shoe fetish?

As far as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with footwear- loafers, brogues, suede desert boots, bowling shoes, Wallabies you name it, as long as the design’s sharp and has character but not over the top, I’d probably like it. I’m not much into designer shoes. At most, probably Paul Smith, Patrick Cox or Yohji Yamamoto but not really the Bally, Prada, Fendi kind. At times, there are some that attract me like the Gucci colored loafers that came out in the mid 90’s but even then i never felt the urge to buy something that expensive. For me it could be from Payless but if you know how to carry it with the right ensemble, then it can work for you.

Of all the types of shoes there are though, it’s athletic shoes that I’m most enamored with. Branded yes, trainers, sneakers or as it is referred to here in our country, “rubber” shoes. I’ve worn many brands since grade school. Some of which are now classics and/or rare but may have been reissued like Puma(Wimbledon,Clyde,States,Roma), Wilson(Bata), Pro-Keds, Pony(Top Star), Diadora(Borg Elite), Nike(Road Runner,Waffle,Internationalist).

For all that, the brand that really had an impact on me was Adidas. Top Ten, Rebound, Jabbar, Americana, Pro-Model I’ve worn throughout my basketball days in the Midgets Division till i moved up to the Aspirants Division. For casual wear, i vividly recall having the SL-80, Country, Rom, Samba, Jeans, the ubiquitous Superstar and the locally produced Match and Hurricane. Back then, i wasn’t conscious of the collecting aspect and never thought that something then might be of value some day, so they’re all history now.

My love for Adidas never waned though and i got back into it again in the late 80’s early 90’s and even traded some records to get cash for overstock Campus’ from the 70’s at X-Large, the Beastie Boys clothing store on Vermont in L.A. and got pairs in maroon,blue,burgundy,gray and my favorite at that time, black with silver stripes. Apart from that, i also scored some rare green and red Stan Smiths and pretty much all the colors the Gazelle came out in around the early 90s. Some of you who i know or met during the Groove Nation store days probably remember some of the kicks i wore then.

Now that’s nothing compared to the truly hardcore sneaker freaks who basically have every Adidas that ever came out or the really classic ones but recently, being an endorser for Adidas, i am lucky to be given a number of current models and reissues plus some that were given by relatives and friends as gifts. None are exactly rare or sought after yet for obvious reasons but maybe a couple or two will be, one day. Oh and i go for more of the Heritage line/Originals with the Trefoil logo and not the sports Equipment  line.

Check,check,check these out.

So

The last pair. The Campus with velcro straps is my most used pair and what i have on most of the time. I love it. Love em all. I can only go to Ebay and drool at those that I’m really after but for now anyone who wants to donate a size 12(US) pair that were given to them by mistake is most welcome.

Imeldific? Nah, it’s not even close to 100 pairs although i am actually a distant relative.

So tell me, do i have a shoe fetish or am i merely being a huge fan of an exemplary brand institution?