If we’re talking early 1990’s and middle school fashion, Keds were the coolest shoes in the world. Scratch that, the Universe. I can still picture them. Their perfectly clean, crisp canvas. Their bold blue “I’m the real deal” logo. Their total lack of support and shock absorption. Their complete void of style. It was all too much for my preteen self. I had to have them. All the cool kids were sporting Keds. If you weren’t wearing Keds, you were deemed a poser (whatever that means).
Seeing how I was only two days past my ‘Converse stage’, I had to ask my mom for a pair of Keds at the perfectly orchestrated time. Perhaps after my sister brought her report card home or just moments after my dad announced his goal to invite our grandmother to live with us for the summer? It took awhile, but I found my opening and I boldly asked my mom for a pair of Keds. Mom shocked me when she answered “yes”. There wasn’t even an argument. I guess it made sense seeing even her friends were wearing Keds. Yes, a fashion trend that spanned multiple generations. I shutter to think . . .
The big day came and Mom and I set out to go shopping for my new fashion “must have” at an unlikely place. Not a department store, not a boutique, but Kmart. It hit me almost immediately. Mom was planning on going the generic route. There was no blue logo in my future and I started to freak out.
I tried to explain to my mom what would happen if I turned around and didn’t have that authentic blue logo on the flip side of my sneaks? I’d die. I’d cry. I’d feel like a loser. Mom stared at me totally blank and said words that echo in my brain even today, “they are exactly the same”. WHAT???? Says WHO?????!!!
I never got my real Keds and I lived to tell about it. However, the story doesn’t end there. One evening well past the “generic shopping trip” I spotted something blue in my mothers closet. To be specific, something white and blue. There they were, staring at me, perfectly new Keds . . . in size nine . . . ADULT nine. My mom bought a REAL pair of Keds for herself! But, I thought, NO ONE would know? Apparently, they will!
Decades (dear God I’m getting old) later, my five year old bashfully came to me and asked for shoes that light up. To be exact, Sketchers. The irony is rich. Sketcher’s are Keds just rebranded, bedazzled, stuffed with some cheap lights, and sold for twice as much.
Honestly, I’m not a brand snob and especially when it comes to my kiddies. I love ya J.Crew, but Target sells the same thing. Pottery Barn Kids, you are precious, but I’m not taking out a second mortgage to pay for a Halloween costume. However, I do have a soft spot for shoes. So, on the first day of school my daughter will be wearing shoes that shine. I love them and so does she. I tried to explain to her how lucky she is that I bought her Sketchers and how fads are just silly ways to get parents to spend more money. I’m not sure if she listened, but as I watched her skip off leaving a trail of flashing lights behind her, I smiled. She is just darn lucky they don’t come in my size . . .
6 comments
I can completely relate to this. My mother too would not give in to “fads or trends”. So, when my 5th grader asked for TOMS, I stalled and stalled. Well, when 6 months later she brought it up again, I caved in. Now, the bummer of it is, she is in Women’s sizes and they cost more. Oh well, at least my 5th grade girl feels like she has something pretty special for the time being.
Yes, and Sutton was ROCKING them the other day, like only she can! They made her outfit!!
Krista, This is rich! I remember getting on the “Keds Train” like it was yesterday. And the Skechers…Ella James begs for them but I think they are U-G-L-Y! You are a good mama!
I heard on a parenting show one time that you should invest in the things that the kids wear everyday. Go cheap on the other stuff. So shoes and jackets go for the real deal but cheap out on t-shirts, etc. I thought that was good advice. Kids do want to feel like the fit in and as parents we remember what it is like to not. Giving in to one or two trends is ok in my opinion.
I remember wanting Guess jeans. I had one pair but probably wore them 4 days a week!
Oh the brands I craved as a kid. I remember what it was like yesterday. I wanted a Benneton ruby shirt more than anything. I had to have a Guess jean jacket and my Liz Claiborne pocketbook in 6th grade was sooo cool. They were expensive and my poor parents had 3 girls to buy for. I was always asked to pay for half of the overpriced fads that retailers pump out! I think it was a good lesson for me to learn. I mean an $85 jean jacket in 1987 was nuts!
Umm…I MAYBE went so far as to rip off the blue from a pair of old stinky Keds and glue them onto the new generics. That is sad Smarty Friends. SAD! HAHA!! I swore I would never make my kid wear generic shoes. All I have to say is thank goodness for her that there are Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Nordstrom Rack to keep her looking labeled. Because, quite frankly, I don’t have the time or inclination to glue any kind of labels to anything anymore!!