The Great Footwear Purge of 2021 (… and 2022)… An Essay

[johnniegold]

@tankerjohn

Indeed they are but there is also an added sense of satisfaction knowing that they were funded with items that were just sitting around never to be used.

However, it does appears that I’m selling off the inventory for Mrs. Gold’s idea for a web-based store that she had planned to open after my demise called:

Dead Bob’s Shoes

 

[beginish]

Did you sell the Kelly Green and White Purcell’s to an Eagles fan?

 

[johnniegold]

Did you sell the Kelly Green and White Purcell’s to an Eagles fan?

I think they landed in South Bend.

 

[johnniegold]

SNEAKERS continued….

This pair of Rod Laver Tennis sneakers by adidas I picked up from EndClothing because I wanted a pair with the classic mesh design. I have a pair that has an all-leather upper as opposed to the mesh design that @beginish prefers.

I ordered a Size 10 UK which generally means 11US. Well, not for adidas. A 10UK is 10.5 US (which was indicated on the sizing chart but guess what? I didn’t read it )

Now in a 10.5, although not entirely uncomfortable, my left toe keeps elbowing the other toes to move over.

So….

Since I ordered this pair from England, I wasn’t thrilled about incurring international return shipping fees so I threw them up on Poshmark to see what would happen.

They sold in about 1-hour after being listed and I was able to recoup my entire outlay plus enough to cover Poshmark’s commission, made possible due to the fact these sneeks were purchased on sale.

So no harm, no foul.

So Poshmark provided a nice bailout option instead of shipping them back to England.

Of course, EndClothing is now sold out of my size (… thankfully ). Oh well, next season.

Another nice option with these secondary markets is that after wearing footwear for awhile you may discover that the fit is not as good as you initially thought after trying them on and walking around a bit.

By the time you make that discovery, it may be too late to return them either because you’ve worn them several times (even outside) or the return date has expired.

I did that with these New Balance 515 and sold them in “lightly worn” condition and bought another pair and sized up and now they fit perfectly.

Although this scenario ended up costing a few more dollars, in the end it was worth it to get a pair of sneeks that fit just right rather then sitting in the closet. And since I originally bought them on sale, the swap basically wiped out that savings.

A better option would be to get it right the first time but hey… you can’t have everything.

 

[blantyre]

Shoe sizing always seems to involve a significant element of luck for me. Even in person it can still go wrong - it’s all too easy to convince myself that a shoe will magically adjust with wear. It’s been known to happen but it’s not a reliable approach.

A combination of easy returns or if necessary easy re-sale still makes online buys feasible. It can take awhile to get it right. Total time to completion for the Harelstones was about 3 months - well worth it though.

 

[johnniegold]

it’s all too easy to convince myself that a shoe will magically adjust with wear. It’s been known to happen but it’s not a reliable approach.

An approach I’m all too familiar with.

A combination of easy returns or if necessary easy re-sale still makes online buys feasible. It can take awhile to get it right. Total time to completion for the Harelstones was about 3 months - well worth it though.

Definitely worth it. Those Harlestones are amazing.

 

[StillShaving]

Maybe someone like this guy bought those Rod Laver sneakers. Maybe you have seen this advertisement a zillion times as well...

 

[johnniegold]

The Purge continues…

Woke up this morning to discover that another pair of shoes will be making their way to a new home.

This rare shoe from J&M was their attempt to compete with British shoemakers with this long-since discontinued Northampton line which were Made in England. Both UK and US sizing are printed on the interior lining.

At the time of their production some 20+ years ago, this limited offering by J&M rivaled the craftsmanship of such English shoemakers as Crockett & Jones, Loakes and Alfred Sargent and listed for approx. $400.00. Although I never confirmed it, the rumor was that Alfred Sargent produced this line for J&M which was very possible since Alfred Sargent produced shoes for Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers.

The quality and craftsmanship of this brogue can be seen in the attention to detail from the perforations along the upper, the medallion captoe, to the ornamental detailing along the edge of the sole and the color is just a beautiful British saddle tan.

These are a beautiful pair of shoes that are truly a rare find and I’m sure the new owner will be quite pleased with them.

That leaves all but one pair left from a once sizable J&M collection.

 

[johnniegold]

And once again, the dreaded delayed discovery that recently purchased footwear, in this case the beautifully-crafted Town View Leather moccasin, doesn’t really fit just right. If I recall correctly, I think @Toothpick went through a similar experience with these moccs.

And similar to @blantyre past experiences, I convinced myself that the footwear just needed to conform to my foot.

Once again, the left toe is the culprit and has requested a little more room up front. So… onto Poshmark they went and sold last night after being listed for a few weeks.

The buyer is getting a great pair of high-quality moccs and with the proceeds from this sale, I’ll be replacing this pair with a new “old friend” that is at least one-half size larger.

 

[musicman1951]

Ah, the Aldrich II model - one of my mainstays when teaching. They were great shoes, and a good fit for my hard to fit feet.

One of my genius drummers dropped a marching snare drum on my right pinky toe, and although it's no longer broken, it's a fussy thing about the side of a shoe rubbing against it.

I've been retired for 11 years now and did a similar purge. My collection was smaller than yours, but I was up to 40 shoes and I ran out of places to put them. Most days I find myself rotating between Alden 403's, All Weather Walkers and a pair of MOAB from Merrill.

I've been blessed beyond all deserving, so I sent mine to the local Good Will, along with a pile of shirts. My walk-in closet still overflows with shirts, but somehow that doesn't stop me from buying more every time my wife drags me to the outlets.

I suppose the real question would be why I hold onto 50 ties. Only weddings and funerals now, and two would probably be sufficient.

 

[johnniegold]

Like you @musicman1951, my shoe collection was becoming unwieldly and with the onset of the pandemic and just the overall shift in what is acceptable everyday office-wear, the sheer number of shoes, as well as their style was/is… well… becoming outdated. Come to think of it, so am I.


Although a captoe balmoral is truly a classic shoe, they were just not seeing any action and it was liberating to move them along.

In the “X” picture above of those J&M shoes, I could take a similar one of my Alden collection.

I’m just not ready to part with those.

I can’t…. I WON’T!!!!

 

[blantyre]

The last two years or so have been a great time for some re-setting. I‘ve heard said that the biggest regrets are often what a person did not buy rather than did. Some truth to that I think. The inverse is that I very rarely recall missing things that I’ve given away, sold, bartered or whatever. Getting rid of something always seems to make space for something new. I used to try and limit myself to a maximum number of certain items, shoes, shaving brushes… It unnecessarily created the “didn’t buy remorse“. Now I let things float a bit more and purge occasionally.

As for ties, I also have a few but never wear them. They do look nice hanging on the tie rack though. A nice piece of art. Nothing like staring at a gloomy ancient madder tie with some light dust on the part that loops over the hanger to cheer you up while you pick out a frag. on a grey winter morning.

 

[Tirvine]

A pair of Alden shoes will take your breath away with the price and as @johnniegold will surely attest they are worth every dime.

It was decades ago after school I got my first job and I had to get a pair of good dress shoes. I figured I am going to be doing this a while, I am going to break with tradition and get a good pair. So I got a pair of Alden shoes. One year later I got a second pair without giving it a second thought. I am here to tell you, nothing compares to a pair of Alden shoes. And when they are on your feet all day long, your feet with thank you!

And over thirty years later, still wearing the LHS four or more times a week, I figured I got good value by any standard.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I‘ve heard said that the biggest regrets are often what a person did not buy rather than did.

Interesting. I do not think that I can recall any regrets from NOT buying something. Bad purchases, yes, but not bad refrain.

 

[johnniegold]

Interesting. I do not think that I can recall any regrets from NOT buying something. Bad purchases, yes, but not bad refrain.

I can think of some whiskey shell Cordovan shoes that fall squarely in that category also known as “the ones that got away”.

 

[Tirvine]

The last two years or so have been a great time for some re-setting. I‘ve heard said that the biggest regrets are often what a person did not buy rather than did. Some truth to that I think. The inverse is that I very rarely recall missing things that I’ve given away, sold, bartered or whatever. Getting rid of something always seems to make space for something new. I used to try and limit myself to a maximum number of certain items, shoes, shaving brushes… It unnecessarily created the “didn’t buy remorse“. Now I let things float a bit more and purge occasionally.

As for ties, I also have a few but never wear them. They do look nice hanging on the tie rack though. A nice piece of art. Nothing like staring at a gloomy ancient madder tie with some light dust on the part that loops over the hanger to cheer you up while you pick out a frag. on a grey winter morning.

Your relationship to your things sounds very rational and healthy. I do not want to accumulate a lot of excess, but I take great pleasure in much the same things as you. I do manage to wear a tie at least once a week and try to rotate through my downsized collection. As for shaving brushes, my two brush rotation of identical other than handle color seems just right.

 

[dojpros]

I am trying to practice the one in 2 out rule on all things gear and clothing with limited success.
I am literally asking myself if something is still bringing me joy as I take it out. If not -"Goodwill" or being sold online.

Re having 50 ties as a retired guy. 50 to 2 is too much of a jump. 50 to 10 is quite doable.

A few will stand out a definite keepers. More than a few will stand out as "got to go" items.

The rest- just pit them against each other, A v B. winner stays, loser goes.

Then do it again with the winner pile. That should likely get you to ten.

Bag the rest and take them to the "Goodwill".

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Ties are something I haven't broached yet. I probably should. 10 sounds like a nice target to purge down to, even if it is eight years since I last wore one.

 

[johnniegold]

Gentlemen…. One purge at a time, please. Just one at a time.

(@blantyre It’s an ancient mad, mad mad madder world.)

 

[johnniegold]

Ties are something I haven't broached yet. I probably should. 10 sounds like a nice target to purge down to, even if it is eight years since I last wore one.

For Pete’s sake, don’t do it, man!