Please forgive me while I rant for a moment.

When we heard Ashlee Simpson-Wentz was possibly being shot for Vogue, I had a minor fit in the office. Of everyone in young Hollywood that the magazine has yet to feature, I couldn’t believe this was the choice.

The younger Simpson sister perhaps irks me to a disproportionate degree, but that’s just how it is. (I did dress as her on Halloween for a “Come As Your Most Loathed Celebrity Party.”) Now that she’s been axed from Melrose Place, rumors are surfacing that she wants to do a clothing line.

It’s just too much. Is Joe Simpson not paying attention to what’s happening to Lindsay Lohan in the fashion press this week—because you know he’s still pulling the strings on those girls’ careers? And of the two sisters, Ashlee certainly hasn’t been the “fashion” one, if you can even categorize them that way.

Is she going to start knocking off Chucks and Vans? Is there another rocker tee and hoodie line in our futures? Ugh. Okay, off to do some yoga breathing.

Every once in a while (well, once a week) we’ll be giving a shout-out to the advertisers who show us love.

We think you, dear readers, should return the favor. And we mean it, as we’re lucky enough here at Fashionista to have some rather lovely brands as advertisers.

Thanks to The Standard, Vans, and Kenneth Cole. We couldn’t do it without you. Seriously.

xo,
Fashionista

P.S. To learn more about advertising on Fashionista, please email advertising@breakingmedia.com

Four years ago, when they were still a quartet and I regularly drooled over their rack at Barneys, Trovata teamed up with Vans on a pair of limited edition, corduroy and leather Eras. They came in a wooden box and had sneaker heads and yours truly scrambling to pick up a pair. I missed the boat because I couldn’t shell out hundreds of dollars on eBay for them, but I still think about them til this day.

And so, I’m conflicted about seeing a nearly identical pair on Urban Outfitters this weekend.

On the one hand, I finally get to have the pair of shoes my younger self would have sold my soul to have, and better still for a mere $55 (sadly, those are not my feet, at left). And yet, I think I would see John Whitledge’s face staring back in shame every time I looked down at my pretty low tops.

So, what to do? Do I pick up the shoes and run (after all, the originals cannot be purchased anymore)? Or remember them fondly and stick with my beat-up authentics?

Also, it’s weird that Vans is really just reproducing an old Vans shoe that a designer made for them, expect, without the designer name. Think Whitledge is getting a paycheck for these?

—BRETT KANE

A little something from the folder of I Told You So:

Artist Keren Richter has already been asked to do a second round of sneakers for Vans because the first batch, which launched on Sunday, got such a good response.

Actually, they got a great response, to the point where retailers anticipate being sold out within the week, and Vans has decided to ship Keren across the country on a shoe-signing tour for Nordstrom.

We can see all the arty fourteen-year-old girls crowding the juniors department already…

In high school, I wore red suede Vans with everything. My vintage men’s jeans from Farrah. My black cocktail dress from Banana Republic. My blue Betsey Johnson slip for prom. Secretly, I think Lily Allen stole my style - or at least all the girls like me, trying to straddle grunge and glam, and still make it to class on time.

It’s been ten years since my first pair of Vans, but I still have a sneaker weakness. I like white Converse with jeans. I like Nanette Lepore skimmers with mini dresses. And I still have a pair of red Vans, a birthday present from a boy. They have Elvis Costello lyrics written on the soles, and I wear them on weekends with wide-leg slacks.

I love them, but sometimes I wonder -

When does a woman stop wearing sneakers? Is there ever an age limit? A prohibitive space?

Last year, Voguette Lauren Davis told me, “My mother always said that the only people who run are children and thieves. So why would you ever need sneakers?”

Stacy London from What Not To Wear agreed - okay for the gym, probably not for most women over 20.

Meanwhile, I’m contemplating my next rubber soles - a colored pair from Converse to support The Global Fund.

Are you craving a new pair, too? Or is it time for boots, flats, and conceding the idea that grown-ups don’t wear sneakers unless they’re playing pro ball?