An Exercise in Futility: The Converse One Star

I have a certain group of friends, that are, how do I put this? They're hipsters. They wear cardigans and skinny jeans and talk about obscure bands I've never heard of and I love them dearly and couldn't imagine life without them.

And they all wear Chuck Taylor All-Stars.

And when I'm hanging out with them, not all the time, but certain bars or events, where the ironic fashion sense is thick in the air and the good-looking people are everywhere, I look at my feet and think: "I'd kill for a pair of Chucks right now."

Part of this is my natural chameleon-like public persona: I'm always trying to blend in. It's an insecurity that comes from growing up a white kid in a black neighborhood. The more I blended in, the less isolated I felt. It's carried over into adulthood, for better or worse. It's a big reason this blog exists.

So if there's any shoe that I'm absolutely shoe jelly over, it's Chucks. People love them, wear them everywhere in any kind of situation, and feel odd wearing shoes that aren't Chucks.

So as I'm skimming the internet for shoes (because that's what I do in my spare time), I come across an Amazon commenter who *swore* that Converse makes wide width Chuck Taylor All-Stars on request. Yeah, it was a random comment, but I had to follow through on it. I mean, come on, right?

So I emailed Converse Customer Service. Their response: Nope. BUT, they said, their "entry level" shoe, called the One Star, sells at Target and has a wider gait than normal Chucks.

It's a cheaper shoe: it retails at about 35 bucks, and looks and feels the part. No reinforced eyelets, the white stitching pops a little too much, it's only available in black and gray, and it's clear they use the same length of shoelaces for the low tops as they do for the high tops. And there's a giant star on each side of the shoe that looks like it could easily fray over long-term wear.

I can see why people who wear Chucks regularly find it difficult to wear other shoes. They feel completely different on the foot. They're heavier than regular shoes, but all the weight is in the rubber sole, providing a solid amount of cushion (but no arch support, natch). The canvas hugs your foot differently; I can tell that this shoe will really morph to my foot over time.

There's a few issues, too. The shoes are probably a 2E width; I still had to go up a size and a half to 13 to squeeze my 4E feet into them. Even with that, my feet felt much better after I had switched back to CLE's. With how big the shoes are, you can't help but compare the things to clown shoes. I can see why my shorter hipster friends like these: they look far more natural on small feet.

And then there's that star. There's one on each side of the shoe, and my first impression of the decoration is that it's...girly. Not even just "of the female gender" girly, I mean "high schooler who talks a mile a minute" girly. Yes, that's a broad, awkward comment, but that word is there, lingering in the subconscious. If you're a girl with wide feet looking for a stylish sneaker, hot dog, you've hit jackpot.

And if you're a dude, well, you've got a choice to make. For this dude, I bought them, but unfortunately, I'm returning them. Nothing against the star, but the shoe is definitely a 2E, and despite upsizing, after walking around in them for a few days, I can't quite get my 4E feet comfortable in them. The shoe is still a solid option for the 2E masses (who have a surprisingly large selection of footwear to choose from, if they're willing to look) but again, the 4E feet get the shaft.