Dead shoes

I've work proper brogues to work for years, it's part of my "serious consultant" brand. Usually these are the Full Monty with leather soles and are purchased from Jones Bootmaker for something around, or in excess of, £100.

I find the close hard fit of a brogue very comfortable and you get a buzz of confidence knowing that you are wearing good shoes. They tend to wear well too, which is just as well as I like to include some walking in my daily commute.

The only down-side is the leather soles which can turn in to blotting paper when the ground is very wet and the impact of my walking is much the same as leaving the shoes in a full bath for twenty minutes.

And do, reluctantly, I have been known to but some cheaper imitation brogues, the sort of shoe that is designed more for soft comfort than appearance. I get these from Clarks because I remember the days when shoes meant Clarks (in the same way that Beanz Meanz Heinz) and also there are family connections with several of the Bridgwater clan having worked for Clarks in Street at some point. Some may still do so.

So it was a mixture of surprise, astonishment and disappointment when my new pair of Clarks shoes collapsed on me after just a few months.

The astonishment comes from the way that they died. The soles show just minimal signs of wear but both heels collapsed spectacularly, something I only expected to happen with ladies' shoes.

This left me with the embarrassment of walking around the office with the heels flapping around like a stupid dog's tongue.

I've learnt my lesson and am back on the proper brogues. I have three pairs so that wet ones have time to dry and the seriously ill ones have time to be mended. As is often the case, going for the cheaper option proved to be a false economy.

Note: All of the comments below are spam. I have posted them out of amusement.