Converse Chuck Taylors are the best -- it's the perfect combination of simplicity and swag. I didn't buy my first pair until my Sophomore year of high school (feel free to call me a bandwagoner, because I most definitely am in this sense), but ever since then, I haven't turned back. As you might know, 2013 is the Chinese Year of the Snake, so Converse is appropriately releasing the "Year of the Snake" Chuck Taylors as part of its new throwback 1970s collection. The shoes still have the same basic shape and features as the 1970s classics, but of course, they are...well, snakeskin. And I wish more than anything that I could pull these babies off. You've gotta have some serious style if you wanna walk around in these. If you happen to reside in the Bay Area like myself, you're in luck: the snakeskin Chuck Tays will be released at Darkside Initiative in San Francisco this Friday, February 22nd. Aside from that, you'll be lucky to get your hands on a pair -- the only other explicitly stated release location is Singapore. But if you've got the dough, these could be worth it. (Shoutout to my hip, straight-outta-Central London roommate for showing these to me.)