Old Skool
The Vans Old Skool is the best-known model from Vans: a low skate shoe in suede and canvas with the wavy Sidestripe on the side. What started in 1977 as a shoe for skaters in California is now a sneaker you wear with jeans, tailored trousers or a skirt. The Old Skool is popular with women and men, and on WOOVIN mainly in premium versions.
The history of the Vans Old Skool
Vans released the Old Skool in 1977 under the name Style 36. It was the first Vans model with leather panels on the toe and heel, which made the shoe more resistant to wear on the board. The side featured, for the first time, a stripe that founder Paul Van Doren had drawn as a doodle. That stripe, first called the ‘jazz stripe’, later became known as the Sidestripe.
In the 1980s and 1990s the Old Skool became a fixture of the skate and punk scenes. Today the model still appears every year in new colours, materials and collaborations, and the Sidestripe carries the brand on almost every shoe.
Design: Sidestripe, waffle sole and Old Skool 36
The Old Skool has a low canvas upper with suede reinforcements, a padded collar around the ankle and the white Sidestripe. Underneath sits a vulcanised rubber sole with the waffle tread. That thin, flexible sole keeps the shoe light and bendy, and lets you feel what is happening under your feet.
On WOOVIN you will mainly find the Old Skool 36 from the premium LX and OTW lines. The 36 refers to the original name Style 36: these versions follow the 1977 shape more closely and use better materials than the regular Old Skool.
Popular Vans Old Skool colorways
These Old Skool versions are currently the most wanted on WOOVIN:
- LX Old Skool 36 Pearlized Pack ‘Vintage Cocoa Brown’: dark cocoa brown.
- LX Old Skool 36 Pearlized Pack ‘Black Navy’: black with dark blue.
- LX Old Skool 36 Pearlized Pack ‘Brown’: a plain brown version from the same series.
- OTW Old Skool 36 Pearlized Pack ‘Marshmallow’: light off-white.
Vans Old Skool or Converse Chuck Taylor?
Both are low classics with a flat rubber sole. The Converse Chuck Taylor has a rubber toe cap and a narrower, longer shape, and runs large. The Old Skool has a padded collar, suede reinforcements and a slightly roomier shape, and fits true to size. If you actually skate and want more cushioning, many skaters also look at the Nike SB Dunk.
How does the Vans Old Skool fit?
The Vans Old Skool fits true to size, so you can stick with your normal sneaker size. The suede and canvas soften after a few wears. The shape is low and fairly flat: if you have wide feet or a high instep, go half a size up. Vans often lists men’s and women’s US sizes side by side, so focus on the EU size.
Buy the Vans Old Skool at WOOVIN
On WOOVIN you will mainly find the Old Skool as the Old Skool 36 in the LX and OTW lines, in shades of brown, black-navy and off-white. Choose a dark colour for a pair you wear every day, and a light version for a fresh summer look. With wide feet, add half a size.
