Two years ago, I bought my first pair of Campers, and things have never been the same. While standing still, they looked unremarkable: black laces on a black sneaker. The sly surprise came when you walked: bright yellow soles with the inscription "where do you want to go today?" Thanks to this, these shoes easily became my favoured ones.
There was only one problem. Never before have I ever grown so attached to a shoe. But after two years of nearly daily wear, the shoes have slowly disintegrated, with much of the top layer of the soft leather worn away and with soles that soak your feet from the bottom up when you walk in the rain. I've conducted extensive searches for replacement shoes, something with the universal-use quality of an all-black sneaker, but also something with the same subtle style. And every time I find a candidate, I'm always quick to shoot it down.
The solution? I re-bought the shoe. Camper is known for regularly rotating its stock; thankfully it has held onto this model, at least for one more season. And while re-buying shoes feels a little bit like a symptom of getting older and "set in my ways," this time I am willing to make that concession.
CONSUMED:
1st pair - Camper; Avinguda Jaume III, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
2nd pair - Freedman Shoes; 2867 Granville Street, Vancouver
To me, my thesis defense was a really big deal, an event that vindicated the past 23 years of my life spent institutionalised within the "classroom." So I wanted to dress up especially for the occasion, not just in any old generic Aldo-shoe'd, Express-tie'd get-up. With some incredible luck (and Katie's discriminating eye), I found a pair of beautiful brown wingtips at a local thrift shop. $30. I love the way they look on my feet, but sadly since my defense, I haven't had any reason to wear them. Here's to hoping opportunities will present themselves in the future.
