Kicks

I might be obsessed with sneakers. Five years ago, you wouldn't catch me dead in sneakers. Two years ago, you wouldn't catch me dead in sneakers unless I was at dance class or rehearsal. Now, I can't handle anything but sneakers. The brighter, the better.

But here's the thing about sneakers: they're like a whole bunch of different genres of shoes. You can't have just one pair for all occasions, just as you wouldn't have one pair of heels to wear to work, class, grocery, and gym. Each pair of sneakers is different, with a different character and different uses. Let's take a look at my burgeoning sneaker collection here, and I'll educate you a little; soon you'll have all the knowledge you need to build your kicks wardrobe.

The complete set

Here we have the complete set. First off, note the colors. Not a dull pair in the bunch. The closest we come to "dull" here is the vintage Kangaroo on the back right. They are pink (sorry no close-up). However, they only seem dull because of the bright Newton running shoe (orange: back left) and Reebok RealFlex (hot pink, second from left) sitting near them. Sneakers have gotten a lot brighter in the last ten years...

So the gym is covered: Newtons and Reeboks. The Newtons are a new discovery of mine. I decided to begin running a few months ago. In researching shoes and examining my own running, I realized I run on the balls of my feet and my heels rarely touch the ground. Most running shoes offer incredible padding and support to the heel: most runners run that way. Newtons, however, are one of the few brands that put a significant amount of support on the ball of the foot. Hence, they're my new favorite running shoes. Why the Reeboks then, you ask? These super duper flexible sneaks are perfect for cross-training: elliptical, treadmill, cycling, lifting, zumba, tai chi, whatever floats your boat. 

Air Jordans

I bought these in New York in November as a Christmas gift of sorts. You might remember the pain inflicted on my feet from this particular pair. I perhaps bought them a little too small in my eagerness to get my feet in them, but they have finally been beaten. My feet no longer bleed.

Here's a fun story for you. I bought these in a children's size because I loved them and they didn't come in adults. I have bought children's sized sneaks before (see below) to save money. I poked a little fun at myself while I was trying them on before the sales clerk could make fun of me for asking for children's shoes when he surprised me. He started talking about how a lot of real kicks connoisseurs will order children's sized shoes because they are made with different materials usually and because often the design is originally done for smaller sizes and hence more perfect. I'd never really thought about how shoes were designed and produced before, but it was cool. And I definitely felt like way more of a sneaker geek after leaving.

Nikes

These were the first pair of kicks I ever bought for dancing specifically. I bought these at Dr. Jays in the Bronx in a children's size specifically to save money. I've only had them about five years, but they're still probably my favorites. The tips are suede, and up until recently, you wouldn't catch me dead wearing them anywhere but the sunny, dry, perfect weather. I'm a little more relaxed about it now. A little....

However, there is also now a stain on my life in the form of nasty, previously-chewed-by-some-other-person-I-don't-know chewing gum. You can see it in the picture. Let me tell you how that got there....

I was at a dance class a couple of weeks ago, and there was a piece of chewing gum on the floor... why, I don't know. Anyway, at this studio, there are no trash cans or tissues, go figure. So I grab a receipt from my own bag and try to scrape the gum up off the floor because in this crowded room, I get the spot right on the chewing gum. I didn't particularly feel like sticking my turns that much. Obviously, I didn't get all the gum off the floor, and wouldn't you know, we did a dance of ONLY FLOOR WORK that night. After an hour of sliding my person all over the floor, I guess I'm lucky I only got the gum on the side of my shoe.

I haven't figured out how to get it off yet. Any thoughts?

Reeboks

A friend told me that he was getting his mother a pair of high tops for Christmas. I laughed and said that my mother wouldn't be caught wearing high tops or anything like them. I was right. But just a week later, for my birthday, look what she got me!

These shoes have barely seen the asphalt and are staying clean for the dance floor for now. They also have suede... look how careful I'm being. ;)