Vans Old Skool 'Animalier'
Colorway: Animalier Black · Style code: VN000CR5CJK · Release date: May 15, 2024 · Price: $149 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Vans Old Skool 'Stargazer Blue' (VN000CR512S) · Vans Old Skool 'Pig Suede - Castle Wall' (VN000CR54A3) · Vans Old Skool 'Pig Suede - Incense' (VN000CR54MG) · Vans Old Skool Wave Washed Sneakers (VN000CR5BLA) · Vans Old Skool 'Multi Block - Blue' (VN000CR5BLU)
Animalier is the print, and the shoe is arranged so that it has somewhere to live. The spotted pattern occupies the quarter panels and collar area, while the suede toe cap, heel counter and eyestay stay in solid black to frame it. The leather sidestripe cuts straight through the graphic, which is the detail that keeps the pair readable as an Old Skool rather than as a novelty print on a generic low-top.
It carried a $75 price on release, May 15, 2024, a small step above the plain colourways in the same season. Because the base is black rather than a natural tan, the print reads more as texture than as costume from a few feet away, and it pairs with dark denim far more easily than a tan leopard version would. The vulcanised sole, waffle tread and padded collar are standard, so nothing about the wearing experience changes with the graphic.