2009 Sep 28: Nice Boots!

So the work challenge is over, and it's back to trying to pass for normal. In the process of writing about my shoes, I've realized I have a lot more to say. I barely scratched the surface with those 18 posts because as casual as casual may get, I own a panoply of shoes and boots that are simply inappropriate for work. Well, unless your job is SWAT team member, or special forces. Otherwise, the boots pictured here are pretty much only appropriate for gay bars on the wrong side of town that make you stop in your tracks until your eyes can adjust to the dim light. Places too dark to see what's happening in the corners. Places where you want vibram outsoles and thick buffalo-hide between what's crawling around on the floor, and also, to protect you from germs. Places your mom, no matter how cool she is with you being gay, definitely wouldn't want you frequenting. Places that I would know absolutely nothing about...

For the record, I don't own the boots pictured here, I swiped it from a website picture of a particular pair of boots that I have been lusting after for gosh, probably ten years. It's the price that's prohibitive, I simply can't justify the cost, because I am not, in fact, a SWAT team member and 200 smackers is a lot of money for boots that won't get much use (alas...)

Which brings me tolast night.

Last night I was attending a life drawing open studio I try to make regularly, but have been missing for a lot of reasons, some lamer than others. At the end of the session, I was messing with my paper out in the lobby, cursing myself for having brought the wrong stuff, thinking I had the good watercolor paper but instead had grabbed the colored drawing paper, and in my self-chastising interlude I missed the model setting up his pose for the last half-hour session. Upon re-entering the studio, my dick takes one look at the model and announces "NICE boots!" I really do wish it'd check with my brain for social appropriateness before speaking, although I suppose the alternative, raising its hand for permission, might have been even more embarrassing.

2009 Sep 09: Dress Boots

Italian leather boots so wonderful they attract a heavenly halo of light. With a navy blue pin-stripe suit, ivory-topped mahogany walking stick, and bowler derby I shall be all set for a night on the town.

2009 Sep 02: shoes every now and then

So, I took a couple days off the end of last week, and Monday was supposed to be the last day of our "relaxed dress" extravaganza at work, but it's been extended until the 14th of September, so I have more time to explore my collection.

This latest extension of "relaxed dress" makes me wonder if the powers high up are not contemplating permanently relaxing the dress code here. Face it, most of us grind at a desk all day and never ever meet the public. For me, that would be a mixed blessing. I own a lot of clothes (and shoes) I won't need to wear ever again unless I have to present before some governing body and that's not likely. On the other hand, I don't own a lot of clothes that actually fit anymore, and not needing to buy new dress pants would save me hundreds of dollars, especially if you count in the dry-cleaning costs, which I must, because I'm fussy. If you're going to do it, do it right. I don't iron, and dress pants look like crap after two passes through the washer, unless you buy cheap double-knit polyester from K-mart, in which case they look like crap before you put them in the washer. On the other hand, they don't look any worse after you wash them... but that's not a win in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I snub my nose at no-one who shops at these places for honest economic reasons. (Although I will add as an aside, my extremely "frugal" sister won't shop at WalMart because she finds their business practices unethical and reprehensible, and she falls quite far to the right of middle, no less.) That's the real kicker about civil service, they pay you crap AND demand that you dress formally, which for people with families, means you are forced to shop at K-Mart for you dresses, ties, dress shirts, shoes, if you intend to both feed and clothe your family. Contrary to the ideas of the people who made these rules, your outfit doesn't say "white collar professional" but instead screams "underpaid government worker".

But I digress.

Back to the shoes thing, these are my favorite "every day" boots. Some off-brand I found really cheap on ebay, the style really grabbed me, kind of old-timey, reminiscent of depression-era working class shoes. I could be an extra in "O Brother Where Art Thou?" with these babies on my pups. I replaced the leather insoles with some good quality Dr. Scholl's and they're very comfy. I love the height, they're high enough to be boots and give a little ankle support, but low enough they don't attack my achilles tendon. As stiff as they are, they don't rub anywhere and my feet don't hurt after a day of stomping around. They're truly odd boots though, they have leather outsoles with rubber treads glued on. You don't find real leather soles much anymore, especially not on cheap boots. And trust me, they are cheap boots, the leather is clearly from the rear end of some poor expired buffalo in some depressed part of the world, my guess would be former soviet union or South Asia somewhere. But they're just so darn stylish, who cares if they're not heirloom quality? Nothing is forever.

2009 Aug 14: Brown "shovel toe" laceup oxfords

These were the original brown oxford I bought for work about a year ago. I like them because of the modern toe, I've seen it described as a "shovel toe" which is actually kind of apt, as they tend to be very narrow and flat toward the toe, causing them to curl up slightly. With my monkey feet, it's easy to flip up notebooks and hook lunchbags up off the floor without having to bend over. Why bend when you can grab things with your feet? I'm dangerous barefoot. I also like these because they're slightly higher than your average shoe, coming up right to the ankle joint, almost like a very low boot. I've got a weakness for boots. Casual, dress, work, anything but cowboy boots. Guys from NJ should not wear cowboy boots, it's just ridiculous and more than a little bit sad.

They're a decent quality shoe, Venturini, made in Italy, rubber soles, remember what I said about rubber soles. At least these don't have tribal patterns or company logos, led's, squeaky toys, inflatable flubber cushions, or gummi worms molded into the sole. Alas, they just don't fit right. I tried to make them work, but after a day of extremely light walking around at work, the arches of my feet just hurt. Maybe some gel insoles would help, I don't know. I think, sadly, my feet just aren't made for Italian shoes. Six months after I tried making these work I bought the Dockers I talked about in yesterday's post. Boring, but they don't make my feet hurt.

2009 Aug 10: more wingtips

These are my newer wingtips; I have a thing for wingtips. They are as fancy as men's dress shoes can get and still be considered "conservative", curlicues, punches hole decorations not-withstanding. These are just cheap shoes from Kohl's, (yes, my sister at JCPenney just issued a psychic shriek) because frankly, with the rubber outsole and cushioned insole, they are really comfy. More comfy than the much more stylish Bostonians with their hard leather sole.

The leather is weird though, I believe it's made from that vinyl impregnated leather I read about (can't find the article at the moment). It squeaks when you rub it against itself, stays kind of shiny, and has a generally plasticky feel, a different plasticky feel than traditional patent leather, which tends to crack and scuff over time. It's definitely leather, but if it came off the poor cow in this state, well... poor cow!