It's definitely time for some new shoes! / myLot

Leicester, England

July 25, 2019 4:31am CST

I am not one of those people who possess dozens of pairs of shoes. I only have one pair at a time, plus a pair of walking boots. However, as you can see from this photo, my current pair of shoes has a problem, namely a hole in the heel! I don't know if this will let water in, because it hasn't rained since I noticed the hole, but I'm not willing to take the chance. My wife and I are going to London in a fortnight's time to attend a Prom concert at the Royal Albert Hall, and I'm not sure that turning up in walking boots will go down terribly well! I therefore made a trip into town yesterday to buy a new pair at Clark's shoe-shop. I like this style, so I was looking for exactly the same as I've got now - but minus the hole and five years of wear and tear! They had what I wanted, but not in the right size, so I have ordered a pair to be sent to my home. They are expensive, but if I only buy one pair of shoes every five years, it does not work out to be so terrible!

5 people like this

5 responses

Just an Ordinary Owl?

@owlwings (43897)

• Cambridge, England

25 Jul 19

They look to be comfortable shoes, at least, but the hole is puzzling: it doesn't look like 'normal' wear and tear but almost as if you had inadvertently drilled a hole in it. Clarks used to offer a resoling service for shoes where the uppers were perfectly good and the soles only were worn. I don't know whether they still do but their shoes are usually so well made that it can be cheaper to have them repaired than to buy new ones. As you point out, though, a new pair of shoes every five years, even at the fairly expensive prices that Clarks charge (though they are worth every penny), doesn't work out too dear in the long run.

1 person likes this

John Welford

@indexer (4852)

• Leicester, England

25 Jul 19

These are "air" soles, with studs made of slightly softer rubber that offer a "bounce" when you walk. It was one of these studs that fell out.

1 person likes this

Just an Ordinary Owl?

@owlwings (43897)

• Cambridge, England

25 Jul 19

@indexer Ah, yes! I can see that on looking closer. I believe I'm right in saying that all Clarks shoes have stitched welts so resoling means that they can easily remove the stitching and restitch a brand new sole onto a perfectly good (if a little worn) upper. I had it done once and the shoes were just as comfortable as they were before. It was certainly less than I would have paid for a new pair!