Alexander Skarsgård Is a Converse Guy (And You Should Be, Too)

Alexander Skarsgård is on the Wicker press tour right now, and his fits have been getting pretty freaky (as to be expected). But this week, at a 92nd Street Y event in New York City, the Swedish actor went a bit more low-key, swapping his steamy, see-through Saint Laurent shoes for a pair of Converse.

And not just any Converse: the classic Chuck Taylor All Star high-top. The black canvas, the white laces, the rubber toe cap, the ankle patch. It's the kinda sneaker you can recognize from a mile away, and there's a reason it's stuck around. In the 100-plus years since the Chuck was introduced, its design has barely changed. If it ain't broke, right?

These were the trainers that we all had at some point—even Skarsgård himself! We wore them until the canvas looked like it had been through a shift, the white rubber went grey, and the soles started separating at the sides. Then we'd keep wearing them anyway. They were school shoes, gig shoes, last-minute dive-bar shoes. Chucks were easy, they went with pretty much everything, and they cost less than whatever limited edition thing we were trying to convince ourselves we needed. But somewhere along the way, we stopped reaching for them. Sneakers got chunkier, more technical, more cushioned. The low-profile canvas silhouette started to feel a little too plain next to the approach shoes and ballet flats that were taking over our FYPs. Converse never really went anywhere; we just got distracted.

Now, a few of Hollywood's most famous guys are reminding us how good they look. Austin Butler wore a beaten-up brown pair with a great leather jacket. Robert Pattinson threw on some navy Chucks at Cannes with slouchy trousers.

Skarsgård's pair is another reminder that your old Converse probably don't need replacing with some new grail. They're already in your cupboard, or maybe at the back of it, under a pile of things you swear you'll sort out. Go find them.