You what? A lace-up shoe with no laces? Well, yes. Emerica have made the Laced shoe to be able to be worn with no laces at all, advertising the fact that this is how Reynolds wears them. That may be true, but I’m sure he doesn’t skate in these very lightweight thin slip-on/lace-up hybrids.
After a day or so of breaking in, (with a very nasty blister, which I usually get from thin shoes), these started to feel very nice indeed. The wafer thin sole gives so much boardfeel that your truckbolts seem like scaffolding, but with just enough cushioning to knock out the odd 360flip or two without fear and give plenty of grip.
I’ve been using these shoes for both skating and chilling in by putting the laces in for skating, then taking them out when I want my stinkblocks to breathe a bit. The simple design with no toe-stitching is perfect for skating as only the material will wear out (and this tough suede will take a while I’m sure), and they’re also simple enough to wear down the pub without the barman telling you to get your massive stinking shoes off his furniture.
Top tip for the Laced, I would seriously buy them in a smaller size than usual to give a better fit and stretch them out. I wouldn’t advise frontside flipping down 17-sets in these Emerica’s unless you really like heel bruises, but for anyone who wants a quick Sunday morning shralp at the local park before heading home to read the paper with a brew, these are perfect.
Moose.