feet feet feet

So I have like four pairs of shoes. Docs, River Island going out half- flat shoes, grey Cons, and Toms. Oh, and a pair of heels I've had for three years from Penneys which are, oddly enough, signed by Amanda Palmer.  I moved out of home and legitimately donated, sold, swapped, evacuated, every stupid pointless pair of wear once to match a frock, uncomfortable, ill-fitting shoes I had. There were about thirty. (I was basically a hoarder.) Don't get me wrong now, I think shoes can be incredibly beautiful. But if they impair my motor-skills in any way, shape or form, I am not wearing them. I never wanted to be Carrie Bradshaw when I grew up anyway, bet her feet were real sore all the time.

So basically now I have four. I'm happy with my four. Especially my Toms. Well actually, now I have five, because yesterday I bought a second pair of Toms. These little dudes are really big in the states, like proper big. They're something of a hipster-shoe, admittedly, but I read about them and they looked soft and comfortable, so I went out on a limb and bought a pair. They sell them in Scuch, not in as many awesome colours and patterns and fabrics as you can get them online, but it's better than having to sweet talk a credit card out of a parent/boyfriend. I also like plain things because I am fundamentally very dull, so I got the grey ones. Now, keep in mind, I live in Galway approximately half the time, so it rains a lot. And these are espadrille-esque little canvas dudes. But now that the weather has gotten warmer, I literally don't feel comfortable in anything else. The way the sole is built on the inside gives really subtle support, and the fabric is some mad mix of soft and stiff that doesn't actually cut the flesh on my foot the way every other pair of shoes I've ever bought in my life has. Not even when they were new. They don't take any breaking in. 

www.toms.com

When I was in the shop I asked the girl who was working there did they have a specific colour (this one actually, it's herringbone and I'm sort of in love with it) and we got talking about the brand. She was half kind of laughing because one of the other staff members there was mad into his Toms as well, and had never worn them herself so didn't really understand exactly how comfortable they were. I don't normally vouch for products, ever, it's not my bag, labels aren't my thing, but these shoes are literally the only pair I've ever owned that hasn't made it difficult for me to walk around. My feet are real delicate, despite the massive tattoos on them, and the bones in my heels are slightly displaced (something to do with tendons? a med student explained this to me at a party once) so it's quite hard to get shoes, especially pumps, that fit. As mentioned above, never a moment hassle with these lads. But the girl in the shop was a bit like, oh, another Toms head. I was like, here, you wear them around the shop for an eight hour shift and tell me if your feet hurt afterwards. They're only forty euro as well, actually, 36 with a student discount. Realistically, I've worn mine well over 36 times, so in terms of a euro a wear? Winner.

(these are the ones I'm pure in love with)

Not only this, in terms of comfort and all, these dudes have a 'one for one' policy, which means for every pair of shoes you buy, a pair goes to a child in a 3rd world country who otherwise wouldn't have any. Now, there is some debate on this issue, because 'handouts' and whatnot are somewhat frowned upon by international charities etc, but I think the heart of this idea is definitely in the right place. A bit like a hippier Nike, Toms are kind of selling you a lifestyle. They have wedding styles, which look pure awesome as far as I'm concerned. Maybe Galway has just turned me into too much of a hippie, but I really like all this. 

Also, when you get your shoes in the box, they give you a little flag with the Toms logo on it, and a sticker too. Free things? I love free things. Especially stickers. It feels a little strange to do a review of an item of clothing, or even a brand like, but having bought my second pair yesterday (in a lovely chocolate brown colour) and with summer sweeping in on us, I just felt like I had to recommend them. They're unisex as well. They haven't really become popular here yet, but I feel like they're kind of just on the cusp of it. They've been around for years like, and I kind of sense that perhaps there might be an Ugg-boot like uptake on them, purely for their comfort and plain design. Luckily these little duds are max going to cost you around 40 blips, instead of 200.

So there's been loads going on, but I'm learning how to blog properly and specifically. I'll whip up a post about some awesome news I've been getting lately in the next day or so. Also, expect a retrospective of Boardwalk Empire, which me and Ceri finished watching the other day. It was savage. 

party on

more later in the week

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