u/Big-Text4784

The "Tropical Shirts" Chuck 70 release from 2021 used upcycled Hawaiian aloha shirts as the upper's top layer. Super fun pair — and no two are alike. Every pair is a 1-of-1 pattern.

San Fran Soap from Yeti Stash damn near gave me whiplash when I cracked the jar – the smell was that intense. Like walking into a tiny flower shop in lower Manhattan that is just jam-packed with every kind of flower and you go from smelling garbage bags and street meat to smelling nothing but floral stuff. Or diving into a pile of sheets right out of the dryer, and they had extra fabric softener sheets. Really, really nice. Then after I adjusted to it and got closer to it, it calms down and is just a very pleasant smell – not overly weed-y. Like, your conservative mom who doesn't know you partake would smell it in candle form and just think it was a nice, spingtime garden-based scent. Not that any of us have those types of moms.

It was a little peppery and minty on the way in, pretty gassy on the way out. Not unpleasant at all. I wouldn't say I find myself pining for the taste, necessarily ... though – maybe it's a little pine-y on the way in, too, along with that pepper-and-mintness, now that I think of it. Maybe a LITTLE harsh on the throat on the way out, but individual results will vary, no doubt.

Am I a stoney baloney after a few dabs? Yeah ... kinda. Head feels it nicely, like it's a balloon, but one that has a couple batteries right behind each eye, and the batteries are weighing that part of the balloon down. My particular balloon is shaped like a panda bear with super cute little ears. Bad-ass balloon animal guy in the park, apparently. But that should also illustrate that this shit went to the head nicely in creative ways, as well. I'm for sure energized and in the mood for an all-nighter, which is what I was in the middle of, which is a bonus, and I feel appropriately "high" in the psychoactive sense. Body is basically fully numbed and lightly buzzing.

So far, virgin session with it, let's call it an A-minus ... 9 of 10 terp pearls ... two green thumbs up ...

(Plus bonus puck graphic images since it's, as the kids say these days, "totes adorbs." Also, say hi to my spirit animals, Penny Lane from "Almost Famous" and Woody from "Toy Story." Double bonus. They dabble.)

I'm very excited about this new pickup. These have got to be my favorite Lunar New Year Chucks EVER. The upper is a tear-resistant Tyvek-type material meant to resemble a traditional firecracker with its paper covering. The rope-style laces are the firecracker's fuse. The graphics are outstanding and mimic fireworks packaging. Translucent outsoles with graphics underneath. And the colors just absolutely explode, no pun intended, off these beauties.

My instinct is to keep the football laces as exposed as possible as the true accent of the shoe and not cover that element up. This was a very traditional first effort testing the pattern and style more so than the lace color. (For the record, these are one of the swaps from the Bluetiles.)

Who's got some lacing photos that are outside the norm? Links to any specific video tutorials are welcome, as well. I appreciate the help and suggestions in advance. I'm pretty traditional normally, but if I'm gonna have these, I figure might as well do 'em right.

My pair is beat ... to ... hell. But my family history goes back directly to the founding of the town of Petoskey, Mich. – my great-great-great grandfather. Hence, I think these always will stay in my collection despite how they're not really enjoyable to WEAR, but always enjoyable to LOOK AT while wearing.

Broke out the Converse 2020 collab with AMBUSH on the "Fuzzy Blue" Chuck 70s for Jack White's first of two shows in Chicago. They were intentional, given Jack's solo career has used black and blue as its primary colors for album covers, merch, etc. I also brought my main man Cookie Monster to the party on the spectacles, since the Fuzzy Blues absolutely give off Cookie Monster vibes.

2020 collab between Converse and the FenG CHen WANG fashion brand in China. I call them my "split personality Chucks." Super unique. Uppers need to meet the challenge of the footwear for an appropriate 'fit for these (last slide; all hail Queen Britney!)

I'll let the people who created them explain what's going on with these beauties:

>Rooted in the concept of dualism; juxtaposing abstract, rigid structures with comfort and familiarity, and with the purpose of “breaking through”, of going beyond structural limits, cultures and our inherent human shell. With travel having been halted during the pandemic and with restrictions still in place – the material nature of concrete becomes a metaphor for being stuck; not being able to move as if we are tied down. Feng wants us to break through these barriers, these shells and be free. Designed to create the illusion that the canvas is constructed out of rubble the silhouette is reimagined into a metaphoric expression of feet shackled by concrete. A trompe l’oeil effect to break through human tensions. The two opposing colour ways: full concrete grey and warm pink/cool grey, play on breaking through warm and cool tones – reunifying into one new shoe.

This is what's currently on display in my closet. Nikes still win the day (many Dunks, Blazers, Jordans), but the Chucks certainly aren't that far behind. I probably have another dozen or so that are boxed and a little more plain Jane; none of the boxes are empty, they're just holding less display-worthy pairs.

I gravitate toward just about any collaboration, as well as designs that are a little extra or have stories behind the shoes. If I have any Chucks that are just solid colors, it's because the material is something other than traditional Chuck canvas.

A lot of the brand collabs are top-shelfers: John Varvatos, AMBUSH (Fuzzy Black, Buzzy Blue pairs, plus blue duck boots), CLOT (Giant Panda high, panda low Jack Purcells, polar bear), Marc Jacobs (trio of 1 of 333 pairs), Patta, Eleven-Eleven, Feng Chen Wang, Chinatown Market, KITH, Stüssy, Golf Wang, Woolrich, Sky High Farms and more.

I also love character collabs like E.T., Willy Wonka, Peanuts, Loony Tunes, Batman, the Simpsons and artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

See anything you're after? Most of these are 9s, but some 9.5s and 10s. I love 'em all, but I can't take 'em with me, so they say. (Well, not all of 'em, anyway ... but I'll probs be buried in a pair!)

I'm OK with the club members who think this pair is a little cheesy. I think they're fun. But it wasn't until just a few days ago when I was in the mood for some '90s vinyl and I made my way from the Toadies to Spacehog to Everclear to Sponge and pulled the "Rotting Piñata" album out and thought, "DUHHHHHHH!" I don't know why I've looked at these shoes for so long and never thought about their very unofficial '90s alt-rock cousin.

2021 update of the 2006 Nike x CLOT Air Max 1 "Kiss of Death." This "CHA" version represents tea drinking, but keeps the graphics from the OGs with the reflexology chart, the transparent toebox and outsole, etc.

Nothing special ... just fun.

The Converse x 11.11 / eleven eleven collaboration uses leftover fabric scraps from their larger garments. They’re gathered and pieced together to form the Chuck's upper surface and are made from half silk, half cotton. These Chucks are 1-of-1, totally bespoke and made-to-order from India. They're also available as a 1-of-1 indigo pair, or an off-white. The only true Converse branding kept on them is the insole marking and the standard Chuck license plate on the heel. It's one of the most unique Converse-Chuck collabs I've ever seen.

The Converse x 11.11 / eleven eleven collaboration uses leftover fabric scraps leftover from their larger garments. They’re gathered and pieced together to form the Chuck's upper canvas and are made from half silk, half cotton. These Chucks are 1-of-1, totally bespoke and made-to-order from India. The turnaround time on these $445 shoes is a full month or more. They're also available as a 1-of-1 indigo pair, or an off-white. The only true Converse branding kept on them is the insole marking and the standard Chuck license plate on the heel. (Personally, I think it would've been pretty sick if they'd have done the appearance of a circle logo badge on the ankle from the same dyeing process used elsewhere on the silk. But regardless, these are about as unique as it gets in the Chuck Taylor All-Star world.)

First off, this Tangerine Limo smells delightful. I also picked up a puck of Oishii (seen it rec'd here a few times) and Banana Boat. All three are like Prince said – they've got "The Look."

But can we just take a moment to appreciate the extra mile on the box packaging from Wojo? It looks classy as hell without being boring and doesn't need a bunch of AI-produced melting skulls or some weird shit like that. Great branding. Great use of the box to provide extra info like the recommended storage temps and the mission statement, and even once you open the lid you get more ways for them to plug their own stuff.

Sweating the details doesn't make a difference to a lot of people, but it goes a long way with me. If you're taking the time to make your rosin packaging look great, read like it was written by someone with actual mental acuity, and just generally handling the little things, then hopefully that means you're also doing it on the super-important front end. Fingers crossed on that part.

(And hey: For the record, not an influencer, not a paid this or that ... just a work-from-home stoner who appreciates good design everywhere.)

No joke, walked past this jersey at Walmart a few weeks ago on clearance for $1. Literally ONE DOLLAR. They had dozens of them. They clearly misjudged the market for generic soccer jerseys.

But for a buck, I knew the trusty Cricut in the basement could knock this out right quick. If I'd have thought really hard about it, I'd have bought every London one and made bunches of these to hand out at the show tonight — for real! That would've been a blast and worth the effort.

Alas, I shall have this on tonight ... hopefully not covered up by a poncho! Sending out my best mojo to all us Wrigley peeps for the weather tonight. I survived the Pearl Jam 2013 Wrigley Field "Lightning Show" and its near 3-hour delay, but it'd sure be great to skip that madness tonight!

Expected high 70s when I clicked Durant in.