Yes, I am seriously that person. I did indeed just take some pictures of my shoes – and not just any shoes, mind you, but sneakers – and posted them up here for the jolly lot of you to see.
Believe it or not, this is not my version of Pimp My Ride, where Xzibit shows up, and tells you that he heard you liked shoes, so he put some shoes in you shoes so that you can walk while you’re walking. Instead, it’s more of quick way for me to share yet another shoe anecdote with you, because there certainly have not been enough of those around here.
It’s entirely possible that I wasn’t paying attention before, but it seems like the return of the sneaker has heralded yet another age during which people are more than happy to line up outside of sporting goods stores for hours at a time, (sometimes overnight) all for the chance to hand over a few hundred dollars for the latest pair of designer sneakers.
Yes, yes. Let’s take a moment for the obligatory sneer, shall we? “I’d rather spend that money on rent/food/equipment/vacation/ [fill in your prefered worthy endeavor here]. People who buy expensive sneakers are spoiled/wasteful/misguided/unintelligent [certainly not you].”
Now that we’re done with that, could we talk about the irresistible siren call of certain items? It’s true for shoes more often than it is for other things, granted.
Have you ever found yourself purchasing multiple versions of one item? In some instances, even past their heyday?
For me, that item was something called a UES Shoe (né Upper Echelon Shoes). A quick Google search will probably yield all you need to know about the brand. For instance, that it was a line of high quality sneakers featuring embellishments like chains and buckles in place of laces. That is was created by childhood friends, Seth Campbell and Nicholas Cohen. That a few celebrities were spotted wearing them, and that for a minute or two, they were the hottest thing in town.
Most markedly, you will probably notice that there is not one link fresher than a few years old. There haven’t been any new styles since 2010, and the Facebook page has literally not been updated since sometime in early 2011.
Links that lead nowhere. Bright photography dispensing a measure of hope, until the words “sold out” and “sorry, this item is no longer available” appear on the screen. This, my ladies and gents, is what a dead line looks like.
Needless to say, this hasn’t stopped me from trying to acquire more pairs of the mysterious UES’s. In fact, it’s become an off-hours obsession of mine to hunt the far reaches of the internet for whatever might be left, and in some instances, to lurk about the badlands of eBay for older unworn pairs in mint condition. If anything, the sheer rarity of the shoe at this point, is what makes it such an awesome find.
I’m clocking in at about 6 pairs thus far, and if that eBay seller from Maryland had been the in possession of whites with gold chains in a size 10 instead of a size 8, you’d better believe I would now stand the proud owner of UES pair number 7.
So there you have it. I’m now officially the sneaker collector I never intended to be. I can now say with confidence that if given the opportunity, I might be tempted to drop a significant amount of funds on the right pair of UES sneakers. I suppose that the only aspect which might set me apart is the fact that these sneakers have become a staple of my wardrobe, and don’t just sit in a box unworn. Beware collectors, for once they come to me, I will likely be their last owner.
What about you? What’s your obsession item? You should definitely not leave a comment below tell me all about it.