Aimless Rambling

I actually opened this blogging window with one idea for a post, but as it opened, it just *puff* went up into smoke. Has that ever happened to you? Please say yes, so I don't feel like such a weirdo. Well, you won't actually say anything to me (which I appreciate) because - truth to be told - when someone I don't know comments my posts, it usually makes me panic at first. Weird, right? Yeah, let's state the obvious - the OTHER obvious, not that one -: I actually relate to this blog as a sort of "more public" journal, and so - even if I know that it has a moderate reading audience (mostly penpals of mine, to whom I already tell just about everything about my life), I feel safe in here. It's a contradiction, I know: I like to share, but I don't like to be seen.

One thing I've been trying to implement more often is to record those "great ideas" - which are more often than not a linking of ideas in my case - before they go missing from my head. This is how I've managed to record on my phone a grand total of ONE note about a topic for a potential blogpost. How comes that's where I stand on this front? I've opted to record instead of writing it down, because when these ideas come to me, I'm usually unable to write because a) I'm doing some exercise, b) I'm driving, c) I'm on the street and can't just break my notebook, a pen and write the idea down. My phone is supposed to be at hand, but still... only one idea recorded so far.

Source: Woman

Anyway, checking my newspaper mail in the morning, along with my trusty cup of freshly brewed and French pressed Pike Place coffee (two scoops of coffee per cup, no sugar, no cream, no milk), I found in Le Figaro's (Le Monde stopped sending free news mail, so there you go, my fancophone nourisment comes from Le Figaro) daily an article about the rising importance of shoes in fashion. Now, I must have fallen through a timeloop, because as far as I know, shoes have always been the unquestionable queens of fashion. I mean, has Carrie Bradshaw's legacy been so easily forgotten? My money is on "no". I'm not a big shoe collector... or any kind of shoe collector at all, to be honest. And yes, there has been a raise in the importance of bags, specially if we turn our attention to creations such as Nicole Lee, Prada, Louis Vuiton and Kate Spade (whose early departure will always be sorely missed). But have bags ever deplaced shoes from their glorified stand?

According to the article, though the accesory industry is experimenting a contraction, shoes are reigning supreme and rising, dethroning the bags and claiming their place as the center of fashion and the pièce de résistance of fashion. A lady's daily dressing routine is described as chosing the shoes first and the rest around it, while the bag - the deposed queen - is relegated to oblivion, while said lady packs all her belongings into her pockets. At this point I need to stop because, how can anyone pack all their belongings DAILY in their pockets? I mean, sure, I can do that when I go out and all I need are my keys, my phone and my wallet, but on daily basis? Nope, that doesn't work for me.

Anyway, aside from the deplacement of the bags, the article also notices the change in the trend of shoes, with a new goal towards comfort. More sneakers - though those for the Millenials - and comfortable heels. Ok, I must admit that I'm still hung on the bag thing, but the idea of the comfortable shoes coming into trend are something I like, though I'll wait to see if they really come through.

Source: Catawiki

You see, for a working person, sneakers can be as fashionable and trendy as you want (both words mean the same, in case you wonder, and yes, I did that on purpose), but still, office workers are relegated to their usual choice of shoes: ugly, flat, spade shaped, long nosed contraptions for men, and clicking heels or mocasines for women. I'm a bit of a rebel, with my black combats (neatly tucked under my legwarmers, pant legs or long skirts). That, or my trusty Vagabond boots, which I have already worn so much the leather seems to be getting discolored beyond my hability to repair it. My taste in shoes has probably been shaped in the 90's, when the idea of comfort was also important in shoes, though our general standing was picking fight boots, shoes that would take the beating while we carried on our revolutions. We preferred clunky boots to stiled shoes, something in which we could jump, run, march, climb. Something that would hold, that would get more precious with the aging, with the scraps and discoloring. It was also a type of comfort to have shoes that do not demand more attention from us that a puppy.

I don't follow much fashion (obviously), but I'm glad to see that every once in a while, comfort comes forth as an element that needs to be calculated into it. I remain skeptical, though, for I've seen many "comfy" options that are either impracticable for the working class, unattainable for the middle class or just called "comfy" while they remain incomfortable contraptions in which no sane human being could ever relax or feel at ease.

As for the bags - because, really, I can't let go of that topic - shoes could be climbing to the limelight and all that, BUT bags will always remain an eternal feature. Not only because they tend to be more visible than shoes, but because their function is undeniable and nearly irreplacable, but also because in a world populated by vloggers and curious people, videos about "what's in my bag" will sure keep drawing views, while... can you shoot that with a shoe? Sorry dear, we don't want to see you unpack your Stella Lunas.