#“The Happy Foot Co is feeding my #VFFs Addiction”
It's ridiculous I know. I average one pair of new footwear every two years. I wear shoes until they fall apart and then I buy one more pair. That's now utterly changed.
I bought my Vibram Five Fingers Bikilas exactly one month ago. Running on a treadmill with them is genuinely like having new legs. Unfortunately, like a fool, I ran on the road only two weeks in and I'm still suffering with a pain in one foot. But I'm a convert and an evangelist already.
The one downside - they stink and washing only helps for a day or two. I wanted to wear them all the time.
Tuesday I was in Dublin and after a really interesting mobile tech workshop, I wandered down to The Happy Foot Co on Liffey Street, off Henry Street. I remembered that the last shop I went into on Liffey St was Hector Gray's when I was a kid.
The Happy Foot Co shop is amazing. Loads of different types of VFFs and a bajillion pairs of Crocs. I'll be bringing the kids back soon to get their summer Crocs.
The two ladies running the place could not have been more helpful. They even offered to post down any pair that they didn't have in stock. I wanted a pair for general day to day use that wouldn't look too freakish. I tried on a few types including one of their new ones made of kangaroo skin. Sooooo soft.
In the end, I went with the KSO, the most popular men's model. They are incredibly comfortable and equally good in a meeting or on a mountain (allegedly). They go beautifully with Black Tie, Pinstripe, Jeans, Shorts, Speedos or Thongs. I intend to try them in all those scenarios.
I've been doing a bit of reading on VFFs and it looks like I'm doing the same thing as all n00bies; I'm running almost on the balls of my feet because of everything we've been told about heel-strikes being bad. One blogger likened it to looking like a bizarre ballerina. Of course I've been told many times of my striking resemblance to the Black Swan, ignoring my bigger boobs and my opposite eating disorder.
Two pairs of shoes in a month and I'm already thinking about a pair of Classics instead of flip-flops for my summer holidays. Next thing I'll be watching Project Runway.