Vans Holder in Black Nubuck & White

My very first pair of Vans was a model called the Vans Wally which I bought in 1998. It was an awesome, black suede low-top casual sneaker that I happened to find at Kohl's. I was very lucky to find a pair in my size as the one I bought was one of the few remaining in any size. And they only cost $25! There are two unfortunate things about this shoe: first, this was back in the late-1990's and I didn't have a camera at the time so I don't have any pics of them; second, after very little usage I ended up donating them to the Salvation Army or something. To this day I regret doing so. They were such a simple yet cool shoe and for the life of me I cannot understand why Vans would not reissue such a great pair of kicks.

Anyway, many years later in 2009 I found another pair of great Vans at Kohl's. This one was called Vans Holder and it was black nubuck with some white highlights. Again, a pretty simple design. Probably not meant for the real skater but more for casual skating and use. I probably don't even have to tell you what ended up happening with these. But yes, I ended up getting rid of them after very little use for reasons which I cannot remember. Another decision I completely regret. I never really got into these shoes until I saw another dude wearing them. His were really beat up and worn and they looked great. Of course, by that time I had already long sold mine and you couldn't find them anywhere anymore. I just looked online and on ebay to see if I could locate any. Not a chance. Not these black nubuck ones. But fortunately I have a few pics of them and here they are:

Nike 6.0 Air Zoom Oncore in Black / White / Metallic Silver

Nike made some pretty interesting skate shoes and this is one that I had at one time. It's the 6.0 Air Zoom Oncore. I never skated but these were pretty comfortable and they looked good with skinny jeans and shorts. A lot of skate shoes have the tendency to look very bulky and that's not a look I like. While these were by no means as streamlined as many Vans shoes, they were still nice and could even pass for casual sneakers. These were mostly suede.

This shoe came in several different colorways but this is the one I had and one in which I felt was the least wild looking:

DVS Drake Skate Shoes in Black & Grey

There was a time when I started getting into and buying skate shoes like crazy. I was buying skate shoes from brands I never heard of before. One of the brands was DVS and of the best skate shoes I have ever owned was their Drake model. This was a nearly perfect sneaker. Not bulky like many skate shoes typically are. A simple yet sleek design. Pretty comfortable. A thinner midsole layer which added to the sleekness of the shoe and made them compatible with different styles of pants. A cool ribbed sole. And made of black nubuck (and suede). Well, that's the case with the one I have pictured below, but they came in other colors and mostly smooth leather. I had two pairs of the ones in the photos but unfortunately they were both a half to a whole size too large for me and I could never find them in the size I needed. I guess I came upon them around the time of the end of their shelf life. What a shame because I think I would still be rockin' these today if I just had the right size. And I am pretty sure there is no chance of ever finding a pair of these nowadays. It's been around 5 years since I parted with this pair.