You know them. You love them. You hate them. I don’t really know if I fall so far to the left or right of this iconic shoe. But I do know this... I like them (well... almost).
I can’t find a picture of James Dean or Steve McQueen wearing them as readily as I can find photos of each of those “Kings of Cool” wearing a pair of Jack Purcell’s by Converse.
(But they did advertise in Playboy ).
So I guess the Wallabee isn’t “ultra-cool”. But that’s ok because neither am I.
I wore Wallabees in high school. Wore them out to the point I actually wrapped tape around it to keep together.
But these days the silhouette of the true Wallabees by Clark’s, for some reason, isn’t totally pleasing to my eye. I can’t really put my finger on it. Was it that I was missing the tape? I don’t think so.
Was it because McQueen wasn’t wearing them while flying through the air on his Husqvarna 400 Cross in “On Any Sunday”? Nah. Too dangerous anyway.
Maybe my time has passed for me to enjoy this type of shoe.
Until now...
I came across this version of the Wallabee by the Italian shoemakers, Velasca. Their version of the Wallabee, the Barbee, caught me eye.
For some reason, the silhouette of this shoe seems just a tad more refined. The shoe seemed a bit more substantial (or at least it appears that way in the photos on their website.)
I received an email this morning saying that my size was back in stock and with 20% off, I figured the time was right.
Also, I had emailed them awhile back about sizing and they were very helpful and prompt in their response.
So we shall soon see if the the Barbee (in beige) is the “new” Wallabee for me.
I can’t find a picture of James Dean or Steve McQueen wearing them as readily as I can find photos of each of those “Kings of Cool” wearing a pair of Jack Purcell’s by Converse.
(But they did advertise in Playboy ).
So I guess the Wallabee isn’t “ultra-cool”. But that’s ok because neither am I.
I wore Wallabees in high school. Wore them out to the point I actually wrapped tape around it to keep together.
But these days the silhouette of the true Wallabees by Clark’s, for some reason, isn’t totally pleasing to my eye. I can’t really put my finger on it. Was it that I was missing the tape? I don’t think so.
Was it because McQueen wasn’t wearing them while flying through the air on his Husqvarna 400 Cross in “On Any Sunday”? Nah. Too dangerous anyway.
Maybe my time has passed for me to enjoy this type of shoe.
Until now...
I came across this version of the Wallabee by the Italian shoemakers, Velasca. Their version of the Wallabee, the Barbee, caught me eye.
For some reason, the silhouette of this shoe seems just a tad more refined. The shoe seemed a bit more substantial (or at least it appears that way in the photos on their website.)
I received an email this morning saying that my size was back in stock and with 20% off, I figured the time was right.
Also, I had emailed them awhile back about sizing and they were very helpful and prompt in their response.
So we shall soon see if the the Barbee (in beige) is the “new” Wallabee for me.
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