It's all about the shoes, isn't it?

Fashions fade, style is eternal.
~ Yves St. Laurent

Let's face it:  Casual shoes make fashion statements. And, maybe, they reveal something about the personality of the wearer.  It's all about the shoes, isn't it?

An iconic style:
Chuck Taylor All*Star,
Navy (2009).
It used to only
come in black and white.

Marvelous or boring, in basic black or white, even in pink, most of us like our shoes to be stylish as well as being comfortable.  Today, casual shoes come in all designs, sizes, colors and brand names:  Nike, Adidas, Converse Chuck Taylor All*Star, Doc Martens.  Casual can extend to classic wing tips, all-weather Mocs and leather boots, too. The more stylish our shoes are ~ and colorful ~ the better.

Of course, too, casual and stylish sometimes carries a hefty price tag.

Sometimes, we opt for a traditional and recognizable brand just so we fit in.  Yet, a pair of iconic Chuck Taylor All*Star are just a tad more expensive today than a generation, or two, ago.

And just a little more colorful, too.

The colorful Chuck Taylor All*Star
seemed to be the shoe of choice
of Millennials and Gen Xers
at this year's Bumbershoot,
Seattle's music and art festival.

While attending last month's Bumbershoot, Seattle's music and art festival, an event that drew hundreds of thousands of Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers to the Seattle Center to see the latest in cutting-edge, indie music ~ and involved a lot of sitting and standing around on grassy lawns and among crowds ~ casual, fashionable footwear was ever-present and, often, attention-getting. Believe me, it was never drab or boring.

Designed for comfort
but far from boring:
Sneakers for him,
suede boots for her,
and blue jeans for both.

Whether lounging with friends at the Broad Street Stage listening to Montreal's Plants and Animals, enjoying a glass of wine near the Fisher Green Stage while watching the Budos Band, or catching an early evening set by Jenny and Johnny on Labor Day in front of the Starbucks Mural Stage, I became fascinated by the lively and very fashionable casual footwear statements being made by Bumbershoot festival-goers of all generations.

We're all young at heart, right?

Here's a small but fairly representative sample of the casual shoes and sneakers I encountered at this year's Bumbershoot:

Classic Dr. Martens:
Recognized around the world for their
uncompromisingly good looks and colors.

Casual yet simple ~ and no baggy pants:
Deck sneakers (left) and Chuck Taylor All*Star (right)

Mod, black and eye-catching:
Black Chuck Taylor All*Star (left)
 and black leather boots (right).

They do go with blue jeans, don't they?:
Classic wing tips (left) and calf-length boots (right).

By the way, I wore a pair of classic (and comfortable) Adidas Stan Smith white leather sneakers to Bumbershoot, a brand and style that I have been wearing on and off since the '70s. For me, they represent a simple, yet classic style ~ and they're extremely comfortable.

Some shoes never go out of style.