re[boot]

i'm not what you'd call a [fashionista]. fashion is just something i don't spend a lot of time thinking about.  my wardrobe tends to be based more on comfort than style.  that being said, i live my life by three simple rules when it comes to fashion. 1. never under any circumstance wear pleated pants.  not only have i heard they're unfashionable, but i really hate the way i look in them, appearing as though i'm wearing a diaper.  2. never give or receive any form of clothing as a gift.  there are too many variables when it comes to clothing; color, shade, fit, stitching, size, texture, feel, look, any of which, when wrong, leads to failure.  these factors make it hard enough to shop for myself, how is anyone else suppose to do it for me? i'm sorry, but clothing as a gift rarely works out. 3. never ever buy the [exact] same thing i'm replacing.  not only is this rule in place so it forces me to always to try something new, but it's an easy way to keep up to date with fashion, without much thought.  well, one of these rules was broken recently, and here's a hint, i ain't wearing pleats.

several years ago i bought a pair of clarks original desert boots.  i saw them at the store, thought they looked nice, they were comfortable, so i bought them.  little did i know i had just purchased my favorite pair of shoes.  i wore them everywhere.  they were nice enough to wear to work, and casual enough to wear out at night.  they matched with my old busted jeans and looked great with a nice pair of dark ones.  heaven forbid, they even looked good the few times i wore them with khakis.  the more i wore them, the better they felt. being made of soft suede, they packed well, leading me to take them with me everywhere i traveled.

winning me over on looks, comfort, and function i researched the shoe a bit.  it turns out they haven't changed much since first introduced in 1949. everyone from british soldiers in cairo, to beatnik's, to mods, to hippies had worn these shoes.  much like eames lounge chairs and ray-ban wayfarer's, the style of this shoe had become [timeless].  if i hadn't already been crazy over these boots, the nostalgia factor put me over the edge.

wearing these shoes as much as i did, i literally wore a hole in them. i was heartbroken. not ready to give them up, i found myself limited to wearing them only when i thought it wouldn't rain, occasionally ending up with a wet sock.  what was i to do? break my rule, and buy a new pair, or try my luck with some other brand and style.

i had been agonizing over this dilemma for months, when finally, one of the rules was broken.  christmas morning i opened a package from my parents and inside found a brand new pair of boots.  i was shocked,  because i knew my parents were well aware of rule number two, but was thrilled they had decided to break it.  a HUGE [thank you] to my parents for their incredibly thoughtful, very surprising, much needed, rule breaking gift.  i love them...and now that i've photographed them, i can finally start wearing them.