Vans Old Skool 'Skulls'
Colorway: Black/True White · Style code: VN0A38G1H0B · Release date: June 9, 2018 · Price: $351 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Vans Old Skool 'Checkerboard Disarray' (VN0A38G10A6) · Vans Old Skool 'Grape Leaf' (VN0A38G10FI) · Vans Old Skool 'Ditsy Floral - White' (VN0A38G116Z) · Vans Old Skool 'Flash Skulls' (VN0A38G118C) · Vans Old Skool 'Tiger Floral' (VN0A38G119M)
A repeating skull pattern printed across the canvas is the whole identity of this pair, and the layout is what makes it work. The graphic runs over the open panels, while suede takes the toe box, the eyestay and the heel cap, so the print is bordered on three sides instead of wrapping the shoe end to end. Black and white keeps it graphic rather than cartoonish, and the leather sidestripe stays pale enough to cut cleanly through the pattern.
It released on June 9, 2018 at $60, the model's long-running entry price before later material upgrades pushed the line higher. Everything structural is stock: a padded collar, a reinforced toe, metal eyelets and the vulcanised rubber sole with its waffle tread and Off The Wall bumper detail. Printed pairs from this era are now among the easiest to find secondhand, since they sold in volume and the canvas holds a wash better than a light suede upper does.