Oh my, it was a cold and windy day (alright, bright and sunny) in Texas when my mom purchased these for me. We had just finished our 15th move around the country, most recently from Las Vegas, NV. Life was pretty friendless for a chubby bookworm traveling every weekend with a softball team. All the seats in my middle school cafeteria were taken. Not a SINGLE table was empty for me to sit by myself. The girls I sat with would switch from English to Mandarin (only one did so maliciously) so I couldn’t even attempt to engage in conversation. Thinking some new clothes would cheer me up, my mom took me shopping. OF COURSE, I wanted the most expensive shoes currently in style (again), Doc Martens.
Teal shoelaces added when I used the others to lace up a corset!
I settled on the British Beauties for their colorful collage of sketches of popular English tourist spots. British guards, double-decker buses and the Union Jack. Little did I know what an impact the police call box would have on me later in life. Years later, I apologized to my mom for buying me such expensive shoes. I had plenty of others and did not need a pair pricing in the trip-dig. But since I still wear said boots, my mom claims they were the best bipedal investment we had ever made! While I can attest to these not making those middle-school lunches any more enjoyable; I knew that when I looked at my feet, I’d smile.
You got them during the era when they were actually well made!
I went through two pairs in two years in high school, and had a friend who had a pair last less than a year before they broke. At that point I gave up on them entirely. Definitely not worth the money!
Maybe they are better again now? I just buy vegetarian shoes/boots now, I hope they last!
ahhhh, school cafeterias and shoes, that sums up youth pretty well. I love the teal shoelaces! I had a pair of kickin’ vans with rainbow shoelaces that I loved oh so much, they got stolen (along with my clothes and valuables) when I left them on the beach for a night swim. ugh, how dare they steal our clothes while we were swimming! those son of a b…..!
I empathize with your experiences in junior high. Fuck that noise. That’s the worst age ever. If boots made you feel better, then I’m sure your mom was happy to spend the money.