Monday, May 04, 2009

Footwear - a thing of the gods


Here we are, my latest pair of beloved Rocket Dog boots. They look a bit lurid and 'skate boarder LA dude' type of footwear but you have to realise that not much of them stick out under my trouser/jean leg and my top half is usually in black, so a little bit of garishness is forgiven.

When I used to have a proper* job it would never have occurred to me to buy this sort of fun item. I was the practice manager of a central London firm of accountants that dealt with clients mainly from the world of theatre, film and music. It was very usual to have on average about 20 celebs a days lolling about in reception but, even with this sort of laissez faire clientele, I still preferred to look fairly smart in an all-black outfit (so nothing's really changed then) and in those days power heels. Yes, I wobbled about on high heels - trying to buy into the idea of clippy cloppy stiletto heels giving out an image of competent efficiency.I've always had good ankles and they were shown off quite well in 'proper' shoes. Now, it takes a heatwave to make these ankles come out from under their various boot encasings.

I'm sure I developed a slight shoe fetish during one of my earliest jobs. I worked in a Soho record shop, down in the basement so, of course, the first thing I saw of customers was their footwear. It's the second thing I notice about people these days - obviously their face comes first, then I'll give a casual look down to see what they have on their feet. I hate shabby scruffy shoes - my dad used to have quite a thing about polished shoes and I'm afraid it is one of my faddy ways, although, with Rocket Dogs there is nothing to polish - they are made of thick sturdy canvas and last for ages without showing any wear or tear.

The drawback is that, having come to them quite a few years after their launch, there are many early pairs I do not have and positively crave. You really have to trawl around ebay quite hard to find the first few years' designs. Still, I've always liked a mission (the summer bag is my current one) but in the background is a weekly look on ebay to see what is there. One downside is that French Paypal has its faults and I prefer not to use it, opting instead for the old-fashioned thing of sending a cheque. Lots of suppliers a) don't like to deal with cheques and b) don't wish to send their goods out of the UK (Schuh - it is you I'm looking at), which is very frustrating when I find exactly what I want. A couple of friends have said I can have things sent to them and they will forward them on but I know how busy people are and I don't like to bother them.

Why am I typing this post when I should be working on the essay of the three texts that make up my answer to the last OU question of the course (the ones I've chosen are Goethe's Faust, part one; Byron's Childe Harold, part of Canto III; The Brighton Pavilion) - well, it's hard and writing about boots is so much more fun.


*I have a job now - I do 'internet stuff' for Mr FF and he has not yet imposed a dress code.

41 comments:

Blu said...

Rocket to me baby!! I do hope that Mr FF imposes some sort of dress code!

Steve said...

Wow. They are dazzling. I'm afraid I clomp around in an old beaten up pair of cats that haevn't seen polish for months...! I feel so ashamed!

Anonymous said...

I've never see Rocket Dogs before! You are too cool.
My fashion sense has gone down the tubes since I moved out of Paris. Stiletto heels don't make much sense for us country girls.

A Super Dilettante said...

I've never seen this kind of shoes, FF. No wonder why they are so hard to find. I love ebay but things like buying clothes and shoes, I prefer to try them on first before I buy them. I had a couple of disappointments in the past. Good luck with your essays. You are just like me. I'm very good at procrastinating!! I started doing cleaning and washing whenever I have essays to write!
PS. Thanks for your kind words in my blog.

Sydney said...

well, I'm glad to see them, and I love it that you get to wear them now. There are perks to changing lifestyles and work environments. I used to be a celebrity wardrobe stylist in NY and LA and now I dress in wellies and kakhi pants with sunscreen and no make up tramping around at the zoo cleaning up bear sh*T and feeding lions, or helping all kinds of ailing wildlife at the wildlife rehab center. I loved both and marvel at how opposite they are (dress code included!).

Jelica said...

I'm not familiar with this type of shoes but they sure look lively--and about a thousand times more comfy than stilettos...

Ann said...

Steve said...
Wow. They are dazzling. I'm afraid I clomp around in an old beaten up pair of cats that haevn't seen polish for months...! I feel so ashamed

You and me both Steve, I love my cats, brown, need a polish ( badly ), laces a little frayed, but I love them.

Ann said...

Had never heard of Rocket Dog boots, who said the internet was bad for you, when you learn so much.
If my two dogs saw them, they would be, lets run around the house and out into the field fodder, lost a beloved mule last year, that would be a shoe, not a donkey type thing, looked everywhere, finally turned up last month, in the middle of the field, with all the leather top chewed off, probably a fox took a liking to them, so have one mule left, it sits forlorn in the hall, I look longingly at it, wishing it would breed.
Like Ugg's, okay, love Ugg's, and Cat boots as already mentioned, I who used to love stiletto's, prefer slopping about in these instead, though I do from time to time wear stiletto's, somehow dressed up in ones finery, and cat boots, don't seem to work.
Same here, trying to buy something from the internet, to come to Ireland, is hard work.
Your essay will be done, more important things come first, the boot fetish for example.

Lulu LaBonne said...

They're wild, I only have one pair of RDs, made of black and white chequered elastic - I love them. My current fave footwear are my patterned wellies shaped like cowboy boots.

LadyFi said...

At last - my first glimpse of Rocket Dogs!

Are they very comfy?

Reasons said...

I want some!

claire p said...

So that's what Rocket Dogs are!! I have UK ebay/paypal if you need to use me as go between just shout.

Maternal Tales said...

I just LOVE Rocket Dogs!! I have two pairs (think I may have confessed to that before somewhere on your blog), but I've never seen these...wow!!! Am now going out to try some on...Got to keep up with the Jones's! ;-)) x

Frankofile said...

My bank allows me to create a one-use-only virtual card to use on the web - as often as I want -with a set amount on it. Not that I've ever bought on ebay. Or seen Rocket Dogs before. Oh I have so much to try.

La Belette Rouge said...

Every time I come here I learn something new. I have never seen these kind of shoes before but now I will likely seem them everywhere. Last time you talked about Katie Price and Peter Andre I had never heard of them either and I just saw them in Graham Norton's show and as I did I said to myself, "That is who French Fancy was talking about."

Phil Lowe said...

polished shoes: that just reminds me of chores we had to do as kids and one of those was to polish our shoes outside the house (on the dustbin lid) to a fine gloss and to whiten our pumps with shoe whitening.

As for Childe Harold. Remember he was buried at Newstead Abbey in a nest of vipers and killer ants. So there's one essay you don't need to to do.

Rosaria Williams said...

If I had to pay attention to the fashion mode of the day you could be my guide. Fortunately for me, I am stricty functional and cheap these days.

But, I do appreciate looking at well appointed humans.

skywind said...

Oh, the boots are very strange. LOL
Health information & Humor & Fun World

nikkicrumpet said...

I'm not sure what a rocket dog even is. I guess that makes me totally out of touch with fashion...oh yeah...I'm totally out of touch with fashion! I already knew that! NOW GO DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Lane Mathias said...

Very cool boots. And you won't even have to put shower caps on them, will you?:-)

French Fancy... said...

Blu - imagine if Mr FF typed out 'Rules of the Establishment'!!! He goes through phases of a shirt and tie and then back to casual - it's smart/casual atm.

Steve- aw, mate, sorry - it's just one of my funny isms. Anyway, Cats look better beaten up.

Dedene - I'm so uncool it's not true. I used to be cool though - now I think I'm what is described as either eclectic or eccentric.

ASD - last year before my exam, let's just say that the house has never been so clean or tidy. I even redesigned the linen cupboard - purely to avoid the task of sitting down and revising. I've promised myself I will be having a proper revision routine this year

sydney - you and I are remarkably similar in that we have both completely changed our lifestyles and 'downsized'. (ie. stopped buying for fashion and began buying for practical comfort)

Jelica - RD's are the most comfortable footwear you could ever have. I can walk miles in them without a blister or sore.

Ann - like I said to Steve, cats do work best when they are well worn in. It's only smartish shoes that I like to be highly polished - likewise if a man has a smart shirt on I prefer to see cufflinks not buttons at the wrist - old stick-in-the-mud me. In fact when I used to interview for the accountancy practice - shoes and cuffs were the two things I noticed straight away before even one word had been spoken.

French Fancy... said...

Part two

Ann - I think Rocket Dogs were named after a dog that one of the two original designers had - his image is on the heel of every shoe they produce. The other day I tried a pair of my old stilettos on and I think my feet must have spread. They are small (size 36) but quite wide - but they seem to have got wider!!!. I couldn't walk around the bedroom in them - never mind outside. They are back in their box now and will probably never be looked at again.

Lulu - your wellies sound tremendous. Isn't it great to have footwear that one puts on, doesn't worry about mud or rain and know that your feet won't hurt after a while. I've got some wellingtonny type RD's like that.

Ladyfi - they are the most comfortable range of boots I've ever worn. I've never had a pair that hurt me.

Reasons - it's the Rocket shoes that are around now - but there are loads of pairs of boots on ebay - go on, get some - you'll just want to keep getting them

claire -that is a lovely generous offer - thank you so much. I might even take you up on it one day.

Maternal - this design was around about 4 years ago I think - I got them from ebay, but have tried on other sites. there are about 4 more designs I'm still trying to get hold of. go on - get another pair!

Frankie - yes, I've heard about these one-off charge cards - it could be a slippery slope for me so I'm not going to investigate it with our bank :)

LBR - poor you seeing Katie and Peter on GN's show. I bet he took the mickey out of them something rotten (some quaint English speech patterns there for you with what I've written)

Phil - it's funny you talking about his burial. I've skipped ahead to the end of MacCarthy's bio on him to find out that they dug up his grave back in the thirties. He'd been embalmed so was in pretty good condition - I might blog about it so I'll 'say no more'

lakeviewer - I'm not trendy at all, just dress for comfort these days m'dear. (but it's nice to be thought of as being stylish all the same)

skywind - strange and quirky - a bit like me really

nikki - I've just finished the first draft although, answering comments, makes me have to think just as much

Lane - the shower caps on the M&S slippers are long gone - and they still look just as good, proving I didn't really need them in the first place (although the snow might have left a tide mark if I'd not used them)

Ian Lidster said...

Some of the finest women I've known have had shoe fetishes. If I were a woman, I would as well. Those boots are wonderful.

Now, did I send you my new URL? You can find my new blog at http://mrwriteon.wordpress.com/ If you wouldn't mind adding me to your blogroll I would like it very much.

Cynthia Pittmann said...

I`m smiling now, Mrs. French Fancy! Your boots are eye popping...(Do I need "eyeware" and and ear plugs?)

Have fun! I`m sure this little fetish is much more fun than the heels you used to wear. Maybe the clients influenced you a bit? Take care, FF. and don`t forget about your paper. (What am I saying?)

Veggie Carrie said...

I love your rocket dogs - they are so colourful and cheerful :) You may be a little envious that I can buy rocket dogs five minutes from my house (although not so envious as I don't own any, and haven't even been into the shop selling them). After seeing your boots though, I think I'll go and take a look. I do have several pairs of another doggie shoe brand which I love - Hush Puppies.

Ann said...

It is the wearing of boots that have caused our feet to spread FF, my toes look like chipolata sausages , with green moss on the top ( nail polish ), probably from constantly wearing Uggs and Cat's, and walking about with nothing on my feet.
Still manage to cram them into the stiletto's when needed, I can assure you before the night is out, the shoes are off, lying under a table, or maybe it is me lying under a table,and the shoes on the chair.

Eleonora Baldwin said...

I. WANT. THOSE. BOOTS.

NOW.


:)

justme said...

Amazing! Have never seen these before. I am seriously strange about shoes, prefering to go barefoot or as close as I can get to it, usually thong type sandals, as often as possible. Including in wintor. Untill I got my UGG boots this year I was firmly convinced that my feet could NOT go inside boots at all (they are claustrophobic feet) but having managed to cope with UGG's, as long as feet inside bare, maybe I COULD try these cheerful items.

French Fancy... said...

Ian - you are now added, I don't know why you slipped out of my orbit. It's funny how these things happen - too busy buying boots to notice, maybe :)

Cynthia - when I first move into little summer pumps - in a few weeks probably - it always feels most peculiar not having my canvas and suede boots on. If I had another holiday in LA I'd have to go with an empty case just to go on a Rocket buying spree

Oh Carrie - envy is a bad thing but I do feel envious of your shop. I don't like their shoes much because the smallest size is too big for my feet and they always fall off, but with the boots there is no such problem.

Ann- I wish you were nearby, but then we'd never get anything done because we would be talking all day. You must be my lost at birth sister (my kiddie fantasy when I used to want a bro or a sis)

Lola - there are a few pairs on ebay - they are called Jailer rockets but come in a few colourways - be sure they have the mock badges on or you could end up with some in black and white check (which are also good)

Justme - they work with bare feet inside them, although I do prefer socks. It is almost as comfortable a walk around as with bare feet - these Rockets are comfort personified

Ann said...

I know FF, I wish I lived nearby as well, and you are correct, nothing would ever get done, apart from talking.

Elizabeth said...

You are writing about boots because blogging steals time from all the stuff we 'should' be doing.......
I am utterly guilty of this too....
Boots are fun etc etc.

Anonymous said...

Those boots look so fun! I used to love my UGGs but I got bored of those...
http://fab.typepad.com/brunette

Veggie Carrie said...

Oh sorry I didn't think about that, envy is one of the seven deadly sins. You probably have enough Rocket Dogs for your very own Rocket Dog shop, so have no need to be envious of the shop near me.

Rob-bear said...

Well, I must say that there is nothing particularly subtle about your Rocket Dogs. I can think of other words, but I'm too kind to use them.

As for me, I'm like lakeviewer -- functional and cheap are the key words.

Oceanpages said...

To find some more
Footwear here

French Fancy... said...

Ann - x

Elizabeth - yes but I am guilt free now - 3rd draft is done and dusted

Margarita - hia, thanks for popping by - will come to see you soon

Carrie - oh but I am envious of your shop. Have they got boots by Sugar as well?(my runner up boots)

rob - oh, life is too short to just be in drab things - go on, get yourself some :)

Oceanpages - hmm, no comment

Pam said...

I'm always vaguely alarmed when people say things like that about shoes. I hardly ever notice shoes at all and mine are not at all interesting. Faces I do notice. Ears. Teeth. Noses. I never get as far down as shoes.

bindu said...

The only footwear I spend good money on are running shoes and hiking boots. I'm glad you can't see the rest of my shoes! ;)

Ann said...

I am so in love, went into town yesterday, passed a beautiful shop, looked in the window, some of the stuff is matronly, some magnificent, something caught my eye, I looked, I drooled, I knelt down, pressing my nose and hands against the window, I nearly cried with joy, there waiting for me were a pair of Timberland boots, dark green suede, with sheepskin lining, I hurried inside, just in case anybody else decided they wanted them, tried them on, like a glove, bought them, and carried home my beautiful prize, oh such joy, if only I could put a picture up.

French Fancy... said...

Isabelle - we can't all go for the same thing I guess :) I've never noticed anyone's ears really - well, apart from Prince Charles's

bindu - hiking boots always look so uncomfortable and unyielding. I like a bendy sort of boot.

ann - right, it is time, I mean it. You've got to get a blog sorted and upload these green boots - I adore coloured boots. Go on - I want to see them.

Kathy said...

Hello there, your rockets are lovely, I am afraid I havent taken off my ugg slippers Vanni got me for xmas, god they are so comfy, I don't think I could even walk in my high heels now.
Sorry to worry you re my absence from blog-land but I am going to blame the back to back visitors, the gardening, the renovations/decorating, the computer bug (I went to update my playlist one day and suddenly a trojan attacked my computer, I turned it off and waited a few days until Vanni sorted it out) oh and the menopause (it's given me complete and total blog-block). Apart from this I am perfectly fine haha. I will get my act together soon though, I am really touched by your concern and miss you too. I like your choices for the last OU question and know you will do well, I dont seem to be able to juggle anything so am in awe of your many talents, big hugs, Kathy.