A decent pair of shoes is an essential part of any man's wardrobe. At the very least, shoes are utilitarian. To be considered adequate, they should be somewhat protective, keeping the feet warm and dry and safe from such nasties as broken glass, dirty needles and rusty nails. For most men that can be enough. For the rest of us, though, such fundamental features are merely the foundation on which a truly great shoe is built.
A truly great shoe accomplishes the basics but does so in a way that has a positive and lasting effect on he who wears it. For some, this means a pair of Jordans, for others, a burly pair of boots. For others still, in a most cult-like fashion, this means a pair of Fluevogs.
"What's a Fluevog?" you ask. Fluevogs are shoes made by the great John Fluevog. John Fluevog is a man from Vancouver, British Columbia. His shoes are available from his stores in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and at 1697 Haight Street (@ Cole) in San Francisco.
1697 Haight Street is where I was recently to see if my pal Denny would mind me mentioning him in this column. I'm not sure if he ever answered me because of the numerous distractions his little shoe store provides. However, I do know there was a sale going on and I am not one to pass up a bargain. After some serious rumination I decided to go with the Fluvogian maxim of "There are 2 types of people in the world: those who shy away from attention, and those who wear Fluevogs," and opted for a pair of Provog Gibsons (pictured) and I've been smiling ever since.
The colors are eye-catching and elicit a lot of commentary (almost always positive), the leather and stitching seems to be of the highest quality, but above all else, these have been VERY comfortable right out of the box. Would I be as pleased with these shoes had I paid full price? Yes. Would I wear them every day had I paid full price? Probably not, at least at first, but I do think the super-comfy-ness of them would have lured me in to daily use sooner than later.
The Fluevog store @ 1697 Haight Street is open Monday through Saturday 11-7 and Sunday 12-6. You can call them @ 415-436-9784. Tell 'em Fish sent you ;-)
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