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Wednesday 10 September 2008

Sole Seduction

A friend of mine cringed and cursed "F*#k i'm not paying 500bucks for a pair of sneakers!" and walked right out of the CAMPER store in The Gardens @ Mid Valley the other day. I calmly explained its not a pair of sneakers, its CAMPERS..its a casual shoe not a sneaker. Besides, nowadays even a pair of good jogging shoes costs close to RM500. That incident sparked a thought, not many men pay attention to their "Soles". So, I thought i'd share a little on the differences of men shoes and the recommended essential Soles a metropolitan man should have in his shoe cabinet. To hopefully help those of you who are still "sole searching". Ever heard the saying "The Shoes Maketh the Man" and "You can tell alot about a man from his shoes"?. So spare a little thought, some cash, and add that crowning glory to your wardrobe.

SNEAKERS - sporty looking, rubber sole with a fabric upper and sometimes with a mix of leather thrown in for good measure - generally used for sporting activities and informal casual wear. As you don't spend your entire life in the office, a good pair of sneakers for your weekend social activities is a good way to sporty-up and dress down your wardrobe.

THE CASUAL SHOE - This is a shoe that allows you to go from coffee at Starbucks straight to a dress-up dinner by just adding a jacket to your ensemble. The casual shoe is more fomal than the sneaker and is more suited for occasions where sneakers are deemed inappropriate. Generally a sleek non-bulky design equipped with an all leather upper in earthy colours or black with a thin rubber sole. Paired with a pair of dark colored slim or straight jeans, a shirt or simple t-shirt/jacket package and you're ready for a smart night out on the town. Ready to impress.


THE DRESS SHOE - Also known as the Oxford. For work and the super formal occasions, there are no exceptions. The classic all black laced dress shoe is a must. An all leather construction with a leather sole says "Formal" and "Classy" without a doubt. A must have for any man. Recent times have seen the birth of many new different designs and styles. If you're like most other people, you won't need more than a pair or two of dress shoes, and may face difficulty trying to choose one that suits you and your wardrobe best. Try and stick to the simple classic design and you won't have a problem matching it with your slacks or your suit.

Building a wardrobe can be a challenging task, stick to what suits your body and style best. When it comes to shoes you can't go wrong these three types of shoes as a start, sprucing up your look for any occasion. Of course there are other types of shoes you can purchase - boots, loafers, boat shoes, high-tops, etc. there are even a few types of dress shoes, classified by the way they're closed. But these are the three basic types of shoes i'd recommend every man should have before proceeding with the other variants. If you don't intend to purchase numerous pairs of shoes, stick to designs with simple lines and black/white or earthy colors. That way you won't have trouble matching your shoes to your wardrobe. Also consider spending a little more on top-dollar quality shoes, as they generally (well, in theory sometimes) last longer.

My Heart & Sole..

Shoes seem to flow in my blood, i blame my mum for it really. My mum used to idolize Imelda Marcos, and her sizable collection of shoes would be adequate to stock up a small women shoe store. Shoe fetish is proven to be hereditary - both my brother and i share a passion for shoes and fashion. We're lucky in a way, as we both wear almost the same sized shoes. Though my brother does occasionally buy shoes a half size smaller on purpose to curb me wearing them, and impose restrictions and guidelines for certain shoes. I on the other hand, have no qualms about sharing.
Between us, i think we have access to about 30-odd pairs of shoes, majority being sneakers. Unlike some shoe enthusiasts, we actually wear our shoes! including limited edition snake-skinned Nikes, rare Tiger's, Yasuhiro Mihara Pumas.. yeah, box fresh special editions fetch sky-high prices, but will you actually sell it when the time comes? i highly doubt it...
Always buy shoes that suit your wardrobe and you're comfortable with, ensuring that you'll always have an opportunity to wear them with a variety of clothes for a longer period of time. Here are pics of some of the shoes in the Heah stable...
Some of our shoes
Its wise to pay top dollar for shoes, this pair of classic BALLY loafers is 11 years old
Nike Force One Snake Skin
The Dress Shoe
Gold flaked and mid-top Tigers
"These shoes are made for running" -Shocks & Frees
Military themed Nikes
Always keep your shoes in a breathable cabinet:
Black 2-door 4-tier shoe cabinets, RM99 each from Cavenzi, 3-tier open shoes racks, RM19 each from IKEA.


May god bless your sole!


* Shoe Pics Courtesy of: Sneakerhead, Nike, Sepick, Puma, Ebay, Amazon, Jwan, and Jinn Heah.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bro. With regard to 1 of ur pics, shld it be Air Force One? or just Force One? Hmm, maybe u're rite, there is Force One which i'm not aware of...hehehe..

Demon said...

Force One = Air Force One la..

Kit said...

yo dingus! very informative eh? good stuff. check out me blog for some updated scribbs etc. by the way, looked at ur song list. pretty good. check out Duffy's Mercy. actually i like her whole album. not sure if ur choice of music but do give it a shot. also, brian mcfadden's Twisted. i know i know he is from a boy band.. but that song is pretty good. and Sam Sparro's Black & Gold. also rihanna's take a bow. that all for now...! hope ur well.

Anonymous said...

Aisay mate! Force One not chio enuf mer. Must hv e word AIR there. Similar to the US President's Airplane man! ahahha... still can get Force One these days? where ya?

Demon said...

for the best kicks in town.. ranging from AIR FORCE ONE's to TIGERS and NEW BALANCE collectibles, check out "Sole What?" Lot S-229A, Second Floor,The Gardens @ Mid Valley. but... its gonna cost you an arm and a leg.

Demon said...

the following stores are also worth checking out, they stock legit NIKES, NB's, etc etc..

SHOWROOM - 6th floor sg. wang plaza

SHOWROOM - 2nd floor, The Curve (not sure if its still there..)

MIZ29 - Sg.Wang PLaza

Anonymous said...

Mr. jwan heah, NOW we're on level ground. I love your collection mannn. I think, you are, by far, the ONLY GUY who keeps his shoes nicely & neatly lined on a shelf! *impressive :)

Demon said...

Hi Caroline, (btw. which Caroline is this?,I'm sorry..)

Thanks! but i'm not the only guy who keeps shoes nicely lined on a shelf and cupboard... there are many serious sneakerFreaks around who have impressive displays for their shoes.

Anonymous said...

goodness! typing in 'caroline' felt so much more sophisticated til you totally burst my bubble! hahah! Yes, it's fei! ouu by the wayy, you're snakeskin airforceone is so yummylooking. It definitely looks more highclass than my cousin's red&white one. i was considering one too but the pink one ;)

Demon said...

caroline: hahaha.. sorry la! didn't mean to burst your bubble. put in your blog url le, that way i'd know who it is mah.. sorry again.
There's a much wider choice of sneakers in Ozzieland, yeah, you should get yourself a pair! be it PINK or LIME GREEN! hehe..

tamz18 said...

lol.. like my friends house tat is full of shoes...

but she is a GIRL!! muahahha...

Unknown said...

haha good post! i feel like i'm allowed another pair now.

Anonymous said...

Hey.. Those aren't Air Force One's.. Those are a pair of Court Force Lows.. And those military themed Nike's are Nike Dunk High Brian Anderson.. (Brian Anderson is a skateboarder endorsed by nike)And those Gold/Red Trainers.. They are called Gold Diggers.. Damn.. Those are some good stuff.. In collaboration with Huf store in San Francisco.. and hey.. Sneaker enthusiasts/ sneakerheads do wear their shoes too.. And they thrash them hard!

thanks for dropping by my blog anyway..

Demon said...

kinz: hey! thanks for stopping by and damn i'm impressed with your sneaker knowledge! i'm no sneakerhead, i just like shoes and buy em' coz they look good... and i'm mighty impressed with your collection!