Some men wear their shoes out from the heel forward. I wear mine from the toe back.
I was reminded of this the other day when I wore a pair of quarter brogues with metal toe taps, those being a phase that I went through some years ago. Toe taps of course are man's reinforcement of leather toes to slow down the wear, and they do that task effectively. Particularly since toe wear happens to the sole of the shoe, and soles are far more expensive to replace than heels. The downside of the tap however is that they do not get along with wood floors particularly well, and in disagreements between the two the floors are a consistent loser.
Now you might expect that toe taps would be somewhat objectionable because they are noisy and indeed, their heel plate relations are definitely noticeable. Toe taps however are relatively discreet. Most men land on their heels as they take a step, and by the time the toe makes contact with the ground there is no abruptness that might cause a sound.
Proper toe taps are not cheap of course, but then nothing is. They need to be set into the sole to create a level surface and that is a task best done when the shoes are made, which makes them relatively easy to come by on made to order and bespoke shoes, and more difficult but hardly impossible on ready to wear. And they double the life of a sole in my experience, which makes them a bargain.
Unless a man has wooden floors.
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5 comments:
Possibly the fastest way to follow Cary Grant into acrobatics!
Or one could follow the Japanese example and wear slippers, not shoes, in the home, thus saving not only the wooden floors but also keeping shoe-borne filth to a minimum.
Would you be concerned that the sole stitching might be damaged in installing these flush metal toe plates? You implied that you no longer do it. Why?
What Horatio said. After all, shouldn't slippers be worn more than they are? http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2011/02/slippers-should-be-worn-more-than-they.html
This is a timely post as I have been considering flush toe taps for a little while, and plan on having the put in as I have soles replaced. I am firmly in the "shoes off, slippers on when at home" category, primarily because of the amount of nastiness it is possible to bring home off New York City streets.
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