Sanrio x Vans Hello Kitty Sneaker Collection Will Make You Wanna Meow
Hello Kitty has been a close pal since my days in Punky Brewster-style pigtails, when carrying a backpack bearing the feline femme’s image was as big a sign of style savviness as toting a Rebecca Minkoff Morning After bag or a Nancy Gonzalez crocodile frame purse would be in my adult life. My obsession with this bow-loving kitty has carried on into adulthood, much to the chagrin of my 7-year-old son (who clearly feels cartoon characters are his domain and his alone), and I continue to smile excitedly whenever I see my favorite gatita on graphic tees, funky sneakers, bold jewelry, tech gadgets, punk-y hair accessories, and more. When the Hello Kitty x Mimobot collection was unveiled in September 2009, I was ready to back up all of my content on these adorable flash drives. And when Asics released a limited-edition collection of Hello Kitty sneakers that same year, I scooped up a pair with the quickness. And when Sephora unveiled its Hello Kitty Beauty line in January, I cooed about the adorable packaging for the eyeshadow and lip gloss quads.
My latest obsession: the brand new Sanrio x Vans Hello Kitty sneaker collection, which includes women’s and children’s footwear styles ranging from the Classic Slip-On (a staple in skater culture), with its canvas uppers and vulcanized waffle rubber outsoles to the Authentic Lo Pro, an understated, lace-up canvas number, and the Sk8-Hi D-Lo, a deconstructed hi-top sneaker with side stripe stitching and a slightly punk-y, Doc Marten-ish vibe.
The Slip-On silhouette is available in two designs: an all-black canvas pair with images of Hello Kitty’s face stamped along the top of each shoe and a checkered, black-and-white pattern with red bows at the center of each black square and the outline of Hello Kitty’s whiskered face shown within each white square.
But the shining star here is the SK8-Hi D-Lo sneaker, a honeysuckle pink number featuring an all-over print showing Hello Kitty in various scenarios: riding a yellow bicycle; perched atop the roof of a white house, a tree visible in the background; or clutching an apple while sitting in front of a stack of books, a carton of yummy milk positioned on top of this pile. The whimsical renderings of ripe apples, bulbous airplanes, picturesque houses, and lush trees, along with the abundance of stars and bows in this print make it all the more fun.
The Sanrio x Vans Hello Kitty collection just hit stores yesterday, so make sure to bless those feet with some HK hotness!
Sanrio x Vans Hello Kitty Checkered Slip-On, $50; and Sanrio x Vans Hello Kitty Sk8-Hi D-Lo High Top Sneakers, $55. Available at Sanrio stores and at Vans.com
