Smelly Trainers and Doc Mits

As Joey has pointed put we don't all have the same taste in shoes, or of course in anything else.   This is part of what makes life interesting, different shoes, different music, different art, it is the differences that challenge us, that introduce us to new experiences and styles.   Personally I like figurative painting, orchestral music and traditional clothes and shoes, yet I can still recognise the quality and style expressed in other genres.

So just as in art then also in fashion we have to accept that our own views are not definitive, others have taste just as valid as our own, just different.    Our taste is also influenced by associations, getting back to my shoe theme, I don't currently possess a pair of trainers, because I am no longer in training!   When I was actively involved in sport and had to train I had a couple of pairs of trainers (two so one could dry out while I was using the other pair) so for me trainers have always been shoes to wear for training.   Most people I know wear them as casual shoes, for me the association is with running, I prefer dockers for casual wear.

Likewise I understand that Doctor Martens are very popular, and dare I say it, even trendy, but again they have an association for me.   I am of an age when skinheads were a very real part of my life, I was on occasion a target of these Neo Nazi thugs for my political stance, if they had known more about me I would have been seriously at risk.   For me Doc Mits are associated with Paki Bashing, Queer Bashing and my home area being terrorised on a Saturday afternoon or evening after the football.   I know that this has nothing to do with the Company or the shoes, just the idiot thugs who adopted them as part of their "uniform".

Of course Dr Martens have moved beyond the simple Cherry Red or Black boot now with lots of colours and patterns, they are now often seen on the feet of the young beautiful and stylish, however the design is pretty much the same as the original.