Sneaking Around

Trotted down the road into town this week to finally check out the results of the Mango-Victoria sneaker collaboration, which had me interested from the point of view that I desperately need a pair of ’sensible’ flat shoes to get around in over the coming summer months, strolling the ten blocks down to the beach or walking about the barrio when I’m just going to the supermarket and not actually going out anywhere.

Now when I say flat I am not talking leather or rubber thongs, ballet flats, or sandals, but those other more elusive creatures, the stylish, casual, tennis-y kind of sports shoe.

Now in the back of my mind I have been looking for just the right kind of sneaker shoe for a few years now. When Lacoste came back into vogue I was momentarily excited as I was sure they would have something that would pass muster and be stylish enough to be a ’sports’ shoe without being clunky or chunky or all aerodynamic and filled with blue gel.

And so they did, but I couldn’t justify the price when I considered the frequency with which I would be wearing them in downtown Sydney. Once a week if I was lucky, or maybe once a month? As I always, always get waylaid by far more enticing looking footwear I really have nothing that passes for what I fear I still rather traditionally refer to as a ’sneaker’. But the truth is that the modern variety just doesn’t suit me and when all is said and done I can really only see myself in a pair of Bensimon-style lace-ups in an alluring shade of charcoal grey.

Alas I can’t find them in Barcelona without buying them online and being crucified both by the postage and the exchange rate, and so I am on a mission. So far the closest I think I have are some rather groovy looking marle grey numbers in a store down in Raval that are thankfully the right price, but despite this I have still stopped myself so far from even trying them on.

And what about the Mango-Victoria ones? They are pretty cute – in white, coral or a sort of mid to royal blue colour, no laces, just eyeholes and stretchy rubber where the laces would normally hold everything together. They felt comfy and quite suited to my light activity purposes (as regular readers will know, although I do walk an awful lot I prefer to do my real exercise by pounding on a wooden floor in my flamenco shoes).

photo courtesy of news.mango.com

The toes are a little on the neon white side, but that naturally will go a nice shade of city smog grey after a few wears. No, it wasn’t that, it was just that they were so…well…flat. Not exactly flattering. And I guess this is what always stops me and sends me off on a quick whip-around to see what else might be on offer.

Since landing in Spain I have been on the lookout for some really snazzy sneakers – they do flat and casual so well here after all – but in the end there are just so many other shoes that I would rather be wearing.

So far distractions have included – although it must be said that most of them do at least take inspiration from the humble sneaker and then cast a whole new fabulous and modern slant on them;

• Forinara rubber-wedged metallic silver or gold lace ups
• Tommy Hilfiger red white and blue stacked heel lace up sneakers
• Any number of brightly coloured espadrilles of varying heights and styles – ever since seeing a photograph of Salvador Dali reclining on a deckchair by the Med in a pair of flat black boating espadrilles I have come to see them in a whole new light
• Zara python-printed t-bar cork wedges. 

Needless to say the python prints came home with me for a party this weekend. The sneakers will have to wait until next week – or at least until I get to Paris and can buy some Bensimons in situ.

Happy Sneaking!

rubi