Converse and Vaquera are back together, and they brought a heel. The Converse x Vaquera VX-1 Heel drops today, October 27, with pop star Kim Petras fronting the release. It is a puffy Y2K skate shoe sitting on a kitten heel, and it is exactly as loud as that sounds.
A skate shoe from the archive, lifted
The starting point is the CS Pro-1, a chunky skate shoe pulled from the Converse archives. Vaquera kept the attitude of that era intact: a suede upper with perforated accents, a padded mesh tongue and inner collar that puff out the way early 2000s skate shoes did, and wide laces that read like a direct callback to that moment.
Then the twist. Instead of a flat cupsole, the whole thing lands on a sleek kitten heel with an elevated platform underfoot. Converse calls the result an unapologetically expressive combo that defies convention, and for once the brand copy undersells it. It looks like a skate shoe that got dressed up for a night out and refused to change.
The details that make it
Retro eyelet covers run along the lacing. The heel pull carries translucent detailing, and a co branded moulded rubber label sits on the tongue. Star Chevron branding appears alongside an archival tongue and heel pull, so the Converse lineage stays clear even with the new shape. Vaquera notes a Super Grip gum rubber forefoot outsole and a carbon fiber shank, which helps explain how a heel this playful stays planted. Inside, Ortholite cushioning handles comfort.
On materials, Vaquera lists a cow suede upper across the quarters, vamp and heelstay, a knit polyester tongue with suede webbing and a rubber outsole.
Two ways to wear it
There are two colorways. The white pair, listed by Converse as White/Black/Honey, plays up the vintage skate side with its honey toned accents. The black pair is the moodier choice and probably the easier one to style with denim or a slip dress.
It is a Limited Edition release in women's sizing, and Converse says the style runs true to size. Vaquera is running a waitlist on its own site for each colorway, and Converse is selling the shoe directly, so those two official stores are the places to check first.
Why it lands now
Vaquera has always been good at taking something familiar and pushing it until it feels new and a little dangerous. Converse, meanwhile, has a deep archive that rarely gets this kind of playful treatment. Pairing a puffy skate shoe with a kitten heel is the sort of idea that sounds like a joke until you see it, and then it just looks right.
Our call
This one is Surfacing. It is not for everyone, and that is the point. If you like your shoes to start a conversation, the VX-1 Heel is the most fun Converse has been in a while. Pick the white pair if you want the Y2K nostalgia front and center, the black pair if you want it to blend in just a little.
Building out a rotation? Our sneakers and style hub collects more pairs worth tracking, and our gifts for sneakerheads guide has ideas for the shoe obsessive in your life.
VX-1 Heel at Converse · VX1 Heel White at Vaquera · VX1 Heel Black at Vaquera · Kim Petras
