For some reason, when humans are in possession of a clean, white item, it becomes a moral responsibility to keep them clean. This is the sole reason (shoe pun extremely intentional) that until now, I have avoided white sneakers. Sneakers clearly are one of my favorite things on the planet, but for my entire life I have turned away from white sneakers because I didn’t have the energy to spot-clean them every time I stepped outside.
Back in the day, it was embarrassing to have obviously new Converse sneakers. We used to grind our brand new Converse into the dirt and rough them up before debuting them at school. The white on the soles of new Converse is one of the most light-reflective surfaces known to man! They look like glowing white rubber hoverboards strapped to your feet. Very uncool.
But fast forward to 2016 and I am seeing street style queens wearing white Converse All-Star hi-tops with torn up jeans, comfy hoodies, bomber jackets, and quaintly disheveled outfits.
These looks balance the perfect combination of showing people you don’t care too much about what you’re wearing through your distressed denim, cut-offs, grungy separates, or playsuits… then show everyone how much you absolutely do care about your appearance by wearing all of that with meticulously pristine, white hi-top sneakers which are almost formal by comparison. The fact that hi-top sneakers are so casual and athletic also contributes to the cute don’t care/do care thing. Contradictions are fun! Play with them often!
I’ll be honest, though – I’m a little bit scared of white shoes. I’m not an inherently tidy person, and I spend a lot of time tromping through the forest and mud. The way these shoes look is so alluring, though, that I would probably be willing to stay out of mud puddles while wearing some. Besides, there’s nothing a little bleach and an old toothbrush can’t fix, right?
To celebrate the return of this preppy-meets-punk hi-top sneaker, I have rounded up my 15 favorite outfits featuring the ubiquitous white Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star hi-top sneakers.
Outfit Trends on the Web: White Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars Hi-Tops
The best place to pick up a pair of white Converse hi-tops is from Zappos for $55 with free shipping.
Let’s pretend for a moment that it’s possible to pick future trends and magically make them occur: white hi-tops with formal wear and cocktail dresses. Can we make this a winter trend? I’m pretty sure that white hi-tops will look super cute with pretty much all of the tights. Long dress, short dress, I don’t even care. Treating clean, white hi-tops like a pair of neutral, semi-formal heels is my new favorite concept.
What do you think of the return of hi-top sneakers?