Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)

Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)
Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Little Foot

It's really no wonder that I've only bought about three pairs of shoes in the past decade. Shoe shopping sucks about as much as jeans shopping. My feet are kinda small, so I can never find anything in my size. That don't have cartoon characters on them.

Being a real-life Hobbit is difficult, because unlike in the fillums, footwear is expected. There's no gallivanting over the Brandywine Bridge to The Prancing Pony* with bare feet. Most actual-life establishments require shoes.

Anyway, yesterday on a whim, I tried on a pair of shoes, because for once I saw something that I liked. The smallest they had was a size 7, and I needed probably a 6. So the lady goes and gets a pair of ladies shoes and goes, 'these one's will probably fit. They're a ladies size 9, but you can't tell.'

Au contraire, lady. The shapely toe and the dainty laces are kind of a give away. So I walked out disappointed, and vowed to leave it another decade before trying again.

*Gosh, that was so nerdy I had to punch myself in the stomach for it.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey funnyman - did you get my email a few days ago about being up my tree? not sure if i have your right email address - i'm peteryock at gmail dot com - would you mind emailing me there if you haven't received anything - ta :)

Ben McLaughlin said...

Mate I did get the email- I have just been waiting for a moment to sit down and reply. Sorry I haven't yet. I have been thinking about your tree though! Will reply this arvo or in the morning.

Thanks mate

Laetitia :-) said...

Ben - get yourself to a shop that sells safety footwear. I have size 9 (ladies) feet and I buy men's shoes. In safety footwear I buy Eucla by Steel Blue in a men's size 6. The Eucla looks like a regular dress shoe rather than a boot.

When you're not used to wearing steel caps you may find it takes a little while to get used to the extra weight in the toe. However, the soles of Steel Blue shoes and boots are what make these babies a dream to wear. When we went OS, my biggest regret was not taking my Euclas for walking around all the cobbled streets in Europe.

Stuart Heath said...

@Ben: I share your pain, though at the opposite end. I take size 11–12, and I'm also very picky about what I wear: it's very difficult to find shoes. So often I've imagined how sweet it must be to take size 9.

@Laetitia: having taken steel-capped shoes abroad before, I definitely don't recommend it, unless they can always go in checked baggage — they're a real pain for airport security.

Laetitia :-) said...

I hear you, Stuart - when I went to Melbourne for almost a week last July I wore my ugg boots on the plane and had my steel caps in checked baggage. Mind you, if it wasn't for the fact that I was also taking expensive camera equipment and a laptop I probably would have worn them (or at least socks) through security.

Wendy said...

You could always take a trip through Asia sometime. Their shoes are very small!

Georgina said...

Ah Ben, I also feel your pain. I have women's size 12 feet - a right pain to fit. They go with my height (185cm) but ... oh man, so hard! I wear men's shoes wherever possible (sneakers, my walking boots), and then buy ladies shoes at the one store in Sydney that has shoes that fit.

AY said...

Oh, Ben...'gallivanting over the Brandywine Bridge to The Prancing Pony'?...I can see why you felt the need to punch yourself:)
You will often see me shopping in the children's shoe section looking for girls' size 2 without the plastic daisies on the buckles. Just to let you know you are not alone in your footwear woes...

Ben McLaughlin said...

You see, people? For us poor outcasts with smaller or bigger feet than the general populus, we are not catered for. What we must do is band together, with our tiny trotters and giant clown feet, and bring down that said general populus. Then they will learn. Oh yes, they will learn.