Happy feet?

Nobody can dwell on and write about footwear in quite the same way as Manolo the blogger does. He elevates feet and footwear to a whole different level, and his is a perspective that explores the many different attitudes, intricacies, practical considerations and every other element concerning footwear, elements which I didn't even know were worth pondering. He even opens up to me (albeit unwittingly, of course) new sociological perspectives in the course of my taking in his colorful essays!

So, yesterday I passed by Rustan's and as I glanced at the display window, I spotted the very items that Manolo had blogged about just days before that and which became the subject of my intense consideration after reading.

Crocs.

I thought at first he meant "croc-skin" so I couldn't understand what was so hideous about footwear in crocodile skin, which was his unmistakable sentiment, as was many of the blog's loyal commenters.

When I saw the photo of the rubber footwear, I was confused all the more. Croc-skin in rubber?

Then I realized, "Crocs" is a brand name, heehee! And it's a hit in some quarters while being scoffed at for various reasons (some of them sensible) in others.

Have you owned a pair of Crocs-style shoes? I bought a cheap pair of rubber Crocs-resembling clogs about 7, 8 years ago at the Greenhills flea market -- brown ones, with holes on the sides. I think I wore them a total of 3 times (once during a downpour) before wholeheartedly giving them away, and Manolo succinctly illustrates the reason for my decision to do so when he says, "the Manolo he has it on good authority, from those who have worn the Crocs and repented, that these plastic not-so-super-fantastic shoes cause the unnatural sweating of the feets, sweating that would leave the elderly mother smelling like the anteroom of the Turkish bath."

Believe me when I say that you'll have a swell time, as always, as you read Manolo's piece on the not-so-superfantastic-shoes that are pictured above). And, you'll be spared from making an uninformed choice at the shoe department, just in case you're contemplating on getting a pair for yourself. In fairness, some comments do point out the upside of the footwear.

Hope you get a kick (and practical advice, too) out of reading these.