Hot wheels

No matter who you are — if you think roller skates are new kitsch or old kitsch; if you believe you’re too old or cool to buy into kitsch; or are cool enough to not care whether something’s kitsch or not so long as it’s cool — you’ve got to love roller skates. Skating is fun exercise, and it was a fashion statement well before P.T. Anderson’s Roller Girl — more like American Graffiti carhops. Urban Outfitters is selling Puma Roller Skates in two color combos: royal blue with yellow stripes and candy pink with white stripes. They’re eye candy, better than the local rink’s paper bag-brown high tops with red stoppers. Speaking of which, the Pumas are low-toppers and just fawning over them twists my ankle (there’s a reason why the long laces tie up to your kneecaps). It’s up to you to decide if $125 is a worthy price for pretty. But, if anything, it’s nostalgia for the easy days of elementary cool when shooting the duck well got you a hand to hold during slow songs. Hop by Ann Arbor for a pair or check them out online at www.puma.com and www.urbn.com.