Back in Pinas, I recall reading this prize-winning essay. The read was from an anthology of past winners. The article was titled ‘The Shoes We Wear’. In said piece, the young author discusses one Japanese hero who wore two shoes, one of them being a decorated soldier. In this sense, shoes imply one’s role.

I own many pairs of shoes. Nowhere near Imelda Marcos’s collection. The former First Lady reportedly owned five hundred pairs of kicks. I only have a fraction of her haul. Regardless, my ‘curation’ is a lot. Due to its growing number, I have even been accused of collecting pairs. Before, this wasn’t the case. The black Hush Puppies that I wore for my uni graduation is my oldest pair. I rarely use the slip-on, which is in size 9.

My Store

Through the years, I’ve purchased many more shoes from Myer. In 2016, I bought a brown Merrell pair that’s excellent for walking. It should’ve been $111 but I paid only $51 due to gift cards. This was probably the first shoe that I bought online. There was no stock in my size across the state. In 2017, I bought a G-Star raw pair for $2 after savings and discounts. In 2019, I grabbed brown Wild Rhino sneakers for $118. It is made in Portugal. I got a size 9 or Euro 43 and probably should’ve gone up a size. I never tried size 44 in store. The Rhino has a padded heel and contrast laces. Since then, I’ve tended to buy more kicks online.

In 2020, I nabbed a Tommy Hilfiger leather pair for $99. The shoe was uncomfortable. I ended up giving it away. That same year, I bought some blue leather Lacoste chukkas for $105, a saving of thirty percent. They seem okay but are not the best fit. I ordered it via click and collect, meaning that I didn’t try them in store.

Last year, there were two shoes from Myer. The first was the Hush Puppies nubuck Dusty shoe. The blue sneaker resembles a boat shoe and has a durable rubber shoe. However, being nubuck, you couldn’t wear it in the rain. I bought size 44 and 45. When I tried them on, I picked the latter. Little did I know that it had a massive insole. This gives a wrong impression. Later, I realised that the pair was too big. Some people have said as much. This marked only my third shoe miscue since 2017. The G-Star pair, at size 43, was too small. The Tommy kicks were giving me blisters.

The second pair was another nubuck one: Rodd and Gunn Sussex Street sneakers. The latter came in a grey colour way, with a chunky off white sole. I liked how the sole wasn’t white. Last year, I also purchased black Lacoste Europa Pro sneakers from The Iconic. This marked my first ever buy at the online super store. At size 10, it is a nice fit. The material is leather, and there’s Lacoste branding at the sides and heel. As you could see, I have two pairs by Lacoste, Hush Puppies, and Merrell.

Hype DC

Aside from Myer, I’ve bought a bit of kicks from Hype DC. I was looking for this Onitsuka pair and they only had stock at Macarthur. This was at the fringes of Sydney. From $160, the shoe went down to $99. I liked the grey and pine green colour way. The outer material is a leather and suede combo. Thus, it’s primarily a spring/summer shoe.

This Converse Chuck All Stars was my second shoe from them. I got size 11 and 12 delivered. The light brown canvas kicks were down to $40 each. The former was the better fit, though I’d learn that, like the Dusty nubuck, it had a massive insole. Online, I found out that Converse shoes ran large. Reviewers had advised consumers to go a size down with this brand.

An Adidas Gazelle pair was my last nab off this store. As before, I bought two sizes to be extra sure. The famous three stripes came in a bright yellow colour on the quarters. The padded heel was white. The rest of the shoe was black. The Gazelle’s material was mainly suede. The sole came in a white hue. The fit of the 10.5 was cool. It even came with extra laces, like the Rodd and Gunn. Shame it wasn’t Portuguese leather like the Rhino. The shoe was down to $89.99, from $160.

DJ

Around this time, I bought my first pair from David Jones. This was Le Coq Sportif navy and white canvas trainers. Clearly, it’s a summer pair. They are lightweight and comfy. They even feature the white logo on the quarter. The white laces complete the trendy look. I made a mistake of thinking that 44 was the right size. I ended up ordering again as 44 was not my size. The reviewers were right: this brand requires a size down.

‘Final Destination’

Pro tip: if you’re going to order shoes online, ALWAYS get two sizes as you cannot be sure of a brand’s fit. They tend to vary, sometimes even with different shoe lines. If you could try it on in store, then even better. This is the exception to the aforementioned rule. Trying them in store, you only need one size. If you’re waiting for a price drop and happen to drop by a physical location, then do try them on. It would save you the hassle and expenses.

Do your research. Which brands run large? Which labels are true to size? Which kicks run small? As per above, there could be some disparity even with the same brand. Majority rules. If most reviewers lean towards the former, then you’d be wise to follow, and so on.

Based on my purchase history, swooping in at the right moment is crucial. No one wants to pay too much. Buying shoes at RRP is silly. Wait for the Easter, Black Friday, and Christmas sales. Everyone loves a bargain. Finally, ALWAYS ensure to check for a removable insole. In my case, I’ve learned this the hard way. This could be the difference between making a great buy and a dud.

To be honest, I probably don’t need all of these shoes. There are people who get by with a single pair. They use this day in and out. They’ll only replace it if its time has passed. So we must ask ourselves: what do we really need? Is one set enough? Two? Or sixty-nine? With COVID, people had a huge wake-up call. When the world was locked down, our priorities became black and white. Now that the cosmos is back in business, we must be savvy shoppers.

As my former Honours tutor asked, ‘How long is a ball of string?’