Mango trench
H&M sweater
Mango jeans
New Balance sneakers
Chanel handbag
Celine sunglasses
Linjer ring (c/o) (similar)
Location: Piazza della Signoria – Florence, Italy
Let’s just get real for a minute: most shoes are not meant for walking. Especially on cobblestones. And although at this stage of my life I will, occasionally, consider taking a taxi instead of walking long distance, even though walking will always be free and cabs definitely are not, my feet remain my default method of transportation. I walk everywhere. And I especially walk everywhere when we’re on vacation, because I want to see everything, always, no matter how many steps it takes to do it. Paris spoils me with the metro, but most cities don’t offer that luxury. So I walk.
And to walk, I can’t wear most of the beautiful shoes in my collection that I love so deeply. I’m admittedly pretty precious with them – the first scuff always breaks my heart. And I know they’re more decorative than anything. Coco Chanel didn’t design shoes to get you from place to place, she designed shoes to you noticed. I respect and admire that, but in my modern, car-free life, it isn’t practical. So if you run into my on the street, whether I’m in Italy, in France or in Canada, chances are that you’ll see me in sneakers. I make exceptions for special events (and gladly suffer the consequences.) But for a rainy day walking spent walking around Florence, it wasn’t even a question. I laced up my New Balance runners and headed out the door without a second thought.
It’s more fun to share photos of outfits featuring beautiful shoes. My sneakers walk with me everywhere, but they’re designed with function, not fashion, in mind, which means that how cute they look is usually inversely proportionate to how comfortable they feel. This pair, which is on the more stylish side, isn’t my most comfortable, but I chose them as a kind of happy medium for our Italian holiday and they served me well. They’re still sitting next to my front door now, although here at home, I wear my Nikes (which are much less stylish, but a lot more comfortable, especially on uneven ground) more often. I could go on pretending like I never wear either, and only share photos with lovelier shoes. But we’ve been together a long time now, and I doubt anyone would really believe me.
We all need a good pair of walking shoes. Personally, I like to have several – options are important. These are the ones I’ve wore on our recent holiday, and they got me everywhere I needed to go, so in that respect, no matter what they look like, they’re perfect.
