I headed up on the Friday afternoon in a pair of New Balance 996. An apt choice considering I’d be walking down memory lane in both senses of the term. There is likely a street called “Memory Lane” in Manchester. That said, I did not see it.
NB 996s laced up, a shoe considered the connoisseurs’ choice within the community, I made my way up to the red brick city. It was a while until I came across my first pair of abandoned shoes.
After celebrating my mate’s 30th birthday, Sunday was somewhat of a struggle. Breaking out of the hangover slump, I trekked over to Victoria Baths where the kilo sale was. On the route I came across these youth-sized Nikes. Whether they were actually discarded or not I am unsure. Sat suspiciously close to a set of bins, it was also safe to assume the owner was ready to part ways.
I eventually made it to the kilo sale fair. Disappointing. No stripey jumpers. At least no really cool ones. It was, however nice to be back within the old bathing halls. I soon left and an hour later scoured the bookshelves of a charity shop. Picking out a book dedicated to fixed pedal riders, I spotted a wonderful ode to a pair of beaten up ASICS. Its outsole had been smeared through months of functioning as an impromptu break. Look at the trainers of fixed gear enthusiasts and they will likely tell the same story.
Picking up a case study guide to the Bend It Like Beckham movie, I hoped to find more behind-the-scenes photos of the film. Predators, adidas Superstars – often highlighted by IG mood board accounts, the book could deliver on never-before-seen images. Alas, the book left much to be desired. Snapping up a photo of a young Kira Knightly sporting Predator boots was the best the book had to offer, leaving it tucked between a collection of old ‘80s Rock magazines once more.
Walking around the centre, I had spotted a seriously quirky set of door handles to a hotel. Silver Boots for door handles could just be the first addition to my future house. I am relatively certain my future wife would approve, let alone allow such a feature on our front door. I’ll have to settle on them being used for the lounge, or failing that a cupboard full of shoes. I think the idea sounds a lot better as just that, an idea.
I think the main concern would be finding a wife first. Maybe I’ll endorse the silver boots as a fallback plan. A symbol of self-defeat. A sign that I have signed up to the idea of life as a single man for the remainder or my days on earth. They were kind of hideous in hindsight. But cool too! Hideously cool? Anyway enough about myself…
Picking up a copy of the Nike x Phaidon Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good in Unitom was how I found out that a fellow stockroom alumni was a published photographer. Featuring in one of his books that detailed a number of Japanese of women captured via polaroid. Among the scantily clad ladies I spotted an interesting photo of a pair of OG Neon 95s. As an actual icon of footwear design, the 110 has been shot countless times. Yet this was the first time I had spotted the shoe paired with a pink vibrator. I suppose it goes back to the old saying – if it can exist, it probably does.
On the walk back from town, it suddenly hit me how much rubbish was dotted about the streets of south Manchester. I’m unsure if I had become conditioned to it during my time living in the city, but during this visit I could not help but notice it everywhere. This did work to my advantage, providing me with two more pairs of abandoned shoes to bring up a total of three during my long Sunday walk.
Making my way to the area of Ancoats I noticed a pair of black and white Adilette’s hiding in a bramble bush. How or why they were there is anyone’s guess. Being a fan of the Atlanta-based legend Future, my mind instantly drifted back to a classic post in The Basement post where a girl burnt her boyfriend’s Gucci Flip Flops.
Granted this version isn’t as cool, but throwing away your ex-lover’s Adilettes is a power move. Think of the amount of time he spent in them in his flat aka his safe space, to then brutally designate them to a life in a lonely Ancoats bramble bush. God giveth and God taketh away. Revenge is a dish best served cold as they say. Oh, he cheated on her in this hypothetical example if that wasn’t already clear.
As I was trying to get a clear photo, a wonderful example of the hip Ancoats couple walked past. Hearing one of them chuckle at what was likely me photographing a littered bush, I couldn’t help but wish them a similar fate. I hope he doesn’t get too comfortable with his flip flops. I am acutely aware that I was playing out another cliché of the Ancoats creative don’t worry. Although I question how many of those said creatives have stopped to admire this bush (pause).
Further on, I identified some black boots strewn away by a set of typically red brick flats. Being on the other side of a black metal fence and just having walked past two questionable characters, I did not dedicate much effort trying to pap them. Conscious that I was giving off ‘fed behaviour’ by photographing a possible trap house or worse, a murder site, I swiftly moved on.
The following day I headed away from the city centre and into the suburbs of Didsbury. Spending a large portion of time in The Art Of Tea book shop, I came away with a great set of images.
Mostly from a Women’s Bodybuilding book from the ‘70s, the pages full of images of Laura Combes training. Now while her physique was a testament to her relentless work at the church of iron, that was not the focal point of my interest. Laced up on her feet was what looked like a New Balance 730, a shoe I had recently purchased myself.
Worn by Andy Warhol, it is a testament to the NB 730s utilitarian design, favoured by the athlete and artist. One thing about ‘tennis shoes’ during that era was that wearing them outside the realm of sport was a new concept. Seldom had they been comfortable or cool enough, since the ‘60s saw the introduction of the Chuck and finally a move away from the minimal design of the Plimsole. Seeing real use cases such as on the feet of Bodybuilding icon Laura Combes is exactly what I live for. It is another reason why accounts such as @Trainerspotting has blown up over the years. Granted, the account often focuses on celebrities, but people still love seeing the shoes worn in real-life contexts. In the ’60s and ‘70s people bought these new models because they thought one thing, ‘those look cool’.
There are only two photos which feature Combes wearing another shoe in this bodybuilding guide, the Nike Wimbledons or Court edition (Blazer perhaps). A fat retro Swoosh across the sidewall, a toe tip and bar laces scream out the ‘70s. Not to mention the shot of her getting in some behind-the-head lat pulldowns, just more proof that her upper back would have been uncontestably shredded under the lights.
That sporting or bodily health section provided ample insights into the world of women’s fitness during that 70s and 80s era. Books that would have been swept up by Sporty & Rich founder Emily Oberg had she been the one digging. I grabbed a photo of this lady focusing on her calf raises, yet the shoe brand evades me – likely a domestic company that had a solid share of the fitness market but has since been liquidated.
In another fashion section I picked up a gentleman’s fashion book from the ‘90s. An era which had men becoming increasingly aware of what clothes to wear. One image stood out from a mile away, showcasing a then-newly released Air Max 97 “Silver Bullets”.
Under the acceptable “Casual Friday” fit, the book reads “If the boss lopes around in Nikes, you probably can too, if not, go with brown leather. If you’re the boss, wear what you damn please.” Ahhh the era of strict office attire, one I fortunately have no experience in. If you catch me sitting at a cubicle under some cold light from 9-5, you have permission to “shake me out of it” using whatever method required (bar the use of murder or dismemberment). For now, I’ll stick to writing about shoes.
Currently I sit on the train home. Sun flickering across my face as I write this. It is 17:00 and the sun is setting, life is alright.
wear shoes, write poems 