Let’s Google: “Is Converse still stylish in 2011?”

Converse - a timeless brand

Yesterday, while leaving home, I entered a personal qualm over Converse.

I hope I am not making excuses for my laziness, but I often find Converse to be the best and safest style choice to a day outfit if:

1. I will be running around the city all day
2. If the weather will be unpredictable
3. If I will be strolling our baby around
4. If I’m simply too tired to think about what shoes to put on (Ok, there’s some laziness there, I admit)

But how can you go wrong with Converse?  It is THE casual, comfortable, yet stylistic choice, and suggests a hint of independence, rebelliousness, and staying true to personal comfort.

But, in the year 2011, is Converse still as trendy as when I was starting out as a designer 10 years ago?!  Am I supporting an outdated fad?!  In horror, I decided, as I often do, to Google: “Is Converse still stylish in 2011?”  Lo and behold, someone else has asked that very same question.

However, the answers I got were all kind of similar, and pretty mundane.  Supported by numerous celebrity pictures like this one of Natalie Portman, basically they all point to the fact that Converse is individually unique, and that you should always design how to wear your own Converse.  Yes, I know that already, and I absolutely agree.  And I certainly did not need celebrity pictures to justify my liking for a pair of shoes.

Natalie Portman in Converse

So what now?  I decided to look into the new Converse collections to see if there are new options out there in the Converse world that I wasn’t aware of.  I thought, “Let’s see how Converse is keeping up with the fashion world.”  And what a pleasant surprise I found – the Converse x Marimekko Collection for Spring 2011.

Converse x Marimekko for Spring 2011

Marimekko is one of my (and many girls’) favorite brands.  Devoted to bright, lively, optimistic patterns, this Finnish brand has been an important player in the fashion world since the 1960’s, especially when Jacqueline Kennedy made it a household name.  In our generation, it is Carrie Bradshaw who popularized Marimekko by featuring a bikini, a dress, and later a tablecloth in the hit series Sex and the City.  Many of my girlfriends in the fashion and creative industries own Marimekko bags, stationery, dresses… you name it.  I feel it is the colors and patterns that give us city dwellers a piece of beauty, art, and color from nature that we can carry with us at all times.

Marimekko, from Jacqueline Kennedy to Carrie Bradshaw

The Converse x Marimekko collection does exactly the same.  This is a vibrant collection that blooms like the fashion labels on High Street this season, but stays true to personal comfort.  It is fun, humorous, and in the timeless fashion of both brands, speaks personally to lovers of style and ease.

Converse x Marimekko for Spring 2011

Now I will Google where I can get a pair. :)

(you can find the images on the following sites: 1st image, 2nd image, 3rd image, 4th image, 5th image)