I'm Off-The-Wall and Grounded

I'll put my feet hand up to being off-the-wall, as it's not only a slight trait, but my full personality and my aura. Yet, when I reflect on my youth, back then, my eccentricity played out more as my thoughts and opinions were uncensored.

My shoemaker in Jamaica had a love-hate relationship with me because of my resolute attitude. As it happens, I'm a sucker for quality shoes, and I prefer genuine leather over synthetic materials as they tend to be more durable and comfortable. So one of my odd habits was wearing shoes to death and expecting my shoemaker to resurrect them.

I must have been about 11 or 12 years old, and my favourite pair of shoes had some big holes in the soles. One weekend I popped by my regular shoemaker for him to re-sole and refurbish my favourite pair of shoes. That was something that he had done several times before, and this time around, the shoemaker examined my shoes and presented them back to me stating that they were beyond repair.
I responded,— "You mean you don't have the skills to repair my shoes?"
The shoemaker replied,— "Little pickney, don't try my patience."
I explained how I thought that the repair was possible, and the shoemaker in a stern voice said,— "Milly, please come and see your shoes on my machine. If I make a new sole, the shoes are too damaged and I will not be able to put tacks in the soles.
My second response was "So, you don't have the skills or the tools as a shoemaker to repair my shoes."

The shoemaker asked me to leave and not provoke him, and he angrily gave me a pickup date for my shoes. I got to wear my favourite shoes for another semester and then my parents insisted and got me another pair of shoes which became my new favourite.

Old habits die hard, and recently a similar thing happened with my Converse shoes. I love Converse, and I'm a high-top girl, but somehow, my Converse always fall apart at the seams and when I took my shoes to the local shoemaker here in the UK, he told me that my shoes had seen their best days and were beyond repair.

I smiled and wished him a good day, while flashbacks of my childhood made me chuckle.

As much as I love the Converse style and fit of shoes, I had to be practical and I decided to look at some alternative brands with a similar flair, that were in a similar price bracket. My second choice was the Palladium boots, which seem more robust than the Converse.

Hubby had recently purchased a new pair of Vans high-top and recommended that I look online to see if I like the designs.

I was hesitant at first because I thought that the Vans were bulky and probably not as versatile as Converse or Palladium. As I would prefer something that could be worn with trousers, skirts, or dresses.

I ended up going for these high-top green Vans, that arrived today as a late birthday present.

The colour selection was simple because there's a lot of camouflage, khaki, and earth colours in my wardrobe and all my bags can be paired nicely with these boots. Secondly, the quality and thickness of these boots are more suitable for all-year wear, compared to the all-canvas lighter pair of Converse that I usually wear. So, I reckon that this pair of boots should last me at least 5 years without showing any signs of wear and tear since I won't wear them every day.
And I could not resist wearing a brand whose slogan is the definition of me:)

So my takeaway is that when purchasing, it's important to think about quality for longevity and comfort, as well as for versatility in being able to mix-match and interchange. Also, considering your personality is important. I'm tomboyish so these Vans work perfectly, and for the first time ever, my husband and I have identical boots.

This is a response to The Minimalist KISS blog Idea Week 69.. Ooh, my favourite number...

Thanks for stopping by peeps:)

All images are mine.