Everyone has their favourite pair of shoes. I certainly have mine. They’re a pair of battered Converse that I’ve had since 2004. That’s 8 years. You can probably tell from the photo that they’re getting on a bit. They were, at one point, white but they’ve been a shade of grey for about 4 years despite numerous cycles in the washing machine. The picture shows that there are cracks all around the sole. I’ve been trying to deny it for years, but my Converse truly are looking a bit ropey.

So why haven’t I ordered new shoes, you ask? There are plenty to choose from! But there are a lot of points to consider before ditching your favourite pair of All Stars. Let me walk you through.

• The guys and I have been through a lot together. My first gigs as an enthusiastic 16 year old music explorer, club nights in dingy basements with sticky black floors coated in an inch thick layer of congealed vodka, outdoor festivals in blistering heat. They’ve travelled with me up the east coast of Australia, around 3 countries in South East Asia, to casinos in Las Vegas, the avenues of New York, onto Helicopters in Hong Kong and a whole host of other destinations. We have travelled, we have learned, and all without even a blister or a pinch of the toes. These shoes have grown up with me, they have moulded to the shape of my feet, how can I just cast them aside?
• I see a new pair of Converse as my arch nemesis. Sure, I haven’t had to contend with one in a while, but I truly hate the blank canvas. New white Converse straight out of the box is a very sad sight for me to behold; no story, nothing to tell, so much untravelled ground. The task of dirtying them up takes weeks, months, possibly even years and this is a mammoth task to stand before. So long before they lose their stiffness and they feel right. That blinding white of new canvas and rubber makes my stomach churn.
• They are an extension of me. For me, it’s always been black or white. Despite what Converse have to offer none of those prints or funky materials do it for me. That just doesn’t fly, as pretty as the possibilities are. I own a black pair which I DIYed from a pair of hi-tops by shearing them down to below the ankle, adding purple laces and covering with my pick of the best lyrics from all my favourite bands circa mid noughties. This includes highlights of Brand New, My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday. Oh yes. I also own these once white beauties, and I own a pair of light grey piped with light blue which I bought around 2008 and have yet to wear (see the last point). What I’m saying is, if you don’t pick your colour wisely, they’ll stay in your wardrobe and never become the noble steeds mine have. Converse are practical shoes, sure, but do banana yellow hi-tops transcend seasons and occasions? No. I urge you to be wise.

So now I face the task of finding a new pair. If you haven’t already gathered, this really does sadden me. I already know I won’t deviate from ever practical “white” but now I face a new hurdle: do I mess with the classic style? As if there wasn’t enough to contend with, Converse now make a Converse All Star Slim Core Ox as well as the traditional Core Ox model. My friend Cushti owns a pair of the slims and despite a quite perplexing price increase (but there’s less material, surely?) I have to say they are really quite easy on the eye and dampen the blinding white a little. However, I do like to stick to what I know, and at £35 who can argue with that?

I’ll make this difficult decision alone, readers. And I confess it may take me several months to succumb to the inevitable. But in the time it takes for me to come to terms with this change, I ask of you one thing: how do you part with your favourite shoes? I am 100% a Converse girl and would like to think I always will be. I only hope my new pair, when I eventually get around to ordering them, serve me as well as these did.

This post was written in partnership with Spartoo.