shoe business

The shoe-buying drama that began this weekend ended with a whimper yesterday when my new kicks arrived in the mail (not that zappos.com needs another plug, but it really is a fantastic website. great selection, great pictures, great reviews, and free shipping that is still fast). I went over to Nordstrom to try on the Simple hemp shoes and they were exactly as I had feared: too loose, too hempy, and too ugly. The flats were super cute but the fit was weird.

I gave up on Simple and decided to look into a pair of Chuck Taylors or One Stars or Jack Purcells and found the most beautiful pair of off-white Jack Purcells designed by Varvatos. I was all set to justify 90 bucks on canvas and rubber when I came across articles about Converse being bought by Nike. So the once ethically-sound shoe company is now based in Asian sweatshops. Sigh. It was one of those moments when I wished for blissful ignorance. Those were some damn cute shoes.

I went back to the Simple website and found that they have another line called ecosneaks. This line is more normal looking, still vegan, and still made of organic and recycled materials. Again, not that I'm some Greenzo only buying environmentally sound goods, but if you can to do it I figure why not.

The shoes are comfy and solidly built, and hopefully with some added insoles I should be able to flit around Rome in cute skirts while pronouncing Italian in a way only Latinists can. Sal-way, ah-me-key! Quid agis? Bene!