Eve's Feet of Espionage

The other day Eve and I were driving along Nisseki Dori when we spotted this pair of pink, bow-bedecked booties pounding the pavement. Thanks to Eve's superior espionage skills -- this photo was taken from the window of a moving car -- we were able to document our find for posterity. Please note that Eve and I have a bit of a footwear fetish. Our eyes always gravitate towards shoes, taking in heel height, toe shape, color and any unusual details. And we have a habit of pointing out particularly outstanding and outlandish footwear to each other, sometimes at the expense of our usually excellent manners. Imagine our pure delight when these came into view!

A country where shoes are generally removed before entering the home and even some work places, Japan not only authors some mighty fine footwear, it also tolerates fashion statements of all sorts, no matter how egregious. This is particularly true of shoes since they are often not seen, except outside. Some fashionistas attempt to coordinate their costumes with matching colors or styles, sometimes going overboard as in the lady dressed in rainbow garments from top to toe that we sighted recently. But many take a far more free-form approach by considering each part of the body and its clothing as a separate, sartorial statement. Juxtaposition alone does not justify coordination.