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Complete this outfit: Emily Ratajkowski stepped out in Paris wearing a fitted white tank top, flowy Scanlan Theodore trousers, and carrying a buttery Miu Miu Arcadie bag. What shoes would best finish off the look? The obvious pick would have been summery sandals, tried and true ballet flats, or the persistent Adidas Sambas. Instead, the model and author zigged where others zagged, opting for a classic pair of black-and-white Vans checkerboard slip-ons.
As a native Southern Californian, I felt vindicated by Ratajkowski’s shoe choice. Owning a pair of slip-on Vans feels just as much a right of passage as wiping out on a surfboard, but they’ve never had a moment of national, or even global ubiquity akin to Air Force 1s or Stan Smiths (or, yes, Sambas). While I’ve proudly owned other sneakers of the moment—and worn them into the ground—none have the longevity of the humble canvas slip-ons. The bright white leather of other popular tennis shoes requires upkeep and, frankly, looks gross when they get too worn-in. (Tying dirty laces? No thank you.) But with slip-on Vans, the grime adds a layer of cool, an aura of authenticity. For a shoe beloved by the skating community, wear and tear is a sign of durability and practice.
My pair of checkerboard Vans carried me through college life in Santa Barbara, from learning how (or at least trying) to skateboard, to biking along bumpy dirt roads to the beach to catch the sunset. Even now that they don t carry me on college excursions, my Vans are still a prominent fixtures in my closet, accompanying dresses and jeans alike, fitting perfectly in my carry-on, and adding a burst of energy to my largely neutral wardrobe.
When I moved to the Midwest for graduate school and saw nary a pair of slip-on skater shoes in sight, I realized that sometimes it takes leaving home to truly appreciate a local staple. It seems that EmRata—a San Diegan traipsing through New York—knows that, too. In the rest of the country, perhaps Vans are a vestige of Warped Tours past, but for Californians, they’re essential for a lifestyle where you could jump in the ocean at a moment’s notice. What more could you want out of your summer than that?
