One of the things I am most looking forward to about going freelance is wearing Crocs every day if I feel like it.
I’ve never been fond of trainers, and before the arrival of Crocs, I alternated between boots and sandals, according to the time of year. But Crocs (and the numerous cheap imitations) could have been invented especially for me: liberating, comfortable, practical in all weathers, not requiring socks, and available in every colour, from camouflage to brash.
It’s not just the feel or the look of them that I like. There’s also something very levelling about them that appeals to my left-wing leanings. Go into a hospital and you will find them on the feet of all kinds of people, from the lowliest porter to a top surgeon, all of them hooked on their comfort.
You can also use Crocs to express a certain rebelliousness against conformity and expectation. A school lab technican I know chooses to offset his crisp white coat and top pocketful of pens with a wildly mismatched pair: one orange, one lime green (and yes, before you ask, he does have another pair at home just like them). From the ankles up he’s sensible; lower down, he’s mad as a box of frogs that have just been disected by Year 9.
Crocs are an antidote to snobbery and a welcome escape from the tyranny of the business suit and sensible shoes. They put two fingers up (or should that be toes?) to the pain and challenge of balancing on spiky fashion stilettos. I bet Germaine Greer likes Crocs. If footbinding is at one extreme of podiatral fashion, Crocs are at the other. With my size 8s having rather missed the small-is-beautiful boat of fashion, it’s no wonder that I’m hooked on Crocs. My only footwear decision each morning from now on will be which of my many pairs of Crocs to choose – scarlet, lime, navy, black, orange… Or, like my lab technician friend, perhaps I’ll just ring the changes. They say that doing something different every day fuels creative thinking. Even if it does frighten the horses in the streets.
Footnote: this blog has not been sponsored by Crocs. Other holey plastic shoes are available. No feet were harmed in the writing of this blog.
