Another early childhood shoe favorite of my parents was penny loafers. I still remember getting my first pair of penny loafers. Loafers have become one of my all time favorites, not really penny loafers, but the fun little suede loafers, or those really cute loafers with different animal prints on the top of the front of the shoe. I have always felt safe when I wear loafers…. it is much harder to trip or fall “off” loafers.
Over the years I have found shoe shopping a little easier when I am focused on loafers. I am not sure if it’s the success I had on my first loafer shopping trip, or if it’s the fact over the years they began to make wider shoes. I am going with my success on that special day with my dad.
Many years ago my dad took me on a “special” shoe shopping trip. It would be one of the best yearly journeys to Hofhimer’s to shop for new fall shoes. This particular year I was very excited and a little nervous. I was graduating from my saddle shoes but what would be next? What kind of new shoe would they have to fit my large wide foot?
I was a teenager who wore a size 9 D-E shoe. All my friends wore 6 and 7 size shoes. All kinds of thoughts were going through my head…Maybe my feet had stopped growing, or maybe I could just squeeze my feet into the shoe and suffer through, after all I was tough! On the outside I was optimistic, on the inside I was a wreck. I didn’t know if this trip would be any different from all the others. Well this trip was VERY different, we had a huge success; at least for many years I thought we had a very successful shopping experience.
When we arrived in the store we walked in, I walked over to the very stylish Etienne Aigner loafers. They were so pretty, the leather was soft, and it had the cutest little A on the loafer. The salesmen approached, I held up the perfect little size 5 Aigner loafers and proudly told him I wanted this one. He glanced at my dad, smiled and said ok, let’s see what size. I sat down he pulled out that big silver thing that measures your foot. I placed my foot in the tray and held my breath. As you can guess, my foot had not shrunk, actually it had grown a little, I was now a 9 ½ E. I could feel my entire body slump with disappointment. The salesmen quickly said, “Well we don’t have the Aigner loafer that will fit, BUT I have a new shoe, which runs a little large, let me go get them, they are Italian leather.”
Within a few minutes he returned with a pair of brown leather size 7 ½ penny loafers. While I thought this was a little odd, I didn’t say anything, after all if they were Italian they must be European sized. I slipped my foot into the shoe. It was like magic, the shoe fit. Yes it was a little Cinderella moment, it wasn’t a glass slipper, but it was new penny loafers and they were a size 7 ½. I was so excited, the shoes fit, they did not have a little A, but they fit, so I could live with them, after all they were a size 7 ½ and they were Italian! I had special European shoes, who really needed an A on their shoes when they had stylish Italian shoes.
My dad and I left the shoe store; I was smiling and couldn’t wait to wear my new shoes to school. After all we all know how smart you look when you are wearing a pair of loafers with a pair of slacks, crisp white shirt and a blazer. This year was going to be awesome.
This may have been another one of those moments that shaped what I would become. I had a “grown up” pair of loafers, I could hold my head high and best of all I would discover you have a much harder time falling off a pair of loafers. For some reason these shoes boosted my confidence, could it be because they were a size 7 ½ or was it I was less likely to fall? Loafers began to define my since of style, they were classic, and I could always count on a pair of loafers.
Like many things in life, things are not always what they seem. You see many years later, 35 years later to be exact I learned the truth, my first pair of loafers were not what I thought they were. They were not “new” Italian loafers that ran big or were European sizes, they were nothing more than a pair of men’s loafers. Yes that’s right men’s loafers. You see my dad wanted to make sure I had some great shoes. He knew how hard it was going to be to find me shoes that would fit, so earlier he went to the shoe store without me, spoke to the shoe clerk to see what the options would be, he and the clerk came up with the idea that men’s shoes would fit. The challenge would be how to keep me from knowing they were men’s shoes. So the “special” Italian shoe idea was born. Guess I have to also point out my dad was a siding salesmen, a tin man, he could sell anything to anybody and we all know about shoe salesmen.
As a side story, I have to also share another dad “selling” story. Many years later I remember my dad showing me this beautiful diamond ring, he told me this story about how he was given the ring in a business trade and didn’t know what he would do with the ring. I loved the ring so much. I begged him for the ring. So like every dad does when his daughter begs, he gave me the ring. I wore the ring so proudly. A few weeks later, as my finger began to turn green, I mentioned it. At first my dad went into this long story about being allergic to the “special” gold the ring was made from. As I looked at him, it occurred to me something was not right, I kept asking questions. Finally he admitted the ring was a $2.00 piece of costume jewelry. I was crushed, my special diamond ring was just a piece of junk that dad had fooled me with, how would I explain this to my friends. Yes I had shown off this ring like it was a priceless piece of jewelry.
Lessons Learned: I guess I have finally learned….watch out for dad! Things may not be as they seem (much later in life this would be even clearer, a story for another day). He will sneak little surprises in when you are not expecting them! Sometimes this is ok…others are a little cruel. As I reflect back on the bigger picture, did it really matter my loafers were actually men’s shoes, probably not. Now the ring was a different story. That was mean. I did learn never to show off anything new. You can and will make a complete fool of yourself!
