So I learned that we would be getting in some Vans shoes for me to try out & that excited me because I love Vans. However upon the arrival of this particular pair of Vans I noticed they were not really my style. I have come to realize though that with all the different styles/brands/designs/colors of shoes out there that while the look may not do it for me I’m sure there are plenty of people that will be more than happy to add them to their collection. And of course the style of shoe that does it for me may have others scratching their heads in wonder. So what I have decided to do is present you with a picture of the shoe in question. If you take a look and realize you aren’t really feeling the look, thanks for reading so far & have a great rest of your day. Love the way it looks (or even just like it) then please read on as I give you insight on how the shoe felt and some of the features it has that I discovered as I wore them around in a test run complete with a lot more pictures.
BRIEF BACKGROUND (Courtesy of Vans)
“Straight out of Brooklyn, Santi White, better known today as Santigold, has become a unique and inspiring figure on today’s musical landscape.
Santigold teamed up with Vans designers to create a shoe of her very own. Working with the new Tosha Hi silhouette and Santi’s personal design aesthetic, the limited Vans x Santigold collaboration features premium perforated full grain leather, faux gold chain accents. The look becomes complete with a custom SG gold pin created with the trained eye of jewelry designer Jules Kim of Bijules.”
FEATURES
- 2 Detachable Faux Gold Chains
- 1 Detachable Custom SG Gold Pin
- Shoes made of Perforated Full Grain Leather
- 1 Small Zipper Pouch
- 1 Pair of Black Shoe Strings
- 1 Pair of Gold Shoe Strings
- Urban Outfitters price $90, Zumiez.com price $89.95 (for a larger list of Dealer Locations please check here: www.vans.com/santigold)
PROS
- The shoes are super lightweight. They are constructed in a way that there are tiny square openings all over the shoe (they refer to it as perforated). Air passes through keeping your feet cool. Because there is less leather the shoe isn’t heavy at all and allows it to move easier with your feet instead of holding it in place.
- The sole moves and curves with your feet as you walk. You can pretty much roll from heel to toe without any restriction from the sole. I enjoy this feeling because you almost forget you are wearing a shoe at all.
- There is plenty of ways to customize your shoe. The chains, SG pin on the tongue of the shoe, & the rectangles with Gold wrote on them at the base of the shoe strings can all be removed to tone down the shoe to more of a basic black. It also comes with gold colored shoe strings if you want to add more color. You really do have the ability to changeup the look of this one shoe based on what you are planning on wearing them with giving the appearance that you own more shoes than you really do. They even suggest that you can wear the chains from your shoes are bracelets providing you with possible accessories.
POSSIBLE CONS (these are things that depending on how you wear them, where you wear them, and how they fit on you may or may not even be a factor)
- The “perforated leather” opens you up to the elements. If it is cold out, rainy, snow, etc. there is a much better chance that your feet will end up cold & wet than with a more closed in shoe.
- The chains may add some fashion appeal but as you move they will flop back & forth against the shoe. Not only can you feel it lightly against your foot as it happens there is also a tiny clinking noise that accompanies it. The faster or more you move the more action you will get from the chain. The clinking noise is so soft though you will probably not hear it if you are out or even if you just have the TV on in your house. I will also say that if you are wearing these shoes with a thicker sock or pants tucked into them chances are you won’t feel the light tapping coming from the chain at all.
- Where the shoe hits on your ankle there is a potential of rubbing to occur. I did happen to me. This one can be taken care of easily if you wear a sock that comes up to the top of the shoe or you wear pants that go down into your shoe.
- If you decide to try and wear the chain like a bracelet as Vans suggests, there is the problem of it fitting. The clasps are too small to be able to hook it anywhere on the chain so you are limited to the lengths you can create with the 3 clasps.
CON
- Because they are so lightweight, the support that you might expect to get out of a higher top shoe does not exist.
In the end if you purchase Vans x Santigold Tosha Hi! you are going to get a unique pair of shoes that has many different ways of switching up the look all while keeping the initial appeal of the black high top. They are sure to bring looks (puzzled, intrigued, or envious depending on the party) and are a conversation starter. I discovered that I actually have several friends that flipped over them. I also found that even those that didn’t really care for the look had to try them on just because. So if you are looking for that attention grabbing shoe this might be for you. But I would suggest trying them on in the store (if you can) first and giving them a good once around the store to make sure you can handle everything they have going on.
