STITCH: DIY Keds

By Joelle Hyman, Photos by Brandon Weight Created by Emma Gregg Modeled by Emma Gregg & Ty Cothren

In high school, I bought a pair of classic Vans slip-ons whiter than Hilary Duff's veneers. Ashley Olsen sported the same pair on a venture to Starbucks with a silk Prada turban and a pair of jean shorts that looked more like a denim diaper. The only difference between my pair and Ashley's? Hers looked loved, worn and scuffed around the rubber platforms like she had attended some booze-infested bonfire. But then I remembered she was an Olsen and not a classmate, so she probably just walked through some mud at Coachella. After four years, my sneakers got the wear and tear I first admired on Olsen, and I didn't even have to run from the cops.

I've stamped the death certificate on my Vans more than once, from hailing a cab in a rain curtain so thick it looked like a TLC music video to a Mayfest blackout. This time, I'm requesting a revival in the form of a new coat. As much as I would like to drape my Vans in a metallic Burberry trench, spray paint will have to suffice. You may not be Curtis Kulig when it comes to getting that drippy "Love Me" splattered across some brick building on the Bowery, but this DIY requires a little less precision and a lot more freedom. At the very least, channel your inner toddler attempting to use a set of Blow Pens.

Second chances don't always work out for the best (see: leg warmers, crimped hair, and denim skirts), but I think Ashley Olsen would agree that everyone deserves a second visit to the arena. If she hadn't gotten one, she would be still be wearing sweater sets instead of designing them.