Shooooooesahhh!

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

My title refers to the character of Jen on the show The IT Crowd where she tries to get her not-very-observant tech support co-workers to notice her new toe-mangling heels.

As for my shoes, I frequently observe to myself, when looking in my closet, that I have more shoes than a man of my age should. There are several types of walking shoes, dressy and slightly less-dressy shoes in brown and black, the waterproof boots that got me through the UK, and a few other random pairs as well for everyday.

It was not always thus. Once I had one pair of shoes—athletic shoes for every occasion because I liked the comfort. Eventually I needed a pair of dress shoes to accompany my suit for job interviews and funerals. And now, because I’m in a relationship with a woman who feels shoe selection is a vital part of one’s wardrobe, I have many pairs.

A moment for editorial comment: do shoe manufacturers track our buying patterns, and when they find we’ve been wearing a particular shoe model for several years, they discontinue it? I used to wear a certain style of Rockports. They’d arrive, I’d put them on, they felt great out of the box, and I’d throw the old pair away. I repeated this cycle numerous times. And then one day I tried to replace the latest pair and they were nowhere to be found.

Right now I have a pair of Skechers casual shoes I favor. They don’t tie or have Velcro, and they just slip on. In fact, if I have morning back pain, I can drop them on the floor and just slip my foot in, hands-free. Now that’s a great idea.

I also have a pair of walking shoes that seem to have giant ridged marshmallows for soles. These are great because I can get to the walking path, pitch my upper body forward, and glide along the route. They feel great and allow my feet to feel as if they are barely touching the ground.

Oh, and another moment of editorial comment, My fiancee urged me to go see her podiatrist because I have a “severe pronation* problem” (my ankles lean and thus wear down my shoes unevenly). He didn’t think it was so bad to merit much attention, but he gave me the same advice he gave her and a friend of hers: go to this particular shoe store and buy these particular shoes that he recommends, and get a discount. I assume he gets a kickback. I guess he thinks every foot problem can be solved by wearing these shoes. And I’m reminded of the old Night Court episode where Bull is struck with lightning and a doctor is called in; he’s a podiatrist and his diagnosis is, “tight shoes.”

I just recently tossed a pair of casual shoes. At first, they were very stiff—I mean, very stiff—but the more I wore them the better they felt. But they were really run down and wearing out, so they went in the trash. But not before I bought an identical pair, which are, at the moment, a bit stiff. I’ll work on that.

I wonder how long I’ll be able to do that until they’re not available?

---

* Note this has nothing to do with being patriotic or nationalistic.