Converse - 5 years gone by and I still love them (Converse)

Member Name: becktheone

Product:	Converse
Date:	17/03/09 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Variety of colours, customisable, comfy

Disadvantages: Not waterproof, wear out quickly, no longer 'individual' original footwear

I realise the review section for Converse is quite crowded, but I felt compelled to give my personal opinion on these shoes.

When I started wearing Converse I was 15 and about to take my GCSEs. I've never gone back since. I'm 19, nearly 20 now, and in my second year of university and I've never stopped loving them! Although I've bought several pairs since then, my bargain pair were $40 from America when I visited in 2006. It's a bit of a saving on the £35 you usually have to pay for a full price pair in the UK.

I'm going to approach this review differently to how I usually do, by writing a little about advantages and disadvantages of Converse.

ADVANTAGES

What I love about Converse is how ridiculously comfortable they are. They are quick to lace up and you can adjust the tightness to suit your foot shape and size. For people like me who have quite wide feet but a small length of foot, they're perfect.

Another advantage is that they come in a variety of colours, from standard opaque colours such as black, green, red, etc., to more interesting designs such as camoflauge (which I currently own) and even clever designs which look quite arty. I've also seen different materials used, such as leather, which adds different effects to the footwear.

Some people choose to wear theirs looking brand new and out of the box, whilst people like me like to break them in and wear them down a lot before I feel completely comfortable in them. The worn look is also in my opinion a lot better than the brand new look!

DISADVANTAGES

Unfortunately, Converse aren't really waterproof. Most are made from a thin canvas material which soaks up water like no tomorrow. When the shoes get old, they develop holes everywhere - the sole, the outer rubber bits and the canvas material itself. This causes further problems in wet weather and I've often found myself with soaking wet socks and feet after inadvertently stepping in a puddle. In a good pair of trainers or boots, you wouldn't get this problem!

Also, they've become really quite popular footwear, which for me makes them less appealing because I used to wear them because I thought they looked original and individual. However, unfortunately their popularity means they've lost their uniqueness to me and I don't wear them as much as I used to (I now alternate them with other shoes, instead of purely wearing Converse as I used to).

My overall opinion? I still love them, but I'm not the Converse-mad girl I was!

Thank you for reading and rating.
Beck

Summary: Great everyday shoes, but get some good trainers or boots for rainy weather.