Monday Shoe Porn: From a dude’s foot

L-A: Today we open the shoe porn doors to the dudes.  Never let it be said that we aren’t an equal opportunity blog.

I’m not going to say too much about today’s collection, but only because I have to live with them (yep. totally of his own accord, without me asking him, Mike took pictures of his shoes. Impressive, non?).  Also, because he’d already know if I liked or hated his shoes.

His Highness of Style, Clinton Kelly, once told a dude on What Not to Wear (I haven’t seen a guy on that show in ages. Come on America! You have plenty of poorly dressed men! Start nominating them) that all guys should have at least six pairs of shoes: dressy black, dressy brown, casual black, casual brown, a pair of boots, and a pair of sandals. Or maybe it was sneakers. I don’t think he counts athletic footwear. Owning athletic footwear is just a bonus and is rarely ever stylish (necessary to be fit and sporty, but rarely ever are they stylish). Personally, I can’t imagine having only six pairs of shoes.

flipflops, garbage.: california, 2009. freebie flip-flops from eddie bauer (they cost two bucks or something). i don't think there is any natural fibre in these things. i wear them about the house like they're slippers. reddish brown shoes, rockport.: california, 2007. the brother to the black rockports from the same year (note the same sole). Their form is slightly different on the interior and exterior making the two shoes incredibly different in feel, though. These shoes have got a lot of wear and tear but have held their own over the years. i'm kinda set to let them go, though. they've always been a little too "school-boyish" for me. black shoe. rockport.: california, 2007. a black shoe. this is the brother of the reddish-brownish shoe, which gets a lot more wear. I don't really like wearing black shoes (I wore a lot of black docs when i was a teen) so these are hardly worn. it's a crying shame because they're v.nice and make for a smooth ride in your strut down the street. Oxfords?, Boemos: Provenance unknown, 2005? i bought these dressy-dressy shoes for a wedding. they don't fit well and i think they're fairly plain, too, so they're rarely worn. one day, when i'm gainfully employed, i'm going to buy a new tv. then i'm going to buy a new pair of shoes to replace this junk. (L-A: purchased at Winners in 2004. I know because when he says "a wedding", he means they were for his own). running shoes, new balance: halifax, 2008. the 719s, a great fit for my foot. i've been too poor to get new runners, so i've worn these **well past** their expiry mileage, and i recently sprained my ankle in a real bad way on account of that. Basically, the last is destroyed. Tucked in the laces is a key pouch where i keep my nike+ microchip. Yes, I'm bionic. hiking shoes - zamberlan: california, 2007 i bought these on a whim because i was about to do some serious hiking in the coachella valley and realized i didn't have any good footwear for the occasion. it was a bit of an honour to bring the region's sandy dirt back to halifax and mix it up with our dark mud when we returned from that trip. i wear there when i'm active outside and need some traction. note the serious dirt on the toe from a recent excursion. Brown shoes - Skechers: California, 2007. These shoes get a lot of wear in all seasons. Unless I step in a puddle, they hold back whatever mother nature throws my way in halifax - note the salt stains, for instance. they are an "old reliable" of sorts, although they're coming to the end of their natural life, too. The soles are somewhat uncomfortable at this point, but I may get a new bottom attached just for the hell of it. slip-on, Aldo: Toronto, 2005. uber-comfortable. I don't put them on nearly enough because i like them too much to wear them. I need one of those wooden keep-the-form-of-your-shoes-straight thingies to keep these in good shape, or i should start putting them on more often. boots, blundstone: halifax, 2009. a christmas purchase. i like them. i have nothing to say because i've only had them for a week. so far, so good. sneakers, skechers: california, 2008. LA bought these for me on a trip south to replace another pair of sneakers. i'm not keen on this pair - they have a "cool factor", i suppose, but they're neither street nor sneaker, i think. and the colours blend into one another too much to show any real style. and they're real uncomfortable. but none of that is LA's fault - the selection wasn't great that day (I was shopping along online at home) and had very few shoes to pick from. before these, i had an awesome pair of blue sneakers with gold stripes. i was a real stylin' star of track and field with those shoes. i'm sorry i don't have a picture of them to shoe you. court shoes, Sugi: Halifax, 2006 For when i play squash. note that there is only one shoe. also note that i don't play squash any more. these two notes are necessarily related to one another. (L-A: I found the other one under the bed this afternoon when I was looking for a cat)

And with that, I need to beg for shoe porn submissions. We’re running out of shoes!

Video Replay: Rainmen Vs Kebs, January 10/2010

Birthday at Brooklyn