Shoes

My dearly departed mother always used to say that one should always wear comfortable shoes.  By the time she had me she was unable to buy good shoes and made do with cheap shoes that were flat and comfortable.  Where once she my have worn leather she was consigned to synthetic and sometimes a little on the nose.   However, when I received a scholarship from the Lion's Club while I was in year 11, she sent me off with a little of the money to buy GOOD shoes.

In the sixties David Jones was the place to go for anything expensive.  At that time the shop assistants were how should I say, a little snobby.  If one didn't look like class and not wearing designer fashions they ignored you.  I remember walking around the shoe department with good money in my pocket and being roundly disregarded.  If the classy shop assistants did look they were just checking to see that the peasant daring to share their space was not about to steal anything.  Therefore, they lost the sale of some beautiful leather shoes.  I really wanted the shoes but I did not want to butt in to their entertaining stories of the last weekend or the next weekend or the who's who of Adelaide.  Let's face it I was actually scared to ask them to serve me. 

My next choices were lovely old John Martins and a rather aged Myer.  They were both great shops and had good shoe departments plus shop assistants who actually assisted.  Myer also had the best basement ever.  You could buy underwear including bloomers at the cheapest prices, in fact there were all sorts of bargains to be had there.  I don't remember which store I chose to shop for my shoes but I did come home with the type of shoe Mum would approve.  They were flat, leather and a lovely tan.  No heels for me!

Once I started work I was allowed to buy my own shoes but was not allowed heels.  Pointy toed shoes with stilletto heels were in fashion at the time and I begged and begged Mum to let me have some.  She was adamant no 'common' shoes allowed.  With her it was always this or that was 'common.'  However, I have come to realize that stillettos ruined women's feet and left them with deformed toes.  I have beautiful feet now and all because the authoritarian old bat was right.  I really hate to say that, but she was.

The current fashion seems to be to make shoes that are not only horrendously high but also almost impossible to walk in.  They are accidents going somewhere to happen.  They do look fabulous on though.  The last time I went to the Festival Theatre I saw a young man carrying his girlfriend up a set of stairs because she could not walk up in her fashionable shoes.  The poor little soul was absolutely crippled.  Enough said.

Nowadays I have turned into an old person and I sport comfy shoes.  I like slippers, Giselle Bundchen thongs, good sneakers, Birkenstocks and I have one pair of black leather loafers that have seen better days but I cannot get rid of them because they fit me like lovely soft gloves.   I do have some leather sandals but my daughter refuses to let me wear them because they evidently look awful from the back.  I can only see them from the front so I think they are fine.  I expect to have them confiscated the next time she comes over to Adelaide.  I also think she has turned in to my Mother.  Scary isn't it?  

My advice is, that if you do want to wear those incredibly dangerous shoes take a pair of joggers with you or some little ballet flats so you can give your poor feet a little breather every now and then.  I am with you really, I love fashionable shoes but they are not for me and never have been.   Even though I cursed Mum at the time I am glad that she was right and I thank her for being an old fuddy-duddy because my feet are gorgeous.  At my age it is not often that you get to say something about your body is gorgeous but my feet definitely are.