Get in the Van(s)

Until a couple of weeks ago, I'd never owned a pair of Vans shoes. Like a lot of people who didn't grow up in California, my first exposure to them was seeing the checkerboard slip-ons on Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which came out almost 30 years ago (bonus: there's your feel-old moment for the day).

I was the right age at the time to think they were cool, but back then my taste and eye for clothing were not yet quite so well developed. Fast-forward to today, when I know just what I want but often have trouble finding it amid the dross of mass-market stuff.

I prefer things that are simple and unadorned, which is why I stay away from modern athletic shoes that have a tendency to look like spaceships. I was looking for plain white canvas casual sneakers, and was leaning toward Converse Jack Purcells but I have never cared for the rubber toe cap. Somehow my online meanderings led me to Vans. There were dozens of styles and colors to ponder; I considered ordering a customized pair, but when I saw that they would take 5 to 7 weeks I ditched that idea.

Further browsing presented me with the idea of the classic Vans Authentic in leather instead of canvas. At Zappos they happened to be cheaper, only $3 more than the canvas version; the slightly off-white hue looked more appealing compared to pure white, and I thought the leather gave them a slightly... well, "dressier" obviously isn't how I want to express it, so let's go with "nicer"... look.

When I first put them on I was surprised at how light they were; it was almost like not wearing any shoes. They are plenty wide enough for my problematic feet, and are easy to wear. They have no arch support whatsoever, but the insole is a half-inch of foam padding so they're fine for the amount of waling I do on a typical day.

They're also moderately priced, generally $45–50, making it feasible to have several pairs if one so chooses. I'm not saying that's going to happen; at this point I have enough other summer sneakers to rotating among that I'm fine with this pair, but I may want to add some other colors down the road...