Conversation and commentary from people who care about chucks.
Conversation and commentary from people who care about chucks.
It's that time of the year, when students of all ages are returning to the classroom. And part of the process is always new clothing and supplies for the school year. Of course that means getting a new pair of chucks to wear. Converse is full of suggestions, touting new lines of flight and space inspired high tops in leather and canvas, recycled material chucks (although these models have a different look to them), new seasonal colors for the fall, a new Chuck 70 design by LA designer Joshua Vides, high contrast models and monochrome white pairs, custom slip on chucks for the school year, leather and archive print models.
These folks are campus ready.
That gives one quite a lot of selection, but these new models are all quite expensive, for example the custom slip-ons are $75, the Joshua Vedes models are $110, and the flight and space models range in price from $60-95. Here at The ChucksConnection we have a better suggestion for the cost-conscious student. Get yourself a basic pair of chucks in one of the most popular core colors, like black, white, or red, which go with anything in your wardrobe. These are still the most popular models of Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars, and you can't go wrong with a pair of these basic chucks. And for additional school spirit, get some shoelaces in your school colors.
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Converse is making available print patterns from the past history of chucks in new Chuck 70 models. Some of these designs include Flames in a black high top or white low top, animal prints like the Leopard in a white or black monochrome high top, or in a white Lucky Star high top, and Zebra or Giraffe prints in a Chuck 70 high top. Other release include Green or Red 2-Tone models in a Chuck 70 high top, Camouflage or Military prints in Chuck 70 high top and low top or One Star low tops, and Stars and Bars models in high top and low top or in One Star low cuts.
The Chuck 70 Flames print high top.
For the skater crowd there is a new CTAS Pro model high top. These sneakers have a red racing stripe along the top and underneath the outer black canvas is a layer of flag print, the idea being as the outer canvas wears out, the flag starts to show through. These also differ from regular chucks because they have extra bracing at the tongue and a Cons heel patch instead of one that says Converse Chuck Taylor.
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Converse has announced a new line up of seasonal chucks for the fall that include four new colors in high top and six new colors in low top. The new seasonal high top colors include Hyper Royal, a bright blue shade, Gold Dart, Jade Stone (an off shade green), and Golden Poppy, a reddish-orange shade. Of these models, only Golden Poppy is available also in low top, continuing Converse’s somewhat perplexing trend of not releasing most of the seasonal colors in both high and low top models. You can see all of the new seasonal models on our Outlook Page.
The Hyper Royal blue seasonal high top.
New models in low top include a Light Redwood color, Stellar Indigo, a light blue shade, Orange Rind, Golden Poppy, Desert Khaki, and Coastal Pink. The low top models are priced at $50 and the high top models are $55, the current retail prices for chucks. A couple of caveats to our readers: If you see a model/color that you like, be sure to buy it right away, as these are one time issues, and usually are not reissued. Also with Trump's trade war with China going on, new tariffs are likely to cause future price increases for shoe and clothing products. Even if you are not interested in these seasonal models, you might want to buy a new pair of your favorite core color chucks before the prices go up.
The Light Redwood seasonal low top.
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Converse has announced the new line up of Chuck 70 colors for the fall. All of the colors are available in both high top and low top models. Returning colors include Black, White, and Enamel Red. New colors are Parchment (off white similar to the natural white Chuck Taylor), True Navy blue, Sunflower (orange), Mason (grey), and Magic Flamingo (pink). As is typical with the Chuck 70 line, these sneaker have egret (off white) toe caps and outer foxing. along with black or garnet red racing stripes and black heel patches. The ankle patches on the high tops are sewn on white patches with all black print. The retail price for Chuck 70 high tops is $85.00 and $80.00 for low tops. If these Chuck 70s are made in Viet Nam, the price should remain stable, although it appears that Converse has already raised the price from the $70-75 of previous years. You can view all of these models on our Outlook Page.
The Parchment/Garnet/Egret Chuck 70 high top.
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Converse has created a new line of Chuck Taylor sneakers called the renew. Made competely of recylced materials, mostly plastics, the shoes feature canvas uppers made of 100% recycled polyester from used plastic bottles, recycled polyester laces, and a minimalist Chuck Taylor All Star ankle patch (barely viewable on the black model). The outer soles have white speckles on them and the slogan “Life’s too short to waste” is written on the canvas of the wheat, model, the outer foxing of the putty model, and on the toe caps of the black model. None of the design have visible racing stripes.
Black, Pale Putty, and Wheat Renew high tops.
Other than the design differences, Converse states that you won’t know the difference between the renew line of chucks in this series and regular canvas and rubber chucks. They are priced at $60 for high tops and $55 for the low tops, which come in jade stone green, mason taupe brown, and gold, all with black and white trim.
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Outfit your little kids this summer in the latest variation on Chuck Taylor high tops — oversized logo chucks. These high tops come in the three most popular colors, black, red, and white. They have all the regular things you expect in a pair of chucks, canvas uppers, white foxing with black racing stripes, white toe guards and toe caps, metal eyelets, black and white heel patches, and white shoelaces. The big different is the Chuck Taylor red white and blue ankle patches on the inside of each shoe. The patches are much larger than normal, making them more eye catching than ever.
Black, red, and white oversized logo high top chucks.
Currently these sneakers are sale priced on the Converse web site and available in little kids sizes. Give your kids a cool new look for this summer in this clever variation on the classic Chuck Taylor look.
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HiTop Films is a up and coming YouTube channel that focuses on telling stories about comic book movies and characters through video essays. The video essay format has always provided interesting and engaging content on YouTube from such channels as Lessons From The Screenplay, Patrick (H) Williams, The Cosmonaut Variety Hour, Your Movie Sucks and kaptainkristian. HiTop Films joins this list as one of the more interesting video essayists out there, and he has gained a good following in the few short years he’s been making videos. He’s done this while also utilizing a well worn black high top Chuck Taylor as the symbol and iconography for the main logo and opening for his channel. He’s even worked chucks into scenes he shoots for his videos, including the narration scene for his latest upload. This helps HiTop Films stand out while also making his channel instantly recognizable for its use of chucks.
HiTop Films uses chucks in the opening title card to his videos.
HiTop Films has utilized his unique points of view and wealth of comic book knowledge to craft entertaining and thought provoking video essays about a wealth of comic book movies. These include essays on “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Batman”, and “Shazam”. However, where he really shines is when he covers anything to do with Spider-Man. HiTop FIlms has an incredible knowledge of not only the history of Spider-Man in comics, TV, and film, but he also has an amazing understanding of the character and what makes him so special in the pantheon of heroes. His videos on the Sam Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy are informative and give great context as to why these films are so highly regarded amongst Spider-Man fans. His latest series is a deep dive into the Raimi Trilogy and it’s a must watch for any Spider-Man fan.
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Bring out your inner kid this summer with a pair of Tom and Jerry print high top chucks. The sneakers come in all typical chucks sizes so men, women, and kids can all purchase and wear a pair. The high tops feature an elaborate color print mosaic of Tom and Jerry cartoon images, white foxing, shoelaces, and toe caps with black racing stripes, and a sewn on ankle patch in black and white. They retail at $70.
Stepping out in a pair of Tom and Jerry high top chucks.
The low top pair is made on an all white foundation, with no visible racing stripes and a much simpler print design on the upper canvas, that features the image of Tom extending onto the white foxing on the right shoe while Jerry is printed on the left sneaker. These chucks come with white shoelaces and the words Tom and Jerry on their tongues. Retail price is $65.
A right foot Tom and Jerry low top chuck.
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Two new series of chucks meant to brighten up your summer have been released by Converse, the Chuck Taylor All Star See Thru and the Chuck 70 Get Tubed sneakers. See Thru high tops come in three colors: Racer Pink, Vintage White, and Black. Each model has the standard white outer wrap and foxing and black racing stripes on the sides and toe caps. The outer soles are in pastel colors and the ankle patches are only in outline. See Thru chucks feature a partial mesh upper instead of all canvas, with the mesh part placed between regular canvas eyelet strips and arched back support. Low tops come in two colors, Illusion Green and Black. Like their high top companions they feature pastel outer soles in neon pink or lime and have traditional white foxing and black racing stripes. This series is meant for women. On the Converse website they are only shown in women’s shoe sizes.
Black Chuck Taylor All Star See Thru high top.
The Chuck 70 Get Stoked models are unisex in design and shown in both women’s and men’s sizes. The high top models come in a Racer Pink/Gnarly Blue (who comes up with these color names!) 2-tone design and a Black/White partial print upper, both with standard white foxing and black racing strips. Unlike other 2-tone models, the uppers are split vertically between the color combinations. The shoes have complete Chuck Taylor ankle patches but only in black and white and black heel patches. The tongue of the racer pink model is gnarly blue and it also has a black ankle stripe in the back of each shoe. The black model has a wiggly white line on its ankle stripe.
Black Chuck 70 Get Tubed high top.
If these designs are a little too much for you, there are plenty of seasonal colors in the traditional Chuck Taylor design in both high and low top models. Right now these colors are on discount pricing. You can see pictures of these chucks on our Outlook page, which shows this year’s seasonal colors. High tops are available in Aphid Green, Maroon, Bold Citron, Punch Coral, Light Zitron, Washed Indigo, and Electric Purple. Low top colors include Lemon Chrome, Electric Purple, Maroon, Amazon Green, Pink Foam, Barkroot Brown, Ridgerock, Mineral Teal, Violet Ash, Aqua, Pale Vanilla, and Strawberry Jam.
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Looking for the perfect pair of chucks to wear this summer? While there are hundreds of options and it can be overwhelming at times to pick just one pair for the summer, the perfect chuck is one of the most famous — the optical white Chuck Taylor All Star High Top. A pair of new shoes can change a person’s attitude, their day and look, and a pair of white shoes can be the freshest and cleanest pair of any shoe you have, white shoes just pop.
Get a pair of optical white high tops this summer.
Chucks are no different in this aspect, so this summer, embrace your inner Jerry Seinfeld and get yourself a pair of optical white chucks. This is what Converse has to say about these iconic sneakers: “We could tell you that it’s the OG basketball shoe, created over 100 years ago. Or that the design has largely stayed the same, because why mess with a good thing. Or how it became the unofficial sneaker of all your favorite artists and musicians, who each made it their own. Yeah, we could share a lot of stories, but the one that matters most isn’t ours—it’s yours. It’s how and where you take your chucks. The legacy is long, but what comes next is up to you. We just make the shoe. You make the stories.” There are many amazing new additions to the chuck family every week, with different creations and collaborations, but sometimes, nothing beats a classic.
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Any day that you get a new pair of chucks, it’s a lucky day. However, your luck may be a little bit better if you get a pair of these new Chuck Taylor All Stars Queen of Hearts high tops and low tops. With many high and low tops, there isn’t much of a difference from the pairs other than height, but these chucks give a bit of versatility between the two. The low top pair has a black upper base with an egret midsole and bottom. The design of the egret spades and red hearts and diamonds flows on the upper and midsole. The playing card suits are screen printed onto the chucks.
Black low cut and egret white high top Queen of Hearts chucks.
The low tops are pretty inexpensive for a newly designed chuck, currently running just $55 on Converse’s website. The high top is a bit more eye popping with a egret upper, midsole and bottom that looks beautiful with the screen printed card suits. The card suits are black spades, with red hearts and red diamonds. Like most high tops, these high tops are five dollars more than their low top counterpart, at $60. Converse’s website says this about the new pair: “These Chucks have style in spades. The classic details you know and love remain the same, while eye-catching graphics bring luck to the legacy.” These new chucks are certainly a perfect purchase for someone looking to get a unique chuck look, but not wanting to spend a lot of extra money to get it.
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2019 promises to be another good year for films with chucks. Already released this year is Shazam! the latest remake in that DC Comics series. In it, Austin Asher plays Billy Batson, the streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid who is given incredible superpowers activated by the word Shazam. Billy is seen wearing black high top chucks throughout the film when not in superhero mode. Also released is Pet Sematary, based on the Stephen King novel. In the film Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children, Ellie and Gage. The family soon discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their home. Jeté Laurence plays young Elie and wears red low cut chucks in the film.
John Lithgow and Jeté Laurence in Pet Sematary.
Other new releases include American Exit, where a dying father (Dane Cook) goes on a road trip with his estranged son (Levi Miller), who wears black high tops throughout the film. Assimilate is Joel Courtney’s latest film where he wears black chucks while dealing with a invasion of body-snatching aliens in his small Missouri town. Brightburn is about a boy who mysteriously appears on earth to a childless couple, ala Superman, but appears to be a force for evil rather than good. Jackson Dunn who plays Brandon Breyer likes the color red, which include wearing a pair of red high top chucks in a few scenes. Netflix has released Rim of the World about four misfit teenagers who join forces to save the world when an alien invasion interrupts their summer camp. Allessio Scalzotto, one of the four teens, wears black high top chucks in many of his scenes.
Austin Asher about to discover the powers of Shazam!
Two films being released in June have to do with the world of music. In Yesterday, Himesh Patel plays Jack Malik, a singer-songwriter from England who wakes up after an accident to discover that the Beatles never existed. Malik begins to write the Beatles songs and becomes famous off of their music but may lose his best friend Ellie in the process. The poster for the film even recreates that famous cover of Abbey Road, but instead of crossing barefoot, Malik is wearing black high top chucks. The Dirt is the story of how the American band Mötley Crüe came to be one of the most notorious rock ’n roll groups in history. Machine Gun Kelly plays Tommy Lee in the film, and he is seen wearing black high tops, as did the real Tommy. You can keep informed about all the latest films with chucks in them by regularly checking our comprehensive The Chuck Taylor in Films page and What’s New at The ChucksConnection on this page for the newest listings.
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Chuck fans are no stranger to JW Anderson x Converse collaborations. The British fashion label is responsible for numerous chucks, but the new collaborations are all about the United States with the inspiration coming from the country’s flag. The new pair is the highly anticipated Converse x JW Anderson Americana Chuck 70 High Top. The new model has a mismatched look with two different colors in the upper canvas. The combination of the two chucks creates the look of the US flag. One shoe represents the stars while the other shoe represents the stripes.
The new chucks are only in high top and give a unique take on the chucks 70s classic. One shoe is a Mood Indigo color with stars and grid logo reading J.W. Anderson across the entire canvas. The other shoe has Garnett and Egret stripes that finish the American flag look which makes these chucks so unique. These shoes also have the grid logo reading J.W. Anderson across the entire canvas.
Outside view of JW Anderson Americana chucks.
The Converse website had this to say about the new pair of chucks: “An American classic. Meets a British fashion hero. Classic canvas Chuck Taylor upper. The heritage star design. The Converse x JW Anderson Americana Chuck 70 is a shoe that celebrates — and pushes — what an icon can be.” If you are feeling patriotic, or need the absolute perfect pair of chucks for the 4th of July, or just love a unique pair of chucks, these are for you. Note, these chucks will come at a steep price, going for about $120 per pair.
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Sometimes you need two shoes at the same time. Sometimes a classic needs something new. That’s what you will get with the new Chuck Taylor All Star 70 Restructured. Part style, part statement, these unique chucks combine two different colored chucks together with a stitched look and come only in high tops. Converse’s site says this about the new pairs: “A boldly stitched fusion of contrasting Chucks.The iconic Chuck 70 you know and love meets – you guessed it – another Chuck 70. These two-tone Chucks merge neutral colors to create a scrappy, standout look.”
White/Egret Restructured Chuck 70
There are two different pairs of the restructured chucks, a white/egret and a black/grey pair. The black and grey pair is much more subtle in the difference in colors but the stitches stick out much more clearly in them as opposed to the white pair. The white pair is much more clear in the different colors. The heel to the middle is a typical white color but is then stitched with a egret or natural color that gives the pair a completely new look. This pair could go great to complete a punk look, or pair them with ripped jeans and t-shirt. These pairs could also be the best shoes to break out during Halloween due to their Frankenstein like design.
Black/Grey/Egret Restructured Chuck 70
Besides the contrasting uppers, the shoes have extra stitching on the tongues, ankle patches, and back ankle support, dual colored outer foxing and outer soles. Converse’s site only allows one purchase per customer, so make sure to keep that in mind when purchasing the sneakers. The pairs are much more costly than average chucks, going for around $120, which is nearly double that of a regular chuck 70 pair.
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Here’s one correspondent’s views about chucks: “There is an awesome culture surrounding your chucks, but that’s not the most important thing when finding new footwear. What matters most is how they benefit the single person investing in them. This is how they worked for me:
“I originally encountered chucks shortly after I turned thirteen. Several years earlier, my mom bought my older brother a pair of white low tops which didn’t fit him properly. Realizing that my shoe size had finally reached that of the shoes in question, my mom pulled them out of storage and offered them to me. Finally being offered my first fashionable shoe, I quickly slipped them on and wore them nigh exclusively for a whole month. After changing what I wore on my feet, my entire image of my own fashion changed and I became more confident in my style and presentation.
A pair of chucks can change your sense of fashion.
“This one pair of chucks is with me even to this day, nearly a decade later. They have been a foothold (pun intended) in keeping my look up to date every single one of those years. I will always be grateful to these shoes for introducing a just beginning to be fashion-conscious boy to the idea that I could be proud of what I put on my feet. Now, when I look at the family of chucks, I can say confidently that the shoe fits.”
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There are four new chucks for 2019, with vibrant and unique colors that will surely be a match for chuck lovers, especially for women. Two of the new seasonal Chuck Taylor All Stars are high tops, coming in Bold Citron and Moody Purple colors. The Bold Citron offers a unique color that is more mustard than lemon. The color will pair well with black clothing better than a brighter yellow would. The Moody Purple color is less vibrant and more subtle, giving an almost grape look to them, and can match with complementary outfits.
Moody Purple and Bold Citron high tops, Teal Tint and Pink Foam low tops.
The other two models are Chuck Taylor All Star low tops in Teal Tint and Pink Foam. These chucks have a more subdued and faded look to them that should have good fan appeal. Both colors are good beach colors. The teal tint color is nearly a light blue. The pink foam color is perfect for younger people but is still great for older people who want a new color that makes a statement. All these pairs of chucks have the same components that are commonly found with All Star high top and low top chucks, a padded insole, rubber toe cap, canvas upper and the Converse license plate logo on the heel of the shoe. The high tops have single color ankle patches. The new pairs of chucks can be found through Converse’s website or local retailers like Tilly’s or Nordstrom, as well as many other online sites. The price should range from around $50-60. For other seasonal colors visit our shoe outlook page.
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Finding the right gift at the right price is often difficult, especially if you are on a budget. If you know (or are) someone who is an enthusiatic fan and wearer of chucks, what do you get that person besides a new pair of chucks? These days a new pair is a big gift, with the prices ranging between $50 to $100 for most new pairs. Luckily The ChucksConnection is here to assist you with a short list of credible gifts that range in price from $2 to $20 and appropriate for people of all ages. Go to our Gifts Page to see the complete list of our recommendations.
We have started a new feature on The ChucksConnection that addresses videos and short films where actors wear chucks. These films are normally seen on websites like YouTube and Vimeo and made by amateur or aspiring filmmakers. Too short to be included on our Chuck Taylor in Films page and not released to the public through paid streaming, DVD or BlueRay, these videos and films are free for viewing, and we provide links to them on our new Videos and Short Films with Chucks page.
Check these out on our new page.
Like our other media pages, Videos and Short Films with Chucks is a work in progress. If you know of a video or short film that qualifies for this new page, send us the information and link to films@chucksconnection.com.
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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.
Chuck Talk ArchivesChuckTalk articles from previous years |
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ChuckTalk Archive 8 |
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ChuckTalk Archive 9 |
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ChuckTalk Archive 11 |
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