Tackling the High-Top

I slid down the woven strap of a canvas bag to reach the floor and headed straight across the room to the entryway. Sitting by the baseboard was a gigantic black canvas high-top sneaker. I took a brief pause to study the vertical climb, eyeing the metal grommets and the thick rubber bumper. Grabbing the flat shoelace with both curved hands, I braced my shoes against the textured sidewall and hauled myself upward until my feet settled firmly onto the rounded toe cap. Sitting perched right on top, I ran my hands across the heavy canvas grain and the thick contrast stitching. Seeing full-scale footwear construction up close was worth every bit of the climb.