THE PROPER SHOE IS DEAD

Once upon a time your footwear was an indicator of social status. Today even the rich wear flip-flops

- BY Richard Glover

YOU CAN JUDGE a man by his shoes,” my father would say. You needed a good pair, properly maintained, with regular polishing of both the uppers and the side of the heels. He taught me how to spit on the rag towards the end of the process to make the leather especially shiny.

My mother, meanwhile, experienced the screaming abdabs whenever she spotted someone sporting a pair of flip-flops. It was as if they were renouncing all claims to civilisation.

It wasn’t by chance that, at the time, posh people were often described as ‘well-heeled’. A proper pair of shoes, well maintained, was considered a prime indicator of social status.

This may be why the fitting of shoes was such a big deal when we were children. You'd be dragged into the shop by your mother, only to have your foot placed in what looked like a woodworker's vice. Various guardrails would press upon your foot from all sides, and a highly accurate size would be calculated. At this point, both parent and shop assistant would select a shoe vastly larger “so he can grow into it.”