Sneak Peek

I was meandering through the cobblestoned beauty that is southern USA when I was hit by an unwanted predicament, that of the hole in the shoe. Since I was travelling for two weeks with only one suitcase, I'd only brought one pair of ballet flats and a pair of heeled boots, not ideal for traversing the uneven grounds of idyllic downtown America. I thought I'd rough it out and continue wearing the flats, and just resort to scrubbing the dime-shaped dirt at the bottom of my foot every night. Who would notice?

Um, anyone behind me at the airport security line. While flying domestic into Newark, NJ, I was forced to remove my shoes and place them in plain view into a little bin, as I lined up among peers in the exceedingly slow security lane. Oh, excruciating embarrassment (okay so nobody else noticed, I don't think, but how could I live up to the name of ShoeGeek?). When I arrived in the northeast, I vowed to replace my ballet flats with a less holey variety. But with only two days in town and lots of family to see, how was I to find a pair of cheap, disposable flat shoes?

And so, your intrepid ShoeGeek did something completely out of the ordinary. I bought a pair of sneakers. My first pair of sneakers in... five years? (It says something that in 10 years I have not worn out a single pair of sneakers. It says "this girl doesn't go to the gym much, huh?")

Anyhoo, who woulda thought that I would find my salvation in a shop called Urban Outfitters? I haven't shopped there since I was a teen, not only because my unhip college town offered nothing better than a Bob's Store to get our fashion fix, but also because they don't have UO in Hong Kong. I was this close to picking up a pair of ked-like sneaks in magenta, but then at 1/5 of the price, I could get them from the sale bin in neon yellow/green instead. I thought they would be a spot fix only, at US$5.00 only, but now I'm thinking kicky short skirts and colourful tees would work great with them for the remainder of this warm weather we're experiencing.

Oh, and for those who are keeping track, they also made me feel infinitely more proud to walk the security line multiple times on my way to Hong Kong. These things are important, especially when you've taken eight different flights in the past 14 days, like I have.

Anyway, get the Urban selection here, and sorry for the crappy photo.