From a very young age i can remember being taken into the Golden Boot to have my feet measured for new shoes both for school and general run arounds. I was always fascinated by all the different colours, sizes and, shapes and, of course that wonderful new smell of leather.
Four decades and a bit on, the love of shoes and that wonderful feeling one gets as you slide a new pair on still remains. I have never grown tired of having that incredible rush of excitement as i sit down in the chair and in the Golden Boot, yes i still get my shoes from the Golden Boot, and slip on the latest style of shoe or boot, then i walk around looking and admiring what will become the latest member of my famed shoe collection.
Now, i know shoes along with fashion in general is a girls thing, but us guys, and more for some than others can rock a damn good pair of shoes just as well. No matter whether you are male or female and how well you are dressed, what you have on your feet says it all. You can completely ruin your expensive outfit if you are not wearing great looking shoes, equally your style and quality of shoe can make what ever you are wearing look amazing, and they define who you are. When you step out wearing your favourite pair of shoes you feel so confident, and you want everyone to know and to look at what you have, its like driving a new car, you want to show it off for all to see, you want people walking bye to look down and think to themselves, “Hey….where did you get those, i want a pair too”
So, back to my famed shoe collection. Open my shoe cupboard and you will see at any one time 32 pairs, makes ranging from Loake, R.M. Williams, Church, White’s, and Magnanni and, of course my all time favourite Jeffery West. I have at the last count, about 20 pairs of Jeffery West, they are true works of art, each one with its unique design based around some real life hell raisers of the past. When i slip on a pair of JW i feel that I am wearing something very special on my feet, people stop me in the street and complement me on a great pair of shoe’s and ask what make they are and “where did i get them” lets face it, we all like a bit of attention at times. Now, such pairs of shoes don’t come cheap and, so they need to be well looked after. I don’t want to suggest that i may have OCD…. but i go to great lengths to make sure my shoes look great at all times. Shoe trees in all pairs is a must to keep their shape, each pair is cleaned after every outing, including the soles, i do not use any detergent, just clean them with warm water, and then a good quality shoes polish and or cream will do. All of my shoes are kept in their soft cloth shoe bags and in their box. I never wear my really special pairs out during the winter and when it rains. Keep to these rules and, your amazing shoes that you worked hard for and spent good money on will last you forever……
My love of shoes does not stop at mens shoes. I can spend hours looking at women’s shoes, guys we all love to see a great pair of heels on a woman. My favourite designer for women is the designer Christian Louboutin, yes very expensive, but you get what you pay for and, that is the most beautiful pair of shoes to grace any beautiful woman. Guys, if you really love your lady and you want her to feel very special, buy her a pair. No matter what she is wearing up top, a pair of louboutins will make her the talk of any function, even if its just to walk down the high street on a Saturday afternoon shopping. The flash of red leather beneath her will form a line of women behind her as they all struggle to look at the worlds most beautiful shoe. Guys if you have never seen them or heard of them, check them out online, better still find your local Christian Louboutin shop and go and look and hold a pair, you will be impressed, and if you want to impress your lady, then buy her a pair, every woman longs to own a pair.
David Hopkins
