About

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Hi

Look at a Chuck Hi from the outside and you see a bare canvas shoe. The famous round patch is there, but only on the inside of the ankle, and that’s not a design whim. That spot originally held a protective pad for basketball players’ ankle bone, and the patch is the label that was printed on that pad. The branding sits where the function used to be: on the side where your other foot rubs past.

What this page is — and isn’t

This is the high version of the regular Chuck Taylor All Star: the light, thin canvas model that’s been sold for generations. If you’re looking for the heavier 1970s reissue, with thicker canvas and a higher rubber sidewall, look at the Chuck 70 and specifically the 70 Hi. The difference between those two families is explained there; this page covers the standard model.

Two eyelets that don’t carry laces

On the inside, low by the sole, are two metal rings with no lace through them. They’re ventilation holes, and they sit only on the inside, just like the patch. The rest of the construction is the familiar formula: canvas on a vulcanized sole, a rubber toe cap with a toothed bumper strip above it, and a thin sole rim with a double stripe all around.

Why the high is the original

The All Star began as a basketball shoe, and a basketball shoe at that time was by definition high; the low Ox came later as a derivative. The high cut is therefore not a variant but the original. Under that term there are also versions with a raised, heavily lugged sole under the same upper; those carry “Lugged” in the title and are noticeably heavier.

The neighbors

The perennial comparison is the Vans SK8-Hi: also high, also canvas, but with a padded collar and suede on the wear areas where the Chuck stays bare canvas. The Chuck is lighter and thinner, the SK8-Hi more protective and warmer. Anyone deciding between the two is really choosing between a summer silhouette and a lined one.

On this page you can see which versions of the Chuck Taylor All Star Hi are currently hottest according to the Hypescore, what price they start at, and how many shops have them in stock.