vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #146 / Social life / Reading article...

Square toes, broad heels, high platform soles - this is what we find in our shops and markets when looking for shoes.

Despite some people's more conservative taste, this particular type of shoe may be useful in Vladivostok.

If this summer is like past years, then in August we will have floods, and the thicker the soles of your shoes, the drier your feet will be. You will feel comfortable in your two little cross-country platforms when the roads turn into rivers.

Roads and sidewalks are disastrous even without floods. Obviously, Mayor Victor Cherepkov does not care for things that move around on the surface of the city (car or pedestrian). We are used to scattered rocks and pieces of asphalt. But sometimes the garbage collectors go on strike, and this is when the heavy shoes with square toes will come in handy. The shoes are good to carry you through the rocks and banana peels and heaps of garbage along the road. If you suddenly bump into a rat, you will have a powerful weapon to defend yourself against the creature.

The shoes are handy for hammering nails into concrete walls, and if you have a fire in the house, you can use a shoe to quickly shatter a window - or even break down the door - and escape. If a bull terrier chomps on your leg, how better to loosen his grip than by bonking him on the skull with a brick-like shoe?

Women wearing those shoes may relax and feel safe going home late at night. They can even wear jewelry. No maniac will survive if you apply your thick sole to the proper spot on his person.

In England or France, this fashion might be indeed something cool, just for the sake of style. Here, in our severe situation, it is a solution to many troubles. So, we have to thank the Italian (or whatever) designers for understanding our needs.

There's just one problem. Although the footwear is extremely useful, I hesitate to wear it. I don't want my feet to look like horses' hooves.