One Foot, Two Foot, Red Foot, Blue Foot

One of the first things I noticed in New Zealand was that children were walking home in their school uniforms with bare feet. I thought, "Oh how sad, their uniform must have cost so much that their parents can't afford shoes." I swear to God, that's what I thought.

Then I noticed that adults were walking around bare footed too. They pumped gas without shoes then hopped in their car and drove off in their bare feet. They walked around in the grocery store bare foot. They walked down the street - yep you got it - with bare feet! I scowled and thought, "That is so hazardous! What if they step on glass?" or, "How unhygienic! I hope they wash their feet when they get home!" They probably don't and they probably don't care. It's a Kiwi thing.

Naturally, I went through the five stages of barefoot etiquette:

1. Disbelief
2. Disgust
3. Curiosity
4. Envy
5. Acceptance

Shoes are a hot topic around here. Kiwis don't think much of shoes in general. To a Kiwi, shoes are simply worn only if absolutely necessary, but gumboots are probably a better investment. Children love being bare footed and they don't seem to feel the cold. I still cringe when I see a child walking barefoot down the street in the middle of winter, but I admire their brawn. I know what most of you are thinking... because I thought it too... but the longer you live in New Zealand, the more likely you are to appreciate this superfluous attitude toward shoes.

Jandals are really the shoe of choice, and they are worn year round. New Zealand even has a National Jandal Day! Don't know what Jandals are? They are also known as flip flops or thongs in other countries... but in New Zealand they are unmistakably Jandals and they come in varying degrees of fanciness. You have the basic Havaianas type which are good for day wear and then there are "fancy" jandals which you can wear out in the evening. I love this concept but I really do enjoy wearing heels and I've missed them.


This was evident after purchasing 5 pairs of stilettos on my recent trip to the UK. It took my feet a while to adapt to being crammed practically upright like they were in ballerina point shoes all over again (my poor feet thought those days were long gone) but I persisted and endured the blisters and foot cramps that are just part of the vanity of wearing sexy shoes. There was a time I could run comfortably to catch a train in high heels and I'm determined to feel comfortable enough to wear them for more than 5 hours without needing to extract my feet from these torture vessels like they have been binded by Chinese people. I'm getting there but I need more practice, which means wearing the stilettos more often than just a few times a year. I need to make sure I wear them weekly at the very least.

So as much as I occasionally "envy" the comfort of fancy jandals, I refuse to succumb to them when I want a night out on the town - unless of course it's physically impossible to wear stilettos - ie. huge blister or God forbid a BUNION! (hmmmm, I wonder what would cause that?).

I've wanted a pair of red stilettos for a long long time. That was my mission - to find a pair of fabulous red stilettos in London. I believe that shoes are like soulmates; you have an idea of what you're looking for then you let them find you, and that's what happened! I found my beautiful soulmates in Camden Market and they were on sale! Double bonus.

I have no idea where I'll get a chance to wear them in New Zealand but I don't think these babies need a reason or an affair because they alone are the event. I'm going to go against the norm and be a total shoe rebel! I'm not convinced Kiwis will truly appreciate the exquisiteness of these shoes and they'll probably balk at the practicality or the "flashiness" of them, but I'm confident they will turn heads and I might even get some elucidation from women and possibly even shoe aficionado males (who have likely lived overseas or are gay) expressing an appreciation for my choice of footwear. Either that or some arsehole will think I'm a working girl and proposition me. Lucky for me, stilettos can be used as a weapon.

But the next day I'll be sure to go bare feet in true Kiwi fashion. I do love being bare foot, especially when I can get away with it in the middle of winter... and it's not because I can't afford shoes! But I'm not a bare footed fan to appease, rather, because I fancy foot freedom and expression.