Make me your own!

No big secrets here: I'm a fan of Converse. I've had numerous pairs over the past several years, dating back to rocking them in elementary school. I tend to go for the lo-top Chucks, since I am always late and shoes tend to be the last thing to go on, and the hi-top just takes a little too much effort when I'm already running out the door.

I'm also a fan of making things my own. As a kid, I owned at least one pair of canvas slip-on sneakers that I attacked with fabric paint (both puffy and non); in one of my first "wow, Goodwill is cool!" purchases in middle school, I found a pair of Chuck Taylors with handpainted flowers on them, and added colored pony beads to the laces. The beads eventually wore off from me dragging/stepping on my untied laces, but hey -- customized!

Imagine my glee when I discovered that you can customize your own Converse at Converse.com. You can pick different colors for different sections, change the color of the stitching, racing stripe, and rubber sides, and even have a phrase of your choosing added to your shoe. I tend to go for the Product (RED) shoes, since a. supporting research for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria is important, and if you're going to buy shoes, buy shoes that make a difference! and b. the red eyelet is really awesome (shallow? yes. true? also yes). Plus it's a really good last-minute gift if you make up a card that says "I will buy you your own pair of custom-designed Converse sneakers!", and then pay for the recipient's shoes.

They ask you to allow for a few weeks before you get your shoes, but I received mine much more quickly than expected, which was excellent because I always like getting things earlier than anticipated. They tend to be around $60, which is, of course, more than you'd buy for a regular pair at the store, but they are custom-made to your specifications, after all, and if you buy the Product (RED) ones, part of the money goes to the Global Fund. (If you would rather use your money to give directly to a charity, then by all means, do so -- but if you are looking for spiffy new shoes, it certainly doesn't hurt to have some of the money going to charity, either. And again, the red eyelet is awesome.)

Not only do they have Chucks available to customize (hi-top, lo-top, and laceless slip-on), but you can also do your own Jack Purcells, One-Stars, or skidgrip slip-ons! While my custom Chucks have taken me from New York and Europe, I can't help but think that custom skidgrips will come in pretty handy when I take off for Japan in September...

image from zappos.com