Flip-Flops are for Fools

I’m not sure who it is we have to blame for the blight some call flip-flops, but when I find out… watch out.

courtesy of theogeo

Not only do they expose your feet to countless diseases and leave your feet repulsively dirty at the end of a day in the big city, but they are not, no matter who tells you different, fashionable. Similar to the Crocs craze which is on the decline (thank God) flip-flops are a sign to the rest of the fashion conscious world that you have given up. You no longer care about what your feet say about your commitment to good taste and comfort has kidnapped your sense of style.

Despite the popularity of Havianas (which I will admit are darn comfy) and their imposters, they are not flattering. They do not go with everything. And they most certainly do not say “I’m a strong, confident in control woman.” What they do say? “I couldn’t be bothered to find anything else when I left the house.”

They are cheap and yes they are easy, but is that really how you want to be known? I didn’t think so.

Spring Sling

I like black. In fact, I LOVE black. Live for black. And if the powers that be ever stopped producing black I would be lost. Truly lost. Unable to function lost. But come springtime, my love seems to wane just long enough for me to make an impulse purchase that is NOT black but FULL of color. And I mean full.

Often the compulsion for color manifests in footwear. Over the years I have found it the easiest to justify (of course) and the easiest to integrate into my existing wardrobe of black, black, black, gray, gray and sometimes white. This spring in Berlin was no different. On the first sunny day I found myself ducking into the shoe store beside the BauHaus (Germany’s Home Depot) for a little spring lift.

Like a Payless, the store was organized by size, and although all I thought I wanted was a pair of fuchsia flip-flops I saw in the store window, I walked out with shoes so opposite to everything in my existing arsenal of footwear I’m not even sure what to do with them. Patent-floral cork-wedge heels. Yup. That’s them.

A brand I have never heard of (Young Spirit), in colors I often don’t even register, they now sit in the bottom of my closet and taunt me. Dare me to wear them. Snicker every time I grab something black off the shelf. The truth is, I have nothing to wear them with. And so, it’s likely that my cheap 30Euro shoe purchase will cost me 300Euro, ‘cause I have my eye on a fantastic white Calvin Klein shift-dress that would look great with them. The dress would also look fantastic with anything black. So really it’s a win-win.

Spring in My Step

Finally, after months of grey skies, rain and surly people who are at the end of their winter rope, the sun in Berlin is out and the temperature is on the rise. Not only does that mean outdoors is once again my friend, but that when I look into my closet, the sea of black that stares back at me seems less and less welcoming. And of course, with the change of season and summer around the corner comes the quest for the perfect sandal.

birkenstock gizeh

birkenstock piazza

Over the years I have had little to no success finding an everyday summer shoe. I loathe the flip-flop unless I’m on the beach, abhor anything that rhymes with Reva and find it difficult to feel like a lady if my footwear involves Velcro. But I figure, “when in Germany” and suddenly the offerings of 235 year-old Birkenstock doesn’t seem unreasonable.

My first pair of “Birks” was purchased in 1990. I was younger and wore patchouli. Sure they were comfortable, but fashionable, not so much. Thankfully, over the past almost 20-years, the family owned company based in Frankfurt has stepped up the fashion factor without compromising quality. This season I’m opting for the orange Piazza and line green Gizeh styles. Not only will they inject some life into my big city colour palette, but their commitment to happy feet will keep me on my toes, and heels, all season long.

I’m Trippin’

For me, in the word of footwear, shoe design is about more than creating beautiful objéts. And as much as the clean classic line of a stiletto or the feel of supple leather signifies quality workmanship and inspired design, innovation is as important. Thankfully for the world of shoe lovers, German design company Trippen has both inspiration and innovation in spades.

Berlin Trippen store

Coveted by both “celebrities” and “commoners”, the award winning design team of Angela Spieth and Michael Oehler have been making comfortable footwear for individuals the world over since 1994. Dedicated to quality, all shoes are handcrafted by skilled artisans, and it shows. Trippen designs are available at their three stores in Berlin along with their shops in Cologne, Heidelberg, Japan, Spain, Great Britain, and Taiwan. You can also find their collections in over 400 stores worldwide.

Steppin’ Out

Every girl, no matter how precious, particular, or persnickety about her footwear, will eventually need a shoe repair shop. And on the cobblestone sidewalks of Berlin, perhaps sooner than one would normally think. The sound of a bare-to-the-nail heel on pavement of any sort is one of my personal pet peeves. The click is distinctive and unlike a well-maintained shoe, the sound is not glamorous but grating, like fingernails on a chalkboard or a child screaming while you’re trying on a new pair of

pedro garcia SS09

Pedro Garcia heels. If you’re in Berlin and find yourself in the position where your soles need some love and care, visit a Flickschuster.

Often found hidden in the same shop with the guy who’ll cut your keys or engrave your ID bracelet with the name of your high school sweetheart, the shops located at AlexanderPlatz and Ostbahnhof or the new Hauptbahnhof will make short work of those raggedy heels setting you on the right path.

For a high-end solution, visit KaDeWe, the answer to everything luxury label in this town. Those folks will make sure you put your best foot forward.

Coyote Not Ugly

I truly believe that if I search the world over for a particular shoe or boot, based entirely on a design in my head, that in whatever city I find them, I should settle. And so, here I am, living in Berlin.

For the past two years I have been looking for a cross between an engineer boot and a biker boot. The engineer boot, rounded toe and lower heel, brings a little something feminine, while the square-toed biker boot offers the rocker element. Despite what I thought, they were not easy to find.

After searching vintage shops, dry goods stores and the high streets in Toronto, New York, London, Paris and Barcelona my prayers were answered by the buyers for Saloon Boots in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin.

Established some 22 years ago, Saloon Boots caters to the cowboy in all of us, and more recently it seems, the hard-edged engineer. Stocking brands like Blundstone and Coyote, their selection wouldn’t necessarily take you to a black-tie affair, but you’d be in good company after-hours with the bartender, smoking in the basement.