UGLY! UGLY COMFORTABLE CONVERSE SHOES!

March 4, 2009 6:39 PM

What should I do with these wacky-looking shoes?

They were cheap, and comfortable, and I love Converse shoes!
I bought these Converse shoes for dirt cheap, with a particularly ugly design on them. Could i bleach em? or would washing them a million times wear the design off enough to, say, marker all over them? Anything to make em wearable in public.
I think they're Chuck Taylor Low tops. The Sticker on the box says "CT STICKER OX, A00143F, GOLD/PURPLE" The tag on the inside says that the upper and lining are made of textile and the outsole is made of "textile/rubber". Size 12, if that makes a difference.

posted by photomusic86 to clothing, beauty, & fashion (17 comments total)

You could try bleach, but it looks like the design is painted on, so it may not really work. You could try altering the design with paint pens or even Sharpies. If you want them plain black, that could work decently well. If you want to make your own design, not too sure how well it will work.
posted by fructose at 6:46 PM on March 4

RIT dye? I don't know what it would do to the soles, though...

FWIW, I think they'd look nice with an all black outfit. Loud, but nice.
posted by cestmoi15 at 6:48 PM on March 4 [1 favorite has favorites]

remove the laces and paint over the pattern with black acrylic paint - the sort you get in tubes at an art supply store - the paint will soak into the fabric and hold nicely, yet still be flexible and not crack. You will probably still be able to see the pattern a bit, but it will be dark and muted. It will probably look pretty good, actually. You may need to dilute the paint with water a bit to get it to spread nicely, depending on the thickness of the paint.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 7:06 PM on March 4

If you really feel like you have to destroy some totally cool shoes...sigh...you will have to paint them. Dye won't work. I don't even know if straight up paint will work, since the design has that sheen to it, and paint might not stick too well. I would take some medium-fine grit sandpaper to them and scuff them all over, to give the paint a texture to adhere to. And I'd use a fabric paint rather than acrylic as mentioned above. As far as brands go, I'm a big fan of the Jacquard fabric paints, but you'll probably have (cheaper) luck mixing a fabric (thing...I forget what it's called but it's a chemical you add to the paint) into an acrylic color of your choice. (Acrylic on it's own will crack and look crappy after you wear them even once.)
posted by phunniemee at 7:14 PM on March 4

But really, dude, just go balls out and wear the ugly shoes. Anything you do to them will make them look dingy and 10 years old rather than actually improve their appearance.
posted by phunniemee at 7:16 PM on March 4 [2 favorites has favorites]

what phunniemee said. The shoes are awesome.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:41 PM on March 4

is it possible to cover some, but not all of the pattern? maybe pick out which parts you like ( if any) and cover the rest with something from a fabric store. take them in to one and let them help you with what you need to cover them. just a thought.
posted by Taurid at 8:16 PM on March 4

I just feel that I ought to speak up for the shoes, which are awesome. MeFi Mail me if you're willing to just be rid of them for $20 or something.
posted by raygan at 8:30 PM on March 4

Those shoes are great. Wear them as they are.
posted by gt2 at 8:37 PM on March 4

Yeah. I'm nthing just owning the look.
posted by LucretiusJones at 8:58 PM on March 4

Or, you could decoupage! I found this yesterday, strangely. Sort of annoying YT video, but it's another idea.
posted by thebrokedown at 11:35 PM on March 4

Acrylic on it's own will crack and look crappy after you wear them even once

really? I have painted shoes with acrylic and they wore really well. maybe different brands work differently. Fabric paint is a good idea too, though.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:44 AM on March 5

Fabric paint them in dark indigo.
posted by watercarrier at 3:38 AM on March 5

You could use fabric paint in a dark color. Use one of those spongy brushes to put it on--I find those easiest to work with on fabric (well I guess regular work ok, but I think brush strokes on fabric look weird). The shoes look kind of shiny, so I'm not sure the "paint on paint" will take. Alternately, you could wear them as is out and about through the dirt or rain when you don't care how you look. They'll get a bit worn and dirty and you could wash them. I think after a few weeks of use, they would develop a nice patina and not be so loud.
posted by bluefly at 4:49 AM on March 5

Nice shoes!
posted by snowjoe at 6:19 AM on March 5

Is the canvas the same as regular converse or is that design screen printed on there?

I've had good luck using fabric paint on Converse; in high school I had a pair of sparkly red sneaks that put Dorothy to shame, and this was before they got bought out by Nike and they pretty much only came in black or white. It was awesome.

Like Phunniemee says, Jacquard is pretty much the best fabric paint (ok, it is. Tulip = terrible bubbly suburban soccer mom puff paint). I strongly suggest the Neopaque line; like the name suggests, they're more opaque than the regular line, and would cover the design better. I've found this line carried at Utrecht and Dick Blick; try art stores before hobby/craft shops, since the latter tend to have a selection that tends more toward neon glitter puff paints designed for doodling ASHLEY CHEERLEADER #1 on things.

These Sneaker Freaker tutorials focus more on customizing leather sneakers, but you might find some useful tips.
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:07 AM on March 5

They sell bleach pens at the grocery store if you don't want to mess with dilution and fumes and stuff.
posted by lhall at 4:18 AM on March 6