If you’ve been an avid read of the Art of Accessories for the last 2 years you know that I love SHOES! One kind of shoe in particular that I love are Converse Chuck Taylors (low rise preferably over hi-top) and I decided to take a few pics of my collection and share them for my latest edition of Multiples = Love series.

Pictured above are the last pair of Chucks I purchased, the Chuck Taylor All Star Trompe L’oeil I talked about in March. I love them even more in person than I did when I saw them online. I wore them in NYC for the 4th because they are quite festive for the occasion and everyone thought they had laces in them until they got up close on them. These are my first pair of slip on Chucks and I think I am head over heels in love with them. Who knew a slip on sneaker would rock my summer wardrobe?
In my mind, I don’t own a ton of Chucks. I have 8 pairs (so my Mom would definitely say I own too many) but my love affair began when I was 15 (16 years ago) when I bought my very first pair.

I bought the plaid pair in the middle on a family vacation across country when we were stopped in El Paso, Texas. I was obsessed with green and navy blue plaid in high school (since green has been my favorite color forever) and I was dying for a pair of Chucks as we made our way to California. These shoes called out to me. I needed them, had to have them and bought them before anyone could change my mind.

I’ve never had the heart to get rid of them and after 16 years, they still look pretty good. The rubber is a little yellowed but the tread is still there and there isn’t a single hole on those shoes. I guess I love them and keep them and buy them still because they’re classics. Retro sneakers are always in fashion and with Chucks they just update the patterns, prints and embellishments (I know you see the magenta sequins and love them) to keep them current.

I have thrown away the black platform pair I bought that same year (thank goodness) and white pairs that I’ve bought in the summer and gotten filthy but these colors and patterns will stay with me for a long time. The only pair of hi top Chucks I own are the purple satin hand painted ones my husband bought me for my birthday. The flowers deserved a hi top to showcase the beautiful artwork and sometimes I think they’re just too pretty to wear! I went on the Converse website while writing this post and immediately fell in love with the new Dr. Seuss collection! I think there may be a Cat in the Hat being added to my collection very soon…

Chucks are my sneaker obsession, do you have a favorite style/brand that you buy over and over again?

For more images of my sneakers, head on over to my Flickr set on Shoes.