Three stripe heaven.
I'm prompted to write following my usual mosey through the Guardian Guide this Saturday. Blogroll this week gives us a whole heap of blogs dedicated to trainers/sneakers (much as I like the word 'sneaker', I don't feel qualified to use it. I'm not American). It offers up a roll call of the great and the good pumps (love that word too) throughout the decades, and made me think about a chronology of my own hi-tops, lowcuts, runners and various other canvas, rubber and nylon variations on a theme. On one of the listed blogs, I'm completely taken aback to find there's a man living in Liverpool who trod the same footwear path as me in his youth. Uncanny - it's like reading about myself. (I've only read his blog properly since writing this, and it makes me realise how on a footwear wavelength the whole country was back in the late 70s / early 80s - truly filled my heart with joy to read his musings.)
For me, must have all started with plimsolls (another corker of a word). They'll have been black. Elasticated gusset. At some point I'll have begged for white. And no doubt, Mum will have let me have them. Early junior school, I got my first proper trainers, but they were unbranded. Some odd brand, not even Hi-Tec (I have never owned any Silver Shadows, the trainer of Dads everywhere). Aged about 9, I got my first pair of branded running shoes. They were emerald green, suede and nylon, made by Gola. I loved them - they coincided with the first time I was captain of a school sports team (rounders - I can still throw a ball as far as most men I know, overarm, not some girly pussy underarm shit).
Dunlop Green Flash. Relatively cheap and not too cool back then. A resurgence about 10-15 years ago surprised and cheered me. I had about three pairs of the Gola trainers. They saw me through to high school. First pair of boy's footy trainers - Mitre Memphis. I had a pair of monkey boots too. Not trainers exactly, but worth an honourable mention, because this little tomboy loved them way back when.
Brand of champions (and me)
And then I fell for Mr Dassler's brand hook, line and sneaker. It started with Adidas Kick. Cheapest bottom-of-the-range black leather, classic three white stripes. Perfect for playing hockey on a gravel pitch. I had pair after pair of them. Also had a black vinyl Adidas sports bag with the classic trefoil. Then, I went traitor and got some Patrick Kevin Keegan endorsed footy trainers (and the matching shin pads - I am a girl, really, I am).
If they were good enough for King Kev, they were good enough for me
Now, don't be thinking I come from money, folks. I don't. But I was good at sport and my Mum was a cool bird who knew it was money well spent. If I'm busy playing hockey / netball / tennis for the school, I can't be off snogging boys and getting into trouble, surely? (I was, but don't shatter the old dear's illusions). And the second I could get a job, I did. In a sports shop. In the trainer department. And then my tastes got fancy. I had John McEnroe's Nike Wimbledon. My first pair of Nikes (Adidas will always rock my world). As soon as Adidas brought out the Los Angeles trainer, replete with a shock absorber system in the heel (what utter bollocks), I bought them. I had one pair of SL80s. Around this time, I went a bit sports casual - Fred Perry (navy, sky blue 2 stripes), brown penny loafers, blue Pods from Italy.
Give good shoe, them Italians
But once the totter of high heels took over, my buying habits abated a little. My love, however, has never abated. I currently own: Adidas Superstars (an all-time favourite - classic white, bought in LA 12 years ago), Adidas Stan Smiths (white, Velcro fastening - annoyingly, they still squeak, no matter how much leather feed / dubbing / Vaseline I rub on the fittings), Nike Air Rifts (originals, white, as soon as they launched in the UK - I had 3 pairs, sold 2), Adidas Supernova (pale blue - I thank my lucky stars when fitted for these, my style of running suits a pair of running shoes that look good, not some mental day-glo nylon madness). I recently bought some tan leather PF Flyers, but took them back the next day, knowing I'd bought them because they are a great looking pump, but would just never get the wear. I'm considering some Superga canvas in cream, to replace Converse. And unsurprisingly, I've had umpteen pairs of Converse over the years (thanks, Ramones). The Ex still laughs that my opening gambit to him all those years ago was "those Converse have the same colour rubber sole as the canvas" about the latest royal blue Jack Purcells he was wearing. My finest chat-up line ever (after "get your coat, you've pulled". I really did. And it worked.).
