It happened in the year 2002, as I was going around looking for a decent pair of black lace-up Oxford shoes. Nothing fancy, nothing outlandish, no fashion-statement making pair of shoes. Just a good ol’ pair of comfortable black leather shoes for me to wear on a medical school interview (yup, medical school, but that’s another story for another day).
First, I walked into Penney’s on Henry Street. Well, who was I kidding… So I tried my luck at several department stores and shopping malls, Arnott’s, Roches, Blanchards Town, Illac Centre, Jervis Centre, St Stephen’s and the list goes on. Constrained by tight budget, I went into, among others, Sole Trader, Burton’s, Mark and Spencer’s, and even Dunnes Store. The day of the interview was inching closer and I had yet to find a pair that meets my requirements, which after all, are not at all farfetched.
The shoes must be black, made of leather, lace-up, flat with 1-inch heels and gently tapered tip. There, barely a line of simple prerequisites. But what I found was mostly, well, crap. Bulky looking ones were ruled out at first sight. I don’t have the built or height to pull it off. So were ones with ridiculously thick soles. Some had too many stitching on them, supposedly to distinguish between one and another. They’re missing the point. Men’s shoes aren’t meant to be distinguished. They should look plain, simple and classy while giving the master the deserved comfort and support.
These affordable shoes are made by a bunch of accountants who leverage on ignorance of the masses. They don’t know what they are doing and even if they did, they didn’t know how to. For instance, nobody wears patent leather in daylight, so why make them? Some copied designs worn by models for catwalk events. These shoes were designed such way (extravagant, outlandish, exaggerated) so that viewers and critics can see their design directions. For this purpose (catwalk), the shoes may be extra shiny and extra pointy for instance. But when the products actually reach the shelves, the extravagance, outlandishness and exaggerations had been very much toned down. The designs are so much subtle so the masses can absorb little changes they’ve made. This is the process that these ‘accountants’ missed. Thanks to ignorance, their eye-pokingly ugly products are still bought and people’s awareness in self presentation subdued.
Disappointed by the little choices I had, I walked into Brown Thomas on Grafton, hoping there’ll be some ‘lonely’, slightly scratched, Size-9 black Oxford available on sale. Luck of the leprechaun was not on my side. So I made another round at the malls and the stores. To my surprise, I ran into a pair, decent enough to my liking, affordable enough to my bank account. Plain black leather Oxford lace-ups, 1-inch heels with gently tapered tip. But boy was I disappointed. To keep prices low, the brand opted for thinner, less superior leather and lined the inner soles with synthetic ones. Result? A pair of rigid structured semi-leather shoe that do not mould into the shape of the master’s feet the way a ‘real’ leather shoes would. The moment I stood up, I knew, walking in those will be painful. And as the linings were made of synthetic material, my feet will not be able to breathe. Walking an average of three miles a day in woollen socks and shoes with ‘fake’ linings may and will lead to the feet producing some sort of a stench, thanks to super active sebaceous glands (especially in summer). I gave my gratitude to the shopkeeper and walked out in despair.
So I called up my funder, asking for a budget raise, and explained the gravity of my situation, and got it. I went straight into a small real shoemaker store and got myself a pair of plain black lace-up Oxford with 1-inch heels and gently tapered tip. I was indeed the happiest man that day. A few days later, I went for the medical school interview, walking tall filled with pride and confidence... and didn’t get a place.
As for the shoes, they are so comfortable and durable that it has been eight years and I still am wearing them. But eight years is indeed to long even for a pair of beautifully made yet robust British made Oxford. I realised it is about time I looked for another pair, and I thought, “Fuck”.
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