"Do I look like a rockstar now?"

Children's wear would have been fun to feature if I were writing about a little girl's dress or skirt. But because I couldn't find a child in the mall who wouldn't be shy to take a picture, I decided to take a picture of my 4-year-old cousin, Joaquin. I thought that he was actually such a perfect person to write about since he chooses his own clothes when he dresses up. I remember his mom saying that she found him odd because "most kids get excited to unwrap presents and see toys, Joaquin gets excited when he has a new shirt or a new pair of sneakers!" :) He enjoys picking out his clothes and he always has a clear vision of how he wants to look -- "I wanna look like a rockstar.".

He was in my room one day and then I asked him if I could take his picture. Our conversation went a little something like this:

Me: Joaquin! Can I take your picture for my class?

Joaquin: Okay, wait. I'll ask my mommy.

(20 seconds after)

Joaquin: Okay! She said yes! Come with me to my room, I'll choose. Can I be a rockstar?

Me: Sure!

As we were going through his closet, he'd tug at something and expect me to pull it out of the closet for him to wear. I was surprised at the number of times he changed his mind! Hahaha! :)

His outfit, consists of a plaid long sleeved polo, a printed yellow shirt, khaki pants and Converse sneakers. Everything that he is wearing, he chose for himself. I even offered to roll up his sleeves. "No, it's supposed to look like a jacket!" was the answer I received.

Going with the theme of shoes (as with my previous blog entry), I decided to focus on his shoes. Converse shoes is an American Brand that came into existence in the early 20th century. It was created in order to provide people with shoes that have rubber soles. The shoes are commonly referred to as "Chuck Taylors", a name that was popularized by the Converse ambassador, basketball player, Charles "Chuck" Taylor.

The Chucks were known as the official shoes the the NBA until the 50's when they were out-shined by new big brands such as Puma, Nike and Adidas.

Although Chucks are a staple, they were a big trend during the early 90's because of the grunge era. Basing on the information, I believe that the Theory of Fashion Leadership that can be applied here is the Trickle Across Theory. The shoes became an all-American brand that it was seen worn by the people on the street to the A-list celebrities on red carpet premieres.

Chucks in casual wear

Chucks in formal wear