Have You Got Sole?

Those who have, secretly feel that maybe the Philippine Government was just a teensy weensy bit too hard on Imelda. Those who don't think, “What on earth was she thinking?” – Only sole brothers and sisters think “aaahhhh! Pure heaven”

“I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes; I had one thousand and sixty."

– Was Mrs. Marcos' indignant reply to her critics – when the extent of her footwear was discovered in the presidential palace, after she and her husband President Ferdinand Marcos had fled the Philippines in 1986. The irony of the statement was lost to many a shoe lover as indeed it was to Mrs. Marcos. Sole sisters worldwide concurred that while three thousand pairs of shoes is outrageous, one thousand odd is a perfectly respectable number, all things considered. In any event the injustice of being wrongly accused was far more important than the final tally. Whatever the number, every pair can be perfectly justified. As in,

 “Madam ten pairs of green shoes?”

“Yes, My Lord, all very necessary; I assure you.”

“There is the peep-toe (great for showing off manicured toe nails), the sling backs, the court shoe, this pretty floral wedge, (so in now), the lime green flats, (a-must-have-staple-for-spring), the forest green, the olive green, the satin stilettos, the pointed toes with rhinestones at the tips, the suede with rhinestones at the back, the tie ups in moss green patent leather…”

Mrs. Marcos’ crimes in the shoe department were...

 –       Having several pairs of shoes in mint condition, nestled in their tissue laden shoe boxes unworn;

–       Specifically ordering shoes to match her various outfits.

Erm… with regard to the first accusation, I’m afraid it’s guilty as charged. Every sole sister is…and a good number of sole brothers are guilty of the first crime. I’m sure as you read you can recall a number of your own shoe boxes filled with unworn shoes in mint condition, bought because they were “ooh! Sooo irresistible” even though you had nothing to wear them with. The second one is one we all succumb to; buying shoes to specifically match various outfits. As you might imagine, being first Lady of Philippines for over twenty years, Imelda’s shoe collection would be prolific. Sole sister know, shoe lovers are loath to give or throw shoes away, as each pair is fondly regarded as a work of art.

So what is it with women and shoes? Apparently it’s all Cinderella’s fault!  According to author Susan Reynolds, the archetypal image of Cinderella appears in more than 700 cultures dating back to ninth century China. The glass slipper; the central focus of the story, is the potent symbol of Cinderella’s transformation, from a woman of servitude, to a woman of strength – the person she was meant to be. Change your shoes, change your attitude and change your personality is a theory that is widely believed among footwear fanatics.

Susan Reynolds

This is not actually as daft as it sounds if you consider the fact that historically, shoes were a determinant as to whether the wearer was wealthy or at least was able to boast of some degree of comfort. Lack of shoes was, and still is, a sign of extreme poverty. Again special ornamented shoes were set aside only to be worn by the rich, or people of a particular class. Super sleuth Sherlock Holmes was able to identify the nature of a man’s occupation by his boots, just as we are able to identify a ballerina, a (foreign) construction worker or an athlete, by their footwear, (though the latter might be a bit misleading in this day and age when the most indolent couch potatoes troll around in Nike power trainers), but I’m sure you understand my meaning.

Shoe psyche 101

A quick glance at a persons shoe will reveal their character more easily than any horoscope. Tell tale clues will divulge whether they are secretly untidy, even though they are doing their best to give the impression they are Mr. or Miss neat freak, or whether the person is going through a rough patch at the moment, thus we have the expression ‘down at heel’ to signify personal financial distress. Shoes will tell you whether the wearer is: a conservative person at heart, a sensible person, a lazy person deep down, a fashionable person, a no-time-for-fashion-person, a fastidious person, a relaxed person, an uptight person , a fashion victim or sexy fashion sophisticate or dare I say it, a ‘bush’ person. And wait for it…a man’s shoes will easily tell you whether he will be good in bed or not!

Shoes aren’t just meant for walking, they do a lot of talking on your behalf. They say “hey look at me I’m the latest pair of Nike urban trainers, my owner’s really fit and hot! or, s/he can afford to schlep around in me all day because we don’t have to conform to any dress code. We are our own boss like those dudes in Silicon Valley, ahem!..  Microsoft; in fact… just like Bill Gates”. While a pair of stilettos could be whispering “she’s not as well behaved as you think she is – she can be veeery bad if occasion demands!” Great looking stylish slippers always scream “look at me, my Oga is cool, hip and happening!

My love affair with shoes began in early childhood. My earliest recollection was at the age of 8 sitting in Lilley & Skinner shoe shop sulking, because my mother was insisting; we buy a flamboyant looking patent contraption with a bow in the front. Whereas I had fallen in love with a Channel type, (yes even the age of eight!) T strap shoe in black and beige - a black toe cap and cream body. She finally relented however, when I quietly told her that if I couldn’t have those shoes I was prepared to do without. I kept those shoes in their shoe box for a whole month, bringing them out from time to time to inspect and admire them. Each time I put them on I felt like a super hero. Wearing those shoes I could aspire to anything. They made me feel great. It was at that moment that I began to realize the psychological power of great shoes. It also started me on my never ending quest for the perfect pair.

In pursuit of that quest, I must confess, I have an Imeldific collection of sorts myself, gathered over a number of years, some of which have not been worn simply because they are just too beautiful to wear. One wouldn’t want to disfigure them by allowing one’s soles to touch the ground. The master of shoes ‘too beautiful to wear’ is Manolo Blahnik, whom I met on several occasions at his charming little shop in Church Street, just off the Kings Road in the early eighties. He and his sister Evangeline (who tended the shop most days) looked like figures from a sixteenth century tableau, exuding old world charm, with their silvery hair bound at the nape of their necks. They were always immaculately dressed and had impeccable manners. Hidden away as it was, his tiny shop was a Mecca for only those in the know. Not like today when the phrase ‘only Manolos darling” can be heard from the lips of every socialite from New York to Dallas aand every Hollywood starlet, courtesy of Sex and the City. Manolo Blahnik is now a godlike creature feted from coast to coast. His shoes inspire fanatical devotion and his client list reads like the Who’s Who of the International Jet Set. It appears that the world has finally come to understand what we sole sisters have always known – There is magic in the footwear! 

Tired of wearing cheap look alikes? Dying for designer shoes? Just can't afford them? Not to worry,  a solution will be coming soon. Just become a follower of this blog and watch this space...