Settling into life last summer in Berlin I began a enduring love affair with...sensible, yet bodacious, shoes. I remember musing with a
friend on how well-shod German women were. How you could spot a German woman in
a queue at the airport for her lime-green rubber-soled flats, or her
wool-lined, sturdy-heeled purple boots. I pressed my face to the window panes of
quaint little shops elegantly stocked with artisanal mary-janes, vintage courts
and proper riding boots. I indulged one too many times in ‘essential’ purchases
of suede lace-ups and platform slip-ons.
Then I discovered that opinion is divided on the
German proclivity for sturdy, well-made footwear. “Uh, I hate shoes here, it’s
hardly Italy!” an American friend with dainty feet and expensive tastes,
complained. “Uh, they look like orthopaedic shoes!” lamented a fellow Brit expat.
Hmm...
I appreciate the elegance of classic high-heels as
much as the next woman, but it has never been a love-relationship, and that’s
mostly due to the behaviour of those shoes towards me and not the other way
around. For my money, I’d take playful, bouncy shoes over towering spindly-heeled
stilettos that pinch and rub and cause backpain any day of the week. As you’ve
probably detected, I’m over 30 and firmly in the camp that thinks shoes should
be comfortable, not punishing. But I say this as a lover of style, not as someone who completely abstains altogether.
The flowering of the trend for happy feet in
Berlin has surely to do with the eco-culture that the city embraces sincerely,
if somewhat smugly (bespoke organic leather booties for toddlers, anyone?). It
reflects the, very welcome, in my view, preference for well-made, lasting, and
ethical fashion, over disposable, impossibly cheap fashion. Even amongst the super trendy folks in head to
toe vintage (of which, more will follow) I note a tendency towards comfortable, sensible (and
what dirty words these are in fashionable circles) sturdy shoes. Long may it
continue…
Coming soon: the vagaries of vintage; the war
between afro and cycle helmet and what it means to be ‘multi-kulti’ in Germany
ouh, pictures? I'm with you on shoes, my comfort comes first, same goes for clothes, I already went through that 'phase' in college hehehe. That was interesting to read, looking forward to future posts.
ReplyDeleteWhat an enjoyable read. I'd like to add about the difficulty I have in the UK, buying beautiful/comfortable/reasonably priced shoes that are large and slim enough to fit my feet. I'm a tall girl so another reason big heels are a no, no. Having said that, charity shops can be a surprising hit in this area! :-)
ReplyDelete(loud sobbing can be heard)Oh! How I miss charidee shops. A friend has promised to show me where the real bargains are to be found, but so far, its not the same...
DeleteWhere should a visitor head to see German shoe styling at its best?
ReplyDeleteHmmm, good question. I think a healthy dose of people-watching from a cafe on some of my locals, Goltzstrasse or Bergmanstrasse (although very touristic) ought to do it...
DeleteI spotted a number of very exotic shoe shops in trendy Prenzlauer Berg the other day, from my bike, although prices were very steep indeed.