Shoe Lookin' At Me?

Thought for the day:  Little known fashion law- if the shoe fits, it's probably ugly.

Spit shined any shoes lately?

What are you wearing on your feet right now? Yeah, that's right. This very minute. If you're wearing shoes, are they well-shined?

That's what I thought. (Yeah, it's a huge waste of time trying to polish slippers, isn't it?)

I can't remember her exact words, but my maternal grandmother used to say something about feet making pride take a fall. And no, she wasn't referring to my tendency to trip over my own feet, either. What she meant was, "Polish your shoes!" Because she held fast to the tradition that a person would always be judged by the state of his shoes. Maybe that held a modicum of truth once upon a time, but I don't think it's applicable anymore. (Especially for those of us who are retired.)

As a kid, I never thought much about shoes, because like it or not, what we got was what we wore, so why bother thinking about it? Fashion wasn't even in our vocabulary, let alone in our budget. Except for one time. In the late 50s, all my friends were wearing saddle oxfords, so when it was time for me to get new shoes, I dared to ask for a pair.

Now, I don't know about your mothers, but mine had an uncanny skill. Of necessity, she was thrifty, so she had these ... unknown sources. Stores where she could purchase items on layaway that almost looked like the latest fads, but were much cheaper. And much much uglier. The saddle oxfords she brought home were the heaviest, clunkiest things I'd ever seen. Each one must've weighed five pounds, was thick-soled and extremely wide, with a horrible rounded toe, when all my friends had feminine, thinner-soled ones with a slightly pointed toe. Only thing those new shoes were good for was street skating, because the skates could clamp onto those thick soles like nobody's business. But I'm telling you, those shoes Would. Not. Wear. Out. Believe me, I tried. And just my luck, my feet went into a stalled growth pattern about then, so it seemed like I wore those things forever. And (ugh) polished them religiously. It wasn't what my grandmother meant, but believe me, with those shoes, polished or not, my feet definitely made pride take a fall.

Did you, your friends, or your kids ever have shoes that looked more like the ones on the left? Worn out and molded to every nook and cranny of your feet, and riper than the dumpster behind McDonald's on a hot summer day? Shoes you loved, no matter how bad they looked?

When I was in high school, most of the boys wore shirts and ties to school, but almost always sported a scuzzy-looking pair of Converse sneakers on their feet. (Or a pair of knock-offs from that unknown source store.) My brother's six years older, and when he was in high school, most of the boys wore black shoes with Cuban heels. And cleats. (If they could get away with it.) And there was nothing scuzzy-looking about those shoes. My grandmother would've approved, because they were as well-polished as a well-loved '55 Chevy.

Nowadays, it seems like people wear flip-flops just about everywhere. To church. To weddings, even. I mean, dressy flip-flops. Talk about an oxymoron. (Although, I must confess, I wore dressy flip-flops to our daughter's outdoor, ultra casual wedding.)

On the other hand, there are the Imelda Marcos type shoe lovers in the world. The ones who think nothing of paying triple digits for a single pair of shoes, and who fill an entire room with them. The designer shoes. Me, I still have a few pairs of gorgeous 6" stilleto heels with ankle straps. (NOT designer, and NOT even close to triple digit.) Now, I haven't actually WORN them in ages. Still, it's nice to LOOK at them as I shuffle past in my scruffy slippers. Like visiting old friends.

So, are you a shoe person? Ever hear of Kobi Levi? He's an Israeli shoe designer with imagination out the wazoo.  I'm sure his shoes are way beyond my cheap thrifty lifestyle, but if I had a pair, I wouldn't know whether to wear them or display them. They're as much art as they are shoes. Check 'em out:

So, which pair would you wear? The "tongue" shoes would work for a rabid Rolling Stones fan ...

Anne Petry said, A man hasn't got a corner on virtue just because his shoes are shined. And I say, a woman doesn't have to wear high dollar shoes to be attractive. Because, in the end, of all the things you wear, the expression on your face is always the most important.

                                                                        

So, SMILE, baby! (You're cool.)

                                         Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.