The man the shoes and the wardrobe.

I have far too many shoes and they're just sitting in the bottom of my wardrobe. I have a few pairs that I wear regularly the rest just sit there. I like shoes as much as the next man and appreciate a good one when it comes along, the problem is throwing them away. I just can't do it.

The space at the bottom of my wardrobe is now full and the shoes have stacked up in layers like a time line in rock and like that rock they mark points in time. There are pairs from before I moved to London, a smart pair to go with the first suit I ever bough myself (a hideous brown affair but thats another story), numerous trainers expensive and cheap and a pair a good friend bought me in Paris so we could get in to a nice restaurant and thats just near the top. There is a part of me that doesn't like to throw anything away, I really am a bit of a hoarder but I also have a feeling they might be useful in some way, I know the moment I dumped them I will suddenly need that knackered pair of green stripe to complete some awesome outfit, it's a long shot but thats only part of the reason.

I like the way they look. They are like a finger print, there is not another pair of used shoes that look like this. They have to arrive at this point themselves through a combination of good nights out, jokes shared, and sweat spilt. The way I walk and how I tie my laces have all shaped these shoes they are molded around me, they go everywhere I do and for a while are my best friends a time capsule of memories the embodyment of the way I am. The dirt is significant and I am the only one who knows why.

But my wardrobe is not a museum (officially) so something has to give. Shoes your time has come, dear friends I will miss you, but as one last mark of respect for the loyalty you have shown me and the good times we spent I want to immortalise you through the power of the internet.

Thank you Dunlop Green Stripe you served me well.