you feel a little uncomfortable, don’t you? like you need to cross your legs, or check to see if i moo, or something? i can assure you, i continue to be simultaneously enamoured and repulsed.
so, i guess they are more socks than sneakers: japanese socks with rubber soles. apparently, in japan, construction workers and miners wear them? i wonder if pickaxe-through-the-toes incidents are much higher in japan than over here in the land of steel-toecap boots.
of course, i have no need to worry about pickaxe accidents as i whisk deftly up the street in my new cloven-toed sneakers! or, as deftly as i can move while keeping pace with a small person whose legs are just over a foot in length.
when i returned to the store last friday afternoon, the shopgirl asked in greeting, “so, shall i pack these up for you?” she pointed at the ones i’d tried on that morning, black soles, black fabric, chunky white numbers. i looked around the room, trying to buy time, and out the corner of my eye, i saw the flash of red. and i asked to try them on. and i don’t know why i do this to myself, because now i had another thing to wrestle with.
[ red shoes on, red shoes off; black shoes on, black shoes off; repeat ad infinitum... ]
by the end of it, i was squinting into the mirror with a red shoe on my left foot and a black one on my right, and the shopgirl was pretty convinced that i wasn’t a black shoe kinda girl.
so yeah, i got the red ones, and they have a lovely pink lining which matches my pink cloven-toed socks, with the chunky white numbers. they are so light to wear, and the thing i thought would bug me — that wedge inbetween my toes — my feet got used to pretty quickly. in fact, my toes are spread out most comfortably, and there is none of the crippling pain that comes after a day of having them wedged into my allstars, or that pinchy twinge on the side of my little toe from the slightly more comfy jack purcells. the only thing that concerns me is that such whispery light and thin soles are not cushioning my heels as i pound around my concrete environment, and i’m going to pay for this fashion moment with years of chronic knee problems.
(the only other thing that concerns me is that i may have to go back and get the black ones after all.)
but, y’know, fashion! it affects us all at some time. like, the kid has been seeing the new bonds ad on teev. the one where a ring of nubile underwear-clad girls cavort joyously to an infectious brazilian tune? the second time it came on, she said, “give me a little bra and panties, so that i can dance like that.” so yeah, advertising, your work here is done. clearly she is on track to wanting a harem of hideous bratz dolls by the time she’s four. meh.
farewell, my battered jack purcells, you have served me well.
8 Comments
ahhhh! the red ones, so bold and beaaoooyutiful! it’s funny, i had a similar situation a few years back with my never-to-be-its-original-pristine white purcells….i didn’t set out to look for replacement, but saw a brown and red version of these , which do not have quite the pronounced cloven hoof, but believe me, i was freaked out by them at the time. i mooed a lot. but got over it, as they were (are) darned comfortable.
they look goooooood!
it is not only 2 year old girls who pay attention to that ad… so do 27 year old boys!
have you seen the bom-chicka-wah-wah ads for a men’s deodorant? i really like the grocery store one.
santos! ah yes, i was alerted to the african tribesmen and their nikes by my shopping companion at the time. that *does* look comfy, plus i love the fat velcro strap! what are you wearing now?
deborah! boom-chicka-argh! argh! i don’t know how i feel about those ads. funny but wrong? i’ve only seen the father-in-law one though. i do like the disco text at the end that comes on with the boom-chikas. and i think i really like the bonds ad.
i wonder if i do need to go back for the black sneakers after all. it’s good to have a spare pair, no?
my summer shoes have been quite girly. i’m currently wearing these mary janes as my almost every day shoe, but in los angeles my shoe of choice was this sweet pair. unfortunately i left them there, boo. my dad bought me these for my birthday (!) and they are cute and comfy but make my feet sweat something awful.
yes! everyone needs spare shoes. really.
maybe you can get these as a spare… but i realise that they are too pinchy for you.
or
maybe you can find your spare pair at the young blood market this weekend! are you going?
these are all adorable! (though maybe the mickey crocs are slightly less adorable… at least they let the sweat drain out.) you girls are taunting me with your linkage.
deb, i don’t think i’ll have time for young blood… and when i went to the one a couple of years ago, it was SO PACKED that it was just a massive wave of people pushing you past the tables. awful!
i’m thinking of going to the COFA spring fair though. d’you suppose you might be interested in that? apparently there are workshops in felting and shiburi dyeing.
oh yes, i saw the little promo post card for that … sounds great. before we know, it’ll be spring for real!
i want to learn felting!
kla! i just went on the cofa website to find that the felting workshop goes all day and costs $130!! plus you have to bring most of your own equipment. it used to be a couple of hours for free, meh. i am having second thoughts, but the markets and print demos should still be good.