A Good Pair of Shoes
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.—Dr. Seuss
[one_half padding=”4px 10px 0 4px”]So, here we are in the middle of New York Fashion Week and already we’ve had one of the biggest spectacles we’re likely to see all month.Traffic on New York’s West side will be a nightmare all week. You’ll need a good pair of shoes if you’re going because much of the time it will be easier and faster to just get out of the cab and walk the last few blocks to the venue. Even after all these years of covering these same shows, I’m still amazed at the number of people who put so much of their lives into what comes down the runways at these shows.
Fashion really is a big deal and for countries such as Italy and France, it contributes significantly to their national economy. Not that the average person in either country has a closet full of couture wear, but it employees thousands of people and the taxes fashion generates contribute heavily to the health of those nations. Yet, because both are so reliant on sales outside of their borders, when economies such as China’s suddenly stumble, the effect for fashion labels can be severe and we’re already seeing that, especially with Italian labels. More than a handful of large fashion houses have seen considerable declines the past few weeks. Some, such as Prada, are beginning to seriously struggle.[/one_half]
[one_half_last padding=”4px 4px 0 10px”]I can understand people being concerned about shoes. After all, the ground is rough and at times dangerous. I felt sorry for a couple of models who took tumbles on the runway last night because the designer thought it would be cool to not tie their shoes. Shoes are critical to our ability to get around and do the things we need to do. Fashion, on the other hand, isn’t really that important at all. Beyond the matter of practicality, the only reasons we have for concerning ourselves with fashion is to either make people notice us or to pretend that the labels we wear make us better than anyone else.
Okay, so we can’t exactly go naked all the time, even though some may want that. Street style tells us that most people would rather dress for comfort than style. Paying extra money just for a label is foolish and our heads know that. All we ever really need is a good pair of shoes; the rest can be off the rack from Goodwill and we’re happy with that. So why all this fuss? Maybe it’s the art. Maybe we’re dreaming. Maybe we want to stand out. Or maybe it’s just because you like my reviews, which you’ll find over on Pattern all month (shameless plug). You choose which way you’ll go. Choose carefully and wear good shoes.[/one_half_last]
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this week’s photographs are strictly those of the author: charles i. letbetter, and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or opinions of the models involved in the pictures. If you don’t like what you see, don’t blame the model. Thank you.
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