, red, black and white. Personally, I loved the look. It was a modern, more sleek look that the original. An almost wet look fabric that was at the same time modern and classic. Available in classic high tops and low tops, these shoes spoke to me. They felt great, looked cool and became an instant staple of my daily wardrobe. More colors came including blue, maroon and eventually more bold choices.

I wore these shoes almost daily, the times I made a fashion choice to wear one of my many pair of classic Chucks I instantly longed for the comfort of Lunarlon technology. I bought more pairs of these beloved shoes eventually being able to match any outfit with Chuck IIs. It was glorious.

Of course, I was blissfully unaware of market forces working behind the scenes to destroy my life. While I adored the shoes and spoke their benefits to wide footed friends and family who had long shunned the original Chuck Taylor, apparently I was in the minority. I saw the shoes on friends, and in public, but suddenly I was hearing about Chuck 70 and noticed my beloved shoes were no longer on store shelves and in marketing emails. Despite the great look (IMHO) obvious comfort, and modern technology, audiences were not connecting with these shoes. And apparently weren’t buying them either.

I found myself in a unique situation. My favorite shoe all time was no longer available. I found a pair of low-cut black Chuck Taylor shoes which had become my primary foot vehicle and put them in a closet. I should have bought 100 pair.

Remarkably in addition to the new design, apparently these shoes also included by choice of material a surprising resiliency and longevity not seen in original Chucks or any other shoe id ever owned. I’m not a sneaker hear and I didnt really do anything special to maintain the shoes other than a quick cleaning when necessary and replacement laces as needed, the shoes still wore well, felt great and looked pretty good.

I recently took all of my shoes and gave them a deep clean, brightened the toe caps and sides with the magical Magic Eraser and re-laced them all. I could probably get years more use out of these.

So here we are. I’m an old man wearing a shoe no one liked and loving them like they are red carpet fashion. Chuck Taylor All Star II, I love you, I miss you, and I’ll wear you with pride until you disintegrate off my very feet.