Conversation and commentary from people who care about chucks.

Personal Stories and Opinions
Teenager Puts Shoes on the Feet of Needy Kids	The $3500 Pair of Chucks	Friday Is Chucks Day At Lakewood Elementary School
Forget the Booties! Bronze Your Chucks!	Change Your Mind, Mom!	Weight Lifting in Chucks
Make My Day!
Chucks Fashion and Lifestyles
The Chuck Taylor Reform	Converse Teams Up With DC Comics
New Gorrilaz Chucks Now Available	Chuck Taylor Boots	Core Red High Tops Are Now Product Red
2012 Models of Chucks Announced	Tuesday is Wear Your Chucks to Work Day	The First Lady Wears Chucks!
Don’t Wear Flip-Flops, Wear Chucks!	Purple Chucks A New Hot Color	Converse Introduces the Mid High Top
Going Green	The Case For Classic Laces	Living in the City
New Lines of Shoelaces Now Available	Target and Converse One Stars Team Up	Triangle Lacing Pattern. A New Way Gains Popularity
Gift Ideas for People Who Like Chucks	Product Red Chucks: Converse Makes a Statement.	Mismatched Chucks -- The New 2-Tone?
Chucks in the Media
Cocoa Rhythm Factory	Performing the Bard in High Top Chucks	Book 6 of the Hunter & Holmes Mystery Series Is Now Available.
The ChucksConnection is on Facebook.	New Blog About Converse Shoes	Talented Young Actors Like Wearing Black High Top Chucks.
Chucks -- The Book!	A Book About the Life of Chuck Taylor Now Available.	Chucks in Films--What Do the Statistics Say?
Go to the Films with Chucks Index.	Go to the Articles about Chucks Index.	Go to the Television Shows with Chucks Index.
What's New at The ChucksConnection
New Film Listings: All of the film pages have been redone with new graphics, pictures of the DVD covers, and a better design. 2011 Films: Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules, Super 8. 2010 Films: Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Final, Flipped, Chasing 3000, Harriet The Spy: Blog Wars, Letters to God, My Soul To Take, Skyrunners. 2009 Films: Alabama Moon, Aliens in the Attic, Gran Torino, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, The Haunting in Connecticut, Hotel for Dogs, Inspiration Point, Polar Storm, Power Kids, Push, 17 Again, Step Up 3D, The Uninvited. Other New Listings: Amityville 1992: It's About Time, Blinker en de Blixvaten, Camp Rock, Casper Meets Wnedy, Dishdogz, Ernest Scared Stupid, Humboldt County, Munchie, A Place Called Home, Richie Rich, Twister, Watching the Detectives.	New or Updated Photo Galleries: The 2012 Catalogue of Chucks is now posted on the Shoe Report page in the form of four Flash galleries and four standard photo galleries for devices not supporting Flash. 2012 High Top Chucks, 2012 Low Cut Chucks, 2012 Chucks for Little Kids, Toddlers, and Infants, and 2012 Slip On Chucks. Chucks Worn by Little Kids in Ads. Chucks Worn by Older Teens and Young Adults in Ads. Chuck Taylor Shoe Ads. Ads for Shorts with Chucks. Chucks Appearing in Levi's and Jeans Ads. Black Brushed Canvas High Top Chucks. Black Stonewashed Canvas High Top Chucks. Deep Lichen High Top Chucks. Gull Grey High Top Chucks. Red Stonewashed Canvas High Top Chucks. Ads With Older Teens and Adults Wearing Chucks. Preteen Boys and Girls Wearing Chucks in Ads. People Wearing Black Chucks. Shoe Ads for Chucks. Purple High Top Chucks. Double Details High Top Chucks. Orange Chucks. Grey Chucks. Black Low Cut Chucks-Closeups. Monochrome Black Chucks. People Wearing White Chucks. People Wearing Black Chucks. People Wearing Red Chucks.	New Articles or Stories: Television page article about Glee. Film Review of Skyrunners. Film Review of Alabama Moon, Film Review of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Film Review of Balloon Farm. Film Review of My Soul To Take. Film Review of Skin Walkers. Film Review of Monkey Trouble. Film Review of Push. Film Review of Richie Rich. Film Review of Robocop 3. Film Review of Desert Bloom. Film Review of Polar Storm. Film Review of Blind Dating. Film Review of The Rocker. Film Review of Cool Runnings. Film Review of The Final Season. Film Review of Power Kids. Film Reveiw of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Film Review of Chasing 3000, Film Review of Spy Kids, Film Review of The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, Film Review of My Bodyguard, Film Review of The Warriors. Film Review of A Perfect World, Film Review of Breakin'. Film Review of Letters to God. Film Review of Commando. Film Review of Ripe. Film Review of Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning. Film Review of The Univited. Film Review of Agent Cody Banks 2. Film Review of SpaceCamp.
How to Participate in Chuck Talk. Let us know what you think! We are also happy to try and answer your questions and inquiries about chucks, and listen to what you are thinking about. If you have some opinions, information, pictures, suggestions, or an article to submit, just click on the link, How to Participate in Chuck Talk to access our email address. If you are knowledgable about chucks and are interested in writing for Chuck Talk on a regular basis, contact us at mail@chucksconnection.com.

The Chuck Taylor Reform

The Chuck Taylor reform is a new seasonal model that is designed for summer wear or wear in warm climates. There are a few changes in the traditional look of the black Chuck Taylor basketball shoe. This is the first black high top released in the United States to have a red racing stripe between the upper and the foxing, instead of the traditional black stripe. The lower stripe has been eliminated and replaced with a red embossed Chuck Taylor signature on the outside white foxing. The words All Star on the heel patch are also embossed.

 

Two views of the Black/Red/White Chuck Taylor Reform high top.

The upper is made of nylon material, so the shoe ends up being even lighter than the traditional canvas high top. Another difference is the added stitching across the inside edge of the toe cap. These shoes are manufactured in Vietnam so the toe caps are more rounded, unlike the made in China models which cut off the toe caps in a straight line. The soles are different, made ultra light, with two of the panel parts dyed red. The eyelets on this model have been painted white, instead of the traditional silver or metal grey color.

 

The Reform has two red panels in the sole. Close up of the Chuck Taylor signature.

The Chuck Taylor Reform also comes in a low cut model.

 

Outside view of a right black/red Chuck Taylor Reform low cut shoe.

Converse Teams Up With DC Comics.

Check out these new comic print high tops featuring Superman and Batman. All the shoes feature canvas uppers with screenprint graphics. The Superman high top is a red and white print on the inside panel of each shoe and a red, blue, and black print on the outside. The interior is blue. On the outside, the canvas print shows a picture of Superman. The inside patch side has a 3D Superman logo in red. On the tongue of the shoe is the word Superman. The basic shoe is a white canvas high top with white shoelaces. The ankle patch is black and red. The interior is royal blue.

From Krypton to Converse. Clark Kent’s alter ego boldly goes on the All Star sneaker in this Converse and DC Comics collaboration.

There are two Batman high top prints on black canvas. On the black and blue model, the canvas uppers feature a multipaneled blue print of Batman images. The inside patch is black and white. The tongue of each shoe has a Batman logo. The interior is black with yellow print. This model comes with white shoelaces.

Caped Crusader. DC Comics and Converse join forces to fight the powers of evil with the new Batman Chuck Taylor sneakers.

The black and yellow Batman shoe comes with black shoelaces and a black and yellow ankle patch. The outside panel print is a black and grey full image of Batman with a yellow cape. The inside print is a circular Batman logo. The tongue has a second Batman logo on a yellow background. The interior of the shoe is yellow with black print on the inside of the tongue.

The caped crusader pounds the pavement. The caped vigilante is out to stop evil in this Converse and DC Comics collaboration.

Gorillaz Chucks Now Available

Converse® has begun a collaboration with the Gorillaz. It includes four shoes and one song. The song will be a collaboration with the Gorillaz and two other artists who have yet to be named. The Gorillaz Converse Chuck Taylors are now available through our affiliate shoe store. Click on this link to order the high top models or click on this link to order the low cut model.

 

Gorillaz beluga and Camouflage high top chucks.

Gorillaz Sketch low cut and high top chucks.

Gorillaz is an English musical and visual project created in 1997 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. The project consists of Gorillaz's music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters. This band has four animated members: 2D (lead vocalist, keyboard, and melodica), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar and drum machine), Noodle (guitar, keyboard, and occasional vocals) and Russel Hobbs (drums and percussion). Their fictional universe is explored through the band's website and music videos, as well as a number of other media, such as short cartoons.

Chuck Taylor Boots

In the past year, the Converse Company has began to release a series of boots designed for the outdoors. Different models and styles include duck boots and a line called "Thinsulate" which is a light insulated leather upper. With these new releases, the company continues its trend to adapt the Chuck Taylor desing and logo to activities beyond basketball, other sports, and leisure wear.

 

Chuck Taylor duck boot, left, and black Thinsulate boots.

Teenager Puts Shoes on the Feet of Needy Kids

Shawn Esmaili, a junior at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California, was able to get hundreds of pairs of shoes that he donated to poor children in Tanzania and in Haiti. His plan was simple: write to different shoe companies and ask for their assistance. One of the shoe companies was Converse, and this picture shows young Haitian children wearing new pairs of black high top chucks.

Passing on the pleasure of wearing Chuck Taylor high tops to a new generation of Haitian kids.
If you want to donate some shoes to young kids, youth sized pairs of chucks are readily available through this website.

Esmaili worked with the K2 Adventures Foundation to get approximately 600 pairs delivered to an orphanage in Tanzania that cares for children struggling with bindness. Without shoes, children suffer from foot fungus which causes their feet and stomachs to swell. Last summer he went to Haiti with Global Family Philanthropy to deliver new shoes for kids still struggling to survive in the years after the devastating earthquakes. Esmaili has his own organization — Youth Against Poverty, which works to connect more teens with groups that work to help poor and impoverished children around the world. He is working to get official nonprofit status. His website is www.youthagainstpoverty.com.

Core Red High Top Chucks Become Product Red

Converse has announced that its core red chucks will now be sold as part of their Product Red program. The classic red high top now is sold in a beige and red cardboard box, wrapped in tissue paper that contains the slogan "There is no such thing as small change." The shoes come with a Product Red tag tied to the top eyelet on the left shoe. There is no change to the shoes themselves excpet with the eighth or top pair of lacing eyelets on each shoe. Instead of a plain (or red colored eyelet you see on other Product Red shoes), there is a silver eyelet with the word "red" embossed on it. The insoles also have the Product Red logo imprinted in red and black. So the next time you buy a pair of classic core red chucks, you will be supporting the Product Red program.

Inside patch view of a left classic red core high top Chuck Taylor shoe..

Cocoa Rhythm Factory

There is a YouTube video of a percussion group called the Cocoa Rhythm Factory. The group has four players and each player wears a different color of high top chucks that mattches their shirt and baseball caps. Their set up is quite portable so that they can bring their act just about anywhere. You can see a complete video of one their performances at Hershey Park on YouTube.com. A few sample captures are below.

Left to right: Cocoa Rhythm Factory getting set up, several players in performance, guy in red high tops playing the glockenspiel.

The First Lady Wears Chucks!

We have seen people wearing chucks just about everywhere, so it was a pleasant surprise to see our First Lady, Michele Obama, sporting a pair of black low cuts in a recent photo of a White House event. As we continually say on this website, chucks are for all ages and all people. More than ever, chucks are a popular fashion these days. Now if we only could get Barack Obama to wear a pair...

Michele Obama cavorting on the White House lawn with the youth of America.

Performing the Bard in High Top Chucks

Over the years, we have seen an opera, numerous musicals, and plays where characters wear chucks as part of their costuming. But would you ever expect to see Shakespearean actors wearing high tops chucks during a performance?

That's exactly what the Reduced Shakespeare Company does. The three man group from the UK puts on a comedy review where they claim to present all of Shakespeare's works (abridged) in a single evening performance. During their performance they wear Elizabethan costumes but their footwear is black, pine green, and maroon high top chucks. Their performance is a great spoof on the works of Shakespeare involving audience participation, and funny bits like presenting Othello as a rap song and Titus Andronicus as a cooking show.

Their chucks are actually a very good choice of footwear for their performance which includes a lot of running around and pratfalls. Acorn Media has put their show out on a DVD which you can purchase from their website at www.acornmedia.com.

Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor are the actors of the Reduced Shakespeare Company.

The $3500 Pair of Chucks

Don Martin is an auctioneer living in Colorado who loves his red high top chucks. He has some great stories about his chucks and the auctions that he has worked.

"I’ve been wearing chucks on and off since the early sixties. Nine years ago I decided to make them my signature shoe whenever I performed an auction. I exclusively wear red high top chucks and anyone that sees me at one of my charity events will recognize me as the auctioneer even if they might have forgotten the face that goes with them. I auctioned off my chucks at one event a few years back for $3500 to a patron who then gave them to a teenage boy sitting next to him. He handed them to the boy and said, 'Even Michael Jordan doesn’t wear $3500 sneakers'. I have five pair going at any given time so that I always have a super clean pair for when I’m on stage."

If you would like to see Don in action at an auction, check out this video on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=don+martin+auctioneer%5C&aq=f

Don goes on to say, "A few years back I came up with the idea for a cool tattoo of an American Eagle holding a pair of red Cons in its talons and had it done on my leg. See the picture below. It came out really well and draws a lot of comments. Thanks for listening……keep up the good work on the site."

Purple chucks have been around for a long time as a seasonal color, but they never were produced in large quantites. For a while, in the earlier part of this decade, there were even years when no purple chucks were manufactured. Lately Converse has been making a lot of new models in purple shades. At the writing of this article, colors like aster purple, purple passion, and Port Royale were all available as seasonal models. With their ever increasing popularity, chucks in all colors and shades are being worn over the world, and at last purple is all the rage, or should we say rage purple, another popular shade that has been manufactured. But like all seasonal colors there is no guarantee that they will be continued to be manufactured after that one season. So if purple is your favorite color, when you see a shade of purple you like, buy it now!

Purple High Tops Photo Gallery

Converse Introduces Mid High Chucks

Now available for the first time, Converse has introduced the Mid High Top model for chucks lovers who want the look of the high top but not all of the height. This new line of sneakers comes right now in four colors, black, charcoal, royal blue, and white.

To order a pair or get more information about sizing and availability, click here to go the the mid high top section on our home page. Then just click on the icon of the model you would like to purchase.

The ChucksConnection is on Facebook

Look for The ChucksConnection on Facebook. Just search for The ChucksConnection or click on this link and you will find us. Become a friend and get tidbits and other information about new features and what's going on at The ChucksConnection

Look for the ChucksConnection at Facebook.com.

Don’t Wear Flip-Flops, Wear Chucks!

A recent article in USA Weekend magazine discussed the foot problems of people who wear flip-flops a lot. The cheap sandals apparently cause long term damage to your feet, especially if you wear them for extended periods of time. Some of the problems incurred included sore feet, ankles, and legs. They can also cause calluses and cuts and sores in between your toes. The other issue is that your feet are not protected at all when you are out walking or going out places with flip-flops on.

 The article went on to state that “podiatrists have taken a stand against the ubiquitous sandals: Flip-flopping is out.” Long term wear of flip-flops can be very damaging to young people’s feet and it advises parents to have their children wear athletic shoes instead of flip-flops for most of the day. They even show a picture of a young girl lacing up a pair of pink high top chucks.

Protect your feet. Lace up a pair of high top chucks!

At The ChucksConnection , we strongly endorse what they are saying. The best shoes for summer leisure activities, games and just kicking back are a pair of chucks. They are lightweight, the canvas breathes, and once broken in you hardly even realize that you are wearing them. So get into a new tradition and protect your feet at the same time. When spring and summer rolls in, get yourself a new pair of chucks. Then kick back and enjoy the freedom and leisure fun that summer and wearing a pair of chucks represents.

Living in the City

What city streets have these chucks been traveling on?

If you like to people watch, you can go onto the streets of any city in America and find lots of people who like to wear chucks. We thought it would be fun to start featuring some of those people in photo shoots. So every few months, we plan to run photo essays of people wearing chucks with pictures and flash animation slide shows. The first edition of Living in the City is now posted in our photo gallery. Click here to view the gallery.

Book 6 of the Hunter & Holmes Mystery Series is Now Available.

Why sit around playing video games when you can check out the latest Hunter & Holmes mystery?

The sixth novel in the Hunter & Holmes mystery series, Days of Destiny is now available as an online book. The novels are avilable in pdf editions, and for e-readers like the Barne & Noble Nook and the Amazon.com Kindle. You can also order copies for your Apple devices like the iPhone, iPod and the iPad. The mysteries are designed for readers who are 13 years and older.

The Hunter and Holmes Mysteries are about two teenaged boys, Jason Hunter and Daniel Holmes, living in the Silicon Valley in northern California who keep geting involved in solving crimes or unusual events that affect their lives. One fun feature of the series is that these kids are dedicated wearers of chucks. Jason always has on his red high top chucks and would be rocker Daniel always wears black high tops. These two kids and some of their friends are part of tthe local "chucks club" environment, and there are some great comments about chucks that pop up in the dialogue.

"The game is afoot!"

The mystery series is written by Aiden Vaughan with illustrations by Ricardo Carmona. How do two carefree teenagers who like spending their summers days playing sports, riding their bikes, hanging out with their friends, or playing video games end up becoming detectives? As you will find out in the explosive first novel The Kidnapping, the answer is by becoming a crime victim. As the series unfolds, Jason and Daniel become more and more committed to fighting against predators and other criminals who would harm teenagers. If you like mysteries with hobby detectives, you will really like this modern take on the genre!

There are now six mysteries available with a sixth on the way. Check them out at the above links or the Hunter & Holmes website.

The Case For Classic Laces

Laces too long? Get the right size at The ChucksConnection!

We often see photos that people take of themselves wearing their chucks. Many times they don't know what to do with their laces. This is because the Converse Company continues to put one length fits all laces in most of their Chuck Taylor shoe products. In the 1990s they used to be too short for the typical high top and a little long for the low cut. Now the high top model get laces that are approximatley 60 inches or so in length. So a lot of people don't know what to do with the extra lengths of laces on each shoe. The slide show about shows you some examples and some of the solutions which include winding the extra lace around the top of the shoe or coming up with an elaborate lacing idea to hide the excess or use it up.

We have a much better solution. Get yourself some classic laces in the right length for you shoe model. Generally this means a 45 inch lace for models with seven pairs of eyelets, a 54 inch lace for models with eight pair of eyelets, and 63 inch laces for models with nice pairs of eyelets. And of course you can get your laces in many different styles and colors. But whatever you do, stay laced!

New Mystery Series Features Chucks-Wearing Detective Team.

Going Green

With the high price of oil and problems of global warming looming over America and the world, more and more attention is being paid to the green movement. Emphasis is being placed on enviromentally friendly ways of doing things and ways to reduce our dependence on oil. At the same time, we are noticing a lot more green Converse issues! Is this a coincidence or a statement about our future? Just looking at the current green models available, there are a dozen different high top and low cut models in shades of green.

Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, pine green was a core color issue for chucks, but that was ended in the late 1990s, just before the bankruptcy. But every year there have been interesting seasonal issues since the company was reorganized in this century. Some of the recent green issues are bog green, bright green, Celtic green, grapeleaf, kelly green , neon green, oil green, pine green, and trekking green. So whether you like very bright or neon colors or the more forest-like dark green there is a Chuck Taylor high top or low cut model waiting for you. Click here to view our green high top photo gallery.

New Blog About Converse Shoes

If you are the type of Internet user who likes to contribute to blogs, check out this new blog about Converse shoes. Set up by ClassicSportShoes webmaster Sage Fulton, the blog already has some interesting personal comments about chucks, and pictures and information about upcoming rock band influenced releases, including ones for The Who and Pink Floyd.

Friday Is Chucks Day At Lakewood Elementary School

Modesto, California principal Douglas Fraser has a unique way of reaching out to his students: Every Friday he wears a different pair of high top chucks to school, and any student who wears a pair of chucks to school on that day that matches somehow their color is eligible to win a prize. On a typical Friday, dozens of Lakewood students will take him up on the challenge by wearing their own pairs of chucks to school.

The program all started in 1993 when Fraser wrote the Converse Company to ask for a million dollar endorsement deal. Although they not surprisingly rejected the deal, Converse did agree to send him pairs of shoes, and over the years have shipped him over one hundred pairs.

"I thought it would be just a great conversation piece, so I wore them on a Friday and the kids just thought they were really cool," Fraser said. "The whole idea really was that kids should never be scared of having to meet or talk with their principal." With so many pairs to choose from, Fraser has sported all kinds of different prints, patterns, and seasonal colors, as well as core colors, and his favorite, well worn purple high tops that was one of his first pairs.

High top chucks have a unique look and are always noticed when you wear a pair. Why not use them as an icebreaker and a way to bridge the generation gap?

You can read a complete article from the Modesto Bee about Fraser and his weekly wear chucks to school day by clicking on this link.

New Lines of Shoelaces Now Available

White retro shoelaces on core high top chucks; red retro shoelaces on core low cut chucks.

The selection of shoelaces to customize your chucks has never been greater. Now in addition to classic flat athletic or fat shoelaces in a wide variety of colors, you can get retro laces. Retro laces are a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s when the laces issued with chucks were wider than the laces we see now. They are 1/2 inch wide instead of the usual 3/8 inch standard lace but thinner than fat laces which range in width from 3/4 to 7/8 inches. They look great on your high top or low chucks. You can get them in 45" and 54" length. Click here to see a photo gallery of Retro Shoelaces on High Top Chucks. Click here to see a photo gallery of Retro Shoelaces on Low Cut Chucks.

Black and white checkered print shoelaces on core high top chucks; red and silver star print shoelaces on core low cut chucks.

Another popular alternative in shoelace are the print shoelaces that have images or patterns. Two of the most popular are black and white checkered laces and laces with star patterns. The ChucksConnection now carries both styles. Best of all, you can get either style in 45" or 54" lengths, unlike mall stores that only carry them in 45" lengths. Print laces look good in a variety of different lacing pattern besides the traditional ones shown here. They can be worn rolled or flat, or in a combination. Click on the links to view a photo gallery of black and white checkered laces or red star print laces.

Target and Converse One Stars Team Up

Earlier this year Target Stores and Converse announced that they had teamed up for a new line of One Star shoes that would be carried in all of the national chain's stores. This was a step up for Target, as their shoe line consisted primarily of cheap knockoffs of various types of athletic shoes. You know the type, not in a box but displayed opening on racks and for cut rate prices. Now there would be a complete line of One Stars, and Target would be selling an actual brand name athletic shoe.

The original Converse One Star had suede leather uppers.

If you are not familiar with One Stars, they were first issued in the 1980s as Converse's answer to the skateboard craze. They were low cut models, with suede uppers in dark colors like black, navy, or hunter green. The shoes had the basic Chuck Taylor sole, but had different stitching on the sides and back, and a white star that shows through on the sides. They changed the toe cap design, eliminating the white rubber cap, and the suede material went all the way to the toe guards in the front of the shoe. The diamond studded toe guard was made differently also, featuring a single row of small stars. The outer sole were similiar to the familiar Chuck Taylor pattern, but had a One Star imprint and were colored grey. The One Star line had some popularity, but never caught the public's imagination like the Chuck Taylor line did. They were only issued on a seasonal basis, and not every season, and just a couple of issues since the bankruptcy.

A black One star canvas high top; a red oxford low cut.

So this seemed like a good move for Converse, getting renewed functionality out of a shoe line that wasn't going anywhere. Recently The ChucksConnection went to our local Target store to check out the new line. There is one black suede model like the original One Stars, which is the most expensive at $39.95. They also advertise an all-white skateboarder shoe and a big star leather basketball shoe at the same price (although these were not available at the store we checked out). The rest of the line seems like cheap knockoffs of the Chuck Taylor lines that are popular. They all price at around $29.95. There is a black high top, low cut models in blue, white, red, pink, black, and camouflage ($5.00 more), and a couple of slip on and skidgrip models. Unfortunately the workmanship on the new models doesn't seem very high quality. All of the toe caps were cut off in half moon shapes and not aligned with the uppers, like you see in the photographs. It just seemed like you were buying second rate chucks instead of first rate One Stars. Other than the two more expensive suede upper models, all the other shoes seemed like Chuck Taylor wannabes. Imagine, Converse making its own "buddies"! One good thing about them was the fact that they were all available in half sizes, something that Converse has eliminated on most of its seasonal Chuck Taylor issues and is very annoying to customers who wear half sizes. In the long run, they would be better off launching a line that looks like the One Star all the way through, instead of most of the line looking like cheap chucks. For example, a black suede high top that looked like the original One Star low cut, would be more competitive with similar models made by Vans and other skateboard shoe manufacturers. Since you have to pay $39.95 anyway for a good One Star pair, why not just stock real Chuck Taylor canvas shoes? They're still the best!

Change Your Mind, Mom!

It all began long years ago, when I was a teenager...

I wanted to have a pair of high top chucks, but my mother didn't like them! She said a lot of things: they're gonna distort my feet, they're much too expensive for a textile shoe, they're gonna stink, I deserve a better quality shoe...

And, disapointed because lots of my friends had them, I had to obey her. So I got used to harder sport shoes, leather ones, and trekking models...

But I always liked the look of Converse. This summer I decide to buy a pair. Even if they're not comfortable, I would wear them when I don't have to walk long distances. I'm old enough to decide what to buy!

I went to a store, and fell in love with two models: violet (or purple) high tops, and orange with blue inside low cut. I bought them both! I couldn't resist! To my surprise, I have to say they're much more comfortable than what I expected! I wear them all day long!

People from all over the world like to wear chucks.

Mum was wrong! I don't know why lots of mothers don't like chucks, but they should change their minds! Mine are made in Brasil (I live in Argentina) and I don't know how they were made in the '60s or '70s, or the USA made... But I have to say I'm very happy with my two pairs, and I'm gonna buy some more, very soon!

Long live chucks!!!

With happy feet and a great look
Analia Wainer
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Talented Young Actors Like Wearing Black High Top Chucks.

While there are many child actors that we see for a film or two, it takes real talent, perserverance (and a good agent!) to constantly work in the film industry on quality projects. The icing on the cake for chucks enthusiasts is when these talented actors wear chucks in their films. And even better is when you discover that these actors really like their chucks, and wear them off camera all the time.

Anton Yelchin is climbing the heights of Hollywood in black high top chucks.

One of these rising young stars is Anton Yelchin. He has now appeared in four major films wearing black high top or low cut chucks. In Hearts in Atlantis Yelchin appeared with Anthony Hopkins as a young boy who comes of age one hot summer. In Jack, he plays a young high school student who goes through a family and personal crisis when his parents break up because his dad reveals that he is gay. In Fierce People he plays a teenager who learns the hard way that the mores and life styles of very rich have a lot in common with those of an aboriginal tribe his anthropologist father has been studying. And in Charlie Bartlett Yelchin plays a teenager from a very wealthy family who must learn to cope and fit in with regular people when he has to attend a public school for the first time. In House of D, he plays the young Tom Warshaw living in the 1970s and wears white high tops. Each of these roles is a major leading part, and Yelchin has handled them with style and a screen pressence that commands your attention. Yelchin already has a very impressive list of performances and should continue to develop into a major star. Let's hope that he keeps on lacing up his chucks in future roles.

Michael Angarano is the young man in black high top chucks in the 2007 release Man in the Chair.

Michael Angarano is another promising young actor who like to wear chucks on and off camera. His first major film role was Sky High, where he lit up the screen in red high top chucks as the freshman son of two superheroes attending a special high school for kids with superpowers. His only problem: he didn't know what his powers were. Recent appearances in black high tops have been in The Final Season and Man in the Chair where he plays a budding young filmmaker who enlists the aid of old retired Hollywood professionals to help him make a film for a contest. Angarano has already shown his abilities in a wide variety of roles and he has a bright future ahead of him. Let's hope he continues to stay laced in chucks on screen wherever possible.

Weight Lifting in Chucks

In the last dozen years, we have noted that many people who train by lifting weights have been doing so in pairs of high top chucks.

One such weight lifter, Jason Ferruggia, offers these tips:

"Flat soled sneakers such as Chuck Taylor's are great for allowing the lifter to spread the floor and place most of the emphasis on his posterior chain."

Wear Chuck Taylor's for leg days -- a running shoe is unstable and potentially dangerous. A shoe with a heel puts you in a weaker position because the focus is shifted to the quadriceps and not the stronger hamstring and glute muscles. If you feel more comfortable with an elevated heel it is because you have poor flexibility and or weak hams and glutes. Old school Ponys, Pumas, and Adidas Campus also fit the bill for shoes to train in. And whichever shoe you choose, tie them."

It seems that too many people dismiss chucks as a leisure shoe and not appropriate footwear for sports training. Yet somehow all of those basketball players did great things in their chucks, and chucks have been acceptable footwear for many other traditional and extreme sports as well. If only Converse was aware of the potential they have here...

Forget the Booties. Bronze Your Chucks!

Chuck Taylor All Stars. If they're not on your feet maybe they should be in your display case!

How many of the 600 million plus Converse All Stars have been bronzed?

My mother never had a pair of my baby shoes bronzed. I decided when I was in my thirties to bronze a pair of my All-stars and send them to my mother. I got them back from the bronzer and they were so cool I kept them. I am in my middle fifties now and still have them.

I have been all over the world and worked, played, explored and even made sandals out of them. The fastest I wore out a pair was walking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up.

A picture says it all.

Best regards, Dorman Nelson

Wearing Double Uppers

Now that Converse has released a number of double upper models of chucks high tops, the question remains, how should you actually wear them? There are so many options, as these shoes come with two sets of laces and have double tongues as well. Do you lace up both uppers all the way, or one up all the way and the other partially, or do you just lace up the inside upper, and leave the outer upper without laces?

Chocolate and sienna double uppers laced up on both uppers.

The latest models seem better made than the first editions. These chucks have the traditional piping and better color combinations than those first models. It takes a little bit of getting used to when you start to wear them. Once they are "set" in the way you like to lace them up, you will gradually figure out the best way to unlace them so that they are easy to put on again. Probably the easiest way is with only one set of laces and the top tongue folded down just past the lacing slot that is sewn into the upper tongue.

Black and brick red double upper high tops with one set of laces, and one tongue folded over.

Another variation would be to cut one of the long laces in half, and just lace the outer upper part of the way. That way you get some of the double laced look without getting in the way of where you actually tie the shoes.

Brown and navy blue double upper with the Chuck Taylor tag tucked inside.

Not using the second set of laces, or even if partially laced gives you some extra storage places in your chucks. You can take Chuck Taylor along by tucking the keychain tag that comes with each pair in between the two uppers. There are many more variations possible. If you have a cool way of wearing a pair of double uppers send in the information and a photo, and we will post it on the website.

Product Red Chucks: Converse Makes a Statement

(Product) Red is a movement to join people and corporations in helping to fight disease and other causes. The Converse company has joined this team and developed a new line of of shoes called (Converse) Red. This line is designed to appeal to the Converse counterculture crowd. Shoes in the lines are being marketed with tag lines like "Do Not Wait for Other People to Change the World, Healthy Cultures Nuture Creativity, A Healthy Culture Welcomes Dissent, Healthy Cultures are Full of Artists," and "Indifference is the Enemy." All of the shoes in the line have some special distinctive features. They include coloring the top eyelet pair red, new boxes with red print, and red eyelets, and a special canvas shoe bag with a drawstring that you can use to store the shoes or even hang them up on a hook. Depending on the model, 5 or 10% of the net wholesale price of each shoe will be paid to the global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in Geneva, Switzerland. This is a corporate donation and write off -- no part of the purchase price is deductible by the consumer under U.S. law.

In a recent supplement ad, Converse describes the (Converse) Red line of shoes as a "Weapon of Change." The line is described as "an original way of thinking about shoes, creativity, and doing good: basically, you buy the shoes yhou would've bought anyway, but you buy them red." The shoes come with special tags, one of which says "Change Your Sole." The brand is touted as "an extraordinary union of brands, people and ideas. Every season Converse will collaborate with designers, artists, musicians and filmmakers to inspire originality by creating products that preserve culture and celebrate creativity."

Three examples of the Converse Red line include a Ramones All Star high top (click here to see a photo gallery), a white Chuck Taylor high top with graphic designs, and a Chuck Taylor All Star leather low cut.

Some of the shoe models that Converse plans to release in the first year, besides the ones shown in the photos above, include a red and white high top (click here to see a photo gallery) and two models of red and white low cuts, a mend it yarn high top, mend it patch models in high top and low cut, and Ricky Powell and Kaiser Chiefs All Star high tops. Converse is also making Red versions of their Weapon line.

Triangle Lacing Pattern. A New Way Gains Popularity

Black high top chucks laced up using the Triangle Method.

Another method of lacing up your chucks has gained some popularity lately. This style is a cross between traditional lacing and the straight across lacing methods that you sometimes see people wearing or in advertisments. To create the triangle look on your chucks you basically do all of the lacing work from one side of the laces, so the laces start out at very different lengths. The look of the lacing is best when you start will a new pair of laces and you have a good contrast between the color of the canvas upper and the color of the shoelace. For a complete description of how to lace up your chucks using the triangle method, go to our article on shoelaces.

Tuesday is Wear Your Chucks To Work Day

Tuesdays are great at this job, because you can kick back in your chucks.

Recently The ChucksConnection received an email from Steve Fannin, who runs the IT department for SWCA, an environmental consulting firm. "A few of us wore chucks every now and then to work. We decided to have Chuck Taylor Tuesday to go along with our Hawaiian shirt Friday. Seems to be a great team bonding thing for my Information Technology department, not to mention a lot of fun. One of my employees has been working on spreading it across the company. We have about 20 offices and I have been noticing a lot more chucks showing up to work lately."

This department sports some cool footwear.

Of course we thought that this was a great idea, and a great trend. More companies should encourage their employees to wear chucks to work. I know we do! We asked Steve to send us some photos and not only did he do that, they decided to have a photo contest. Then at their next group meeting, which was scheduled for Las Vegas, the plan was to take a group photo.

"Well we had our meeting in Las Vegas and everyone showed up wearing their chucks for a team photo. We have had a lot of fun with our weekly wear your chucks to work day. A lot of the other people in the offices have started wearing theirs as well. The Chuck Tuesday has definitely built some team spirit and someone always starts a thread saying lets see your chucks today. This inspired a photo contest before our meeting in Las Vegas. The winner received a gift certificate to a restaurant. Wear your chucks to work day has made all of our jobs a bit more fun. We always get lots of comments about how cool the chucks are and which ones are favorites."

SWCA IT Team Photo in Las Vegas

Steve also forwarded the chucks photo contest entries. Click on this link to see a gallery of the entries. The winner was chuckzilla.

Mismatched Chucks: The New 2-Tone?

Jason and Ian wearing mismatched pairs of chucks.

You won't have much trouble picking out Jason or Ian Paige on the streets of Houston. The two brothers, who have been wearing chucks for about seven years now like to wear them in mismatched pairs. You know, one foot in a black hightop, the other red. Jason, the older of the two, started wearing them as a sophomore in high school; Ian started as soon as he had two pairs of chucks, while he was in 7th grade.

According to their mother, Ruth, "Wearing mismatched pairs is just another way to individualize the shoes as they became more individual themselves! (They are really unique!)" This style is "Just an extension of individualizing shoes with different laces, [Jason and Ian] took it a STEP further, you might say!"

Jason has three pairs of chucks and probably nine pairs of different laces; Ian has two pairs of chucks now and another on the way. Ian also has several different pairs of laces and has taken to inventive lacing techniques. Both brothers have large feet, sizes 13 and 15 in other brand shoes. Ruth jokes with them that since they both have "clown" feet, why not wear their chucks in a fun and colorful manner.

The brothers like wearing chucks because they are popular, comfortable, customizable by different laces, affordable, durable and available in large sizes. No matter what size your foot there is a pair or two of chucks for you.

There are other people out there who like to wear mismatched chucks. If you are one of those people send in a photo to The ChucksConnection. and we'll add it to our new photo gallery of People Wearing Mismatched Chucks on the website. Maybe there will be enough interest to start a nationwide trend! Punky Brewster lives!

Chucks -- The Book

Look for this cover soon at your bookstore!

The ChucksConnection and Skyhorse Publishing of New York have published a new full color book all about the Converse All Star 'Chuck' Taylor basketball shoe, the world’s most popular athletic shoe, and a shoe that has influenced the lives of generations of people since it was first manufactured over 80 years ago. Based on many of the features contained in this website, the book explores the reasons why chucks wearers are so loyal to the product, what people like so much about chucks, and how chucks have helped to change the world of fashion.  The book examines the art and design of chucks, and what makes them the classic American sneaker. More eye catching than any other shoe, chucks occupy an important place in our media, and the book looks at films and television shows where chucks have a role, and how chucks are used in print media.

Entitled Chucks! The Phenomenon of Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars, the book takes a look at the history of the shoe, providing information about Chuck Taylor and how he changed the history of the athletic shoe in America and eventually the world.  Chucks are constantly being reinvented; hundreds of different color and pattern combinations are available for sale. Yet all chucks pretty much look the same, because the brilliant simplicity of their design allows so many variations. The marketing of the Chuck Taylor shoe has always been somewhat unconventional, and the book takes a look at the relationship between the Converse Company and its retailers, featuring interviews with two long time dealers, Corky Fulton of SageSports and Gary Church of Amercian Athletics. And what does the future hold for chucks? The book presents the opinions of some people in the know.

Most importantly, this book will take a look at the wide variety of people who choose chucks as their only or main footwear. From film celebrities to the kid next door, business executives to the musicians in rock bands, guys in college to teenaged girls who cruise the mall looking for the latest models, chucks are “the great unifier”, proudly worn by people in many different age groups and demographic categories. The book presents some of their stories, opinions, and photos as the topic “Why do so many different types of people share the chucks lifestyle?” is explored.

Chucks! The Phenomenon of Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars is a hard cover full color publication with over 150 photos and 160 pages of text. Priced at only $14.95, this book is a must have for any fan of Chuck Taylor shoes. Take advantage of our WEB EXCLUSIVE. Order from The ChucksConnection and you will receive a personally autographed copy from author Hal Peterson and a special Chapter 1 text insert not available from other vendors.

Books are in stock and ready to ship. Click here to place your order.

A New Book About the Life of Chuck Taylor Now Available

At last a well-researched book about Chuck Taylor.

Most people know very little about the actual life of Chuck Taylor. Some people may even think that he was a fictional character for Converse, like Betty Crocker was for General Mills.

Chuck Taylor was a real person, and an inductee into the basketball Hall of Fame. But until now, there has never been a proper biography written about him. Indiana author and journalist Abraham Aamidor spent three years researching Taylor's life, and now has published Chuck Taylor, All Star, the first definitive work written about his life.

The ChucksConnection has reviewed Chuck Taylor, All Star on this website, and you can order a copy from our online store.

Click here to go to the article. Click here to order a copy.

Make My Day!

Everybody remembers that great scene with Clint Eastwood playing San Francisco Dectective Harry Callahan where he gives that "look" to a scuzball bad guy who is thinking about taking him on. "Make my day," Harry says, and how quickly did that guy back off.

As I go through life and think about the good and bad things in life, there are certain pleasures that are really important to me, the things that "make my day." One of these pleasures is lacing up my Chuck Taylors every day. I have been wearing them on a pretty regular basis since I was in junior high school. Yeah, I have occasionally strayed away from wearing my chucks, but as I get older (I'm now in my mid-twenties) I realize that they are my favorite shoe and probably always will be.

Like any long term chucks fan, I have my favorite black high tops (of course!), but now I like to get into wearing some of the other colors like red and navy blue. I am fortunate to have a job where I can wear my chucks every day if I want to, and one of the great things about today's world is the fact that you can wear chucks every day, and it's not a big deal. I enjoy the compliments I get from time to time on the pairs of chucks that I do wear and I like our current life style where chucks are considered normal daily wear for more and more people.

So lace up those chucks and make your day. There is nothing like the feel of Chuck Taylors on your feet.

Editors Note: If you have a story about how wearing chucks makes your day, send it in to us.

Chucks in Films--What Do the Statistics Say?

Since this website opened up in 1998, we have been looking for, classifying, and writing reviews for films where one or more of the main or supporting characters wear chucks. Although we just started with a few films, the number identified has now grown to over 600 films. Along with information about the plot and characters, we have been keeping statistics on exactly which models appear in the films.

To no one's surprise, the most popular model used is the black high top. It has appeared in 60% of the films so far, and its popularity of all the Converse models is unsurpassed. Part of the reason is because its distinctive look and styling photographs so well. Another is that this shoe in particular is used to set the scene for films about the 1950s or films about youth or young people in all decades. Most important of all, the black high top Chuck Taylor shoe is the classic American sneaker. Some cinemaphotographers really like it when a character wears chucks and shoot film accordingly, while others show them more sparingly, but in almost every film where there are chucks, there is at least one good closeup view of them. This fact we have documented in our Best Chucks Scene feature in the film reviews we have completed. If you combine films with black high tops and low cuts together (and only counting films where both models appear once) the total is a definitive 73%.

In a distant second place is the white high top, which has appeared in 19% of all films, followed by the red high top in 12% (14% if you include maroon with red). Black low cut chucks also appear in 13% of the films. Blue high tops appear in 6% of the films. White low cuts appear in 3%, red low cut in 1%, and all other models (high top or low cut) represent 10% of the total. You can check out our films pages by clicking on this link.

How to Participate in Chuck Talk

Do you have some things to say about Chuck Taylors? If you have an article or other interesting information about chucks to submit to this website, please contact us at mail@chucksconnection.com.

Become a Regular Contributor to Chuck Talk.

Right now we are looking for one or two persons interested in contributing to this feature on a bi-weekly basis. Look through this page for examples of the formats used. If you have good writing skills and a passion for chucks, contact us at mail@chucksconnection.com to see what can be worked out. To apply, we would ask for a brief resume of your writing experience, and a sample ChuckTalk feature. Payment for this part time work would be through Paypal. Please Note: This site is not affiliated with the Converse Company.

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