I love my skate shoes. In fact I LIVE in them! I have about 30 pairs ranging from Vans to Adio to Emerica and everything else in-between. But Vans are still no.1 on my list. I wear them with Jeans, cargo pants, shorts, combats, skirts and even have a plain black pair I wear to work (in a smart office)

You cannot beat the comfort of Vans. I have slight flat feet so anything with shape to the arch of the shoe causes me issues. So the flatness of Vans are perfect for me.

There are many different types to choose from and various styles and colours. I have Black to Brown to Blue and even a pink pair.

I have to admit that although I do have a few girls pairs I in fact almost always go for men's or unisex. I feel the girls versions have an odd look to them. As they are thinner they always appear longer than they should and a lot flatter. Whereas the men's / unisex are wider with more shape to them and in my opinion are just a lot more flattering to feet, especially for those of us who have slightly larger than average female feet. At a size 6-7 anything that doesn't make my feet look bigger than they already are is a huge plus point with me.
Which leads me to another great thing about Vans, the half sizes! Online you are able to find all sizes from kids up to men's 15 with all the half sizes in between so being able to wear a 6.5 is great for me.

Now they aren't the cheapest of skate shoes out there, ranging from £40 to £70 on average but with some internet hunting it is possible to find them even cheaper or on sale especially on websites dedicated to skaters and skateboards.
Vans do have some close completion in the market these days, especially in my opinion from Adio, but to me they will always be the original and the best.