guidetobadtaste

Sometime ago, James posted this pic of his Vans Authentics with boot laces. Now, I'm not gonna' lie, this looks pretty sweet. The boot lace has some great contrast against the blue and white. I heard a while back, from some website that I don't care to remember or look back up, that when riding fixies', your laces can get torn up. While I have no contact with James, I have met several people who do the same in order to keep their laces from ripping mid-ride. Now, being a bike rider myself, I can say I have never gotten my laces caught or ripped by any part of my bike. Nor can I say that I've been with anyone who has gotten their laces caught or ripped by any part of their bike. Now, given that I've been riding bikes, and been around bike riders, for about 14 years now, it seems to me that it's safe to say that this ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS (except to the curious kid who sticks his foot in the bike chain). So why do people switch their laces?

This trend doesn't seem to be out of necessity, but out of a belief that sticking boot lace in your sneaks looks cool. Added onto the fact that I've never seen laces torn up by a bike chain, boot lace stays tied like a Hollywood marriage. Is it just me, or would common sense dictate that untied laces are more likely to get caught in a bike chain than tied laces? So, don't kid yourselves, admit that you put boot lace in your sneaks because it looks "good".

Which brings me to my next point: self-awareness is as important to your style as wing-tips, oxford shirt, or your vintage watch. You have to know why you wear what you wear, be it because all your friends are wearing it, because you think it will raise your sex appeal, or because a bunch of bloggers advise you to (they're usually right, you know), and hopefully because it is just plain cool. So when someone asks you, "why do you have boot lace in your kicks?" I'd recommend telling them the truth instead of telling them that you have them in for when pigs fly. As a self-aware dresser you gotta' "watch the tricks baby. 'Cause the trick is a lie, and a lie is a thief. Trust me baby."