My pair of Doctor Marten's Boots has worn out. Now, get it straight - I'm not some kind of trendy neo-arriviste! Someone who jumps on the boots-wagon just because other people are, or more accurately, do. Or even more accurately, used to. That's not me. That's not why I wear 'em. I wear these boots because I was - or rather, they were - given to me, by my dear sister, for Christmas, more than ten years ago.
Not this same exact pair of boots, of course! Their honorable predecessors. They just wore so well and felt so comfy that I kept on replacing them with new Docs. Every 12 to 18 months. That's pretty durable, considering I wear the same pair of shoes just about every single day. I only have two other pair - my colorful chucks and my snazzy dressers.
Anyway, this pair has worn out VERY EARLY. I could see when I bought the boots, the tread was totally different - instead of the bold chunky diamonds/squares tread pattern, it was a more intricate, narrow-parallel-lines design. I had my reservations right then, but I said: "It's Doctor Marten's!"
Well, sorry. Apparently it's not. I guess they sold the company. Really I have no idea, and I don't care. My old Docs NEVER wore holes in the sole! I turned 'em in for new ones when they looked totally crappy and the tread was worn smooth. But THESE so-called Docs wore through the tread - there are holes, breaks in the rubber sole! I can't wear them in the rain, my sock gets soaked! And this sole deterioration kicked in way early - before the leather really even needed a good polish (by my admittedly lax standards). I mean, I'm sure they lasted at least 8 months, day in day out. But that's a huge fall off in quality - and it sucks!
Now I don't know what my next pair of shoes is going to be.
I sure hope it doesn't rain.
6 comments:
Specifically, I was alluding to Alexei Sayle's musical number "Doctor Marten's Boots" from The Young Ones, in which he pokes subtle fun at the ubiquity of the footgear amongst noncomformists.
More generally, I dispute that there can be anything wrong with giving the good Doctor his due enunciation, albeit, still anglicized (from Dr. Klaus Maertens!).
Subtle fun is the best kind.
I'm not big on perfunctory pleasantries in praise of the self-evidently excellent. If something jumps unbidden to my tongue I'll never suppress it, but never would I make an effort to come up with something if nothing jumps unbidden.
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