Shoe Issues

The burning question of the ages: what to wear with scrubs? Crocs are ugly and stupid, in case you were thinking of suggesting them. The newest trend for medical professionals (and chefs oddly enough, according to their website) is the Dansko.



Hmmm, still pretty ugly. They may be covered in leather, but they’re still clogs. And clogs just don’t jive with the scalpel-jock look which is really your only reasonable option when wearing scrubs. Don’t get me wrong, I love not having to think about what I’m wearing each day, but you just have to acknowledge that it’s weird that I wear monochrome pajamas to work every day. They don’t look good on anyone. But that’s another issue. Back to the shoes.

So the trendiest option is the girly shoes. Sure, I could use the 1 inch heel they’ve got on them, but they still seem like a bad option. The second most common choice I heard recommended was Eckos. The urban wear? That seems to be on the opposite side of the spectrum from Danskos. They’re probably too manly for me. Turns out people meant Eccos, which are a much more reasonable option.

So I went to DSW, my favorite shoe store. DSW is the only place I’ve shopped for footwear since 2001. Because as many of you know, I’m cheap. As I shopped I measured how cheap I was. I get apprehensive spending more than 20 dollars. I’ll drop less than 20 with little worry. But once I tip over 20, I start to get apprehensive. Perhaps this is because I received 20 dollars a year from my grandparents as a child and have ingrained in my subconscious that 20 dollars is a year’s worth of money. But that’s probably not it. In any case, spending more than 20 dollars for anything makes me unhappy, so I shop at DSW. I rarely escape spending less than 20, but at least the 30 or 40 I spend is much less than the 140 dollars Danskos will set you back.

I hate shoe shopping. As previously stated, I hate spending more than 20 dollars. Another major factor is that I don’t care about shoes. I am completely passionless when it comes to footwear. I find it immensely difficult to shop for things for which I have no strong feelings. I have yet to find a pair of shoes that I love. I label shoes as ugly quickly enough, but I rarely hate them. I just don’t care about them. The desire not to spend a lot of money and my lack of conviction for any foot fashion nearly paralyzes me.

Turns out they only had a couple pairs of Eccos, and they were a scant 30% off. I demand 50 to 70% off. Low and behold a beautiful pair of black sneakers are 70% off. They certainly aren’t going to work for when I have to wear my suit and tie, but they’ll work fine in surgery. Presto purchaso, the job is done.

Turns out they’re Sketchers. Which means I now own 3 pairs of Sketchers, easily displacing New Balance (1 pair) as my preferred shoe. I found it weird that so many had sneaked into my collection, and also that I had a collection. I’m pretty sure I remember a time when, as a semi-adult, I owned only 3 pairs of shoes. Now I have 12. I think I was happier then.

I realize this has been more meandering and pointless than usual. I’m out of practice.