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.
