My ONLY Pair of Summer Shoes!
Imagine the comfiest pair of slippers. Ever. In cool, natural materials and sandal form… with little grooves into which your toes rest sublimely. You’d never take them off, would you? And neither will I. When that first hint of spring sunshine rises over the horizon (I live by the sea), I become Birkenstock Babe. And that is all. You will not catch me in any other kind of footwear until the Autumn. Nope. Not even for a hot date, a cocktail party or a wedding.
Substance over style.
They may not be the most ‘girlie’ of choices. But then again I’m not your typical girl. The thing is: when I wear them I feel good. They make me smile. And despite what Gok Wan or any other stylist on planet earth might have to say about my very minimalist shoe wardrobe, that is all that matters. If I feel good, my life is good. I give out a good vibe, and I get a good vibe back. The days are a breeze (well not literally, I live in a hot country), but you know what I mean… I don’t have to patch up my feet with plasters, creams, foot massages and dried skin or cracked heel treatments the moment the sun sets. By putting my feet first – an area soooo many of us are soooo guilty of neglecting big time, my feet are happier for it.
Which wouldn’t happen if I spent my days in toe posts or flip-flops.
Just like a dental floss style thong up one’s derriere, this is not the epitome of comfort or hygiene. And athlete’s foot cream application is one thing I happily won’t need to be adding to my daily To-Do list either. Because since I’ve worn my trusty Birkenstocks, the welfare of my tootsies has utterly thrived!
As for heels…
Call me what you will, but after 3 pregnancies and a career which saw me hike daily in up to 4 inches of clod-hopping madness beneath the soles of my feet up 5 flights of stairs – and back down again – the days of giving a monkeys as to how tall I am (just 5 foot 2) in the whole weight/height ratio thing, are so over. I mean, I can appreciate a great pair of stilettos or kitten heels with pointy elf-like toes for what they are: a beautiful thing, a wondrous objet d’art… in The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto… But that’s about as far as it goes. Which doesn’t mean I feel old, decrepit or past it. Quite the opposite! Rather I put the health and vitality of my body above making a pointless fashion statement. Since everything we attract into our lives – okay, bare with, here comes the ‘science’ bit – is a result of the frequency we emit into the stratosphere… we’re pretty similar to human radio towers, then it’s pretty damned obvious to me that if I feel grouchy ‘cos my little toe is being pinched, and if I am irritable due to the narrow barges I am forcing my feet to spend a day sweating away in, I am not exactly going to be radiating an ethereal glow. And that means all kind of crap will be boomeranged back at me. Yes. That’s right. All because of a pair of uncomfortable shoes!
But I am open-minded, you know.
Oh yes, I’ve even trialed the Gouda cheese-inspired Crocs… back in the day when they were ‘socially acceptable’. They were okay… with a pair of socks on, unless you wanted your feet to stink of cheese as well as looking like they’d hailed from a Swiss delicatessen. Which even to the least fashionista among us, really isn’t the greatest of looks.
So in shortly realised conclusion: Birks are Best.
Forget diamonds. Because Birkenstocks are a girl’s real best friend. They let our feet ‘breathe’ naturally. They’re available in every hue of the rainbow… and colours you didn’t know could possibly exist besides. They are refreshingly affordable. They are engineered to last, as well as to support the foot and mold its natural contours. Birkenstocks are just like slipping on a giant hug. All day. Every day.
And they are even named after cities! I am Madrid. And you know what? I really dig that.
