My job is taxing on my sole.

This isn’t quite a fashion post, but I thought it was interesting enough to warrant posting on this blog as well as my own.

As a former traveling tax consultant, I put a lot of miles on my shoes. That’s why the styling has to be not only conservative, but also comfortable. I bought these Johnston and Murphys when I first started my current job. They’re clean, the insole is downright comfortable, and the leather is soft and supple, unlike the hard shiny leathers for traditional business shoes. Now that I no longer travel much for work, I finally decided to break down and buy a new pair of work shoes because, frankly, it was kind of embarrassing meeting clients with my shoes so worn out.

Johnston and Murphy never has my style shoe on sale, but I suppose what with the economy, they finally had a 20% off coupon one day and I went and bought the exact same shoe. So luckily for you, this is your chance to see how 2 years of traveling for a living (including running around on hiking trails in Arizona for several hours) wears and tears a pair of shoes.

When I have my camera on me, I tend to squat down a lot to get a better angle for a shot. That’s why the top front is worn and scratched away. Did I ever mention I'm pigeon-toed? It means my feet slightly point inwards rather than the usual pointing outward for most people. This walking motion causes the front of the sole to be worn away to the point that the thread has become exposed on the bottom and loosened on the top side.

You can see the sole has long since had the wood grain effect worn away. The rubber has also worn off where my foot exerts the most pressure.

The tan part is the wood showing from the worn away rubber.

I’ve actually bought 2 replacement leather insoles during that time. This is the second replacement insole that's been worn away. Yes, that's a hole right through it. That’s pretty much how comfortable these shoes are, and how reluctant I am to give up on it.