chunky monkey converse edition

February 5, 2018 12:30 PM

help me recapture the those halcyon days of the mid 90's when the wide toe box was a fixture throughout the land and converse had a men's one star leather upper version that was just perfect for me.

i am looking for that model and/or a reasonable facsimile with leather (not suede) . i suspect some sort of skate shoe may be the answer. the toe box is crucial as my feet are not wide sized except there.

there's no way to try them out beforehand. i will have to order online, so return policy is important. i wear size. u. s. 12 if that matters.

posted by lescour to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

Good luck with this, I have scoured everywhere for shoes with wide toe boxes just because I like the way they look. None. The closest I have found are Vans, they aren't really right but not terrible.
posted by chocolatetiara at 1:08 PM on February 5, 2018

I feel like you want skater shoes, which I've always perceived as having a wider "toe box" (new term for me!). Do any of these come close?
posted by Toddles at 1:19 PM on February 5, 2018

Definitely skate shoes, or something like a Nike Flyknit, which isn't narrow, but is ultra flexible and stretchy.
posted by so fucking future at 3:50 PM on February 5, 2018

I empathize about the toe box. It’s as if shoe makers have decided toes need to be kept crushed and bound. Have you looked at Simple? The pair I have has a roomy toebox. Sadly, all they seem to have is suede, though.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:23 PM on February 5, 2018

I've had good luck with Keen, since most of their shoes, men's and women's, tend to have a wider toe box (I'm a woman with wide toes but otherwise average sized feet.) I have a pair of the Coronado model (they also had a men's version, possibly in leather too?) which fits great, but it seems to be discontinued. They might have a newer model that would work for you, though.
posted by flod logic at 5:43 AM on February 7, 2018