Herring Shoes Journal

Life is a bit tricky right now, so I am hoping this might bring a little light relief. Be assured, I am in no way belittling the crisis we find ourselves in but would like to bring some footwear fun to proceedings.

While some of you may be hot-footing it back to work, others are still working from home to meet social distancing rules. It got us all thinking about what people are wearing as they fire up their laptops and PCs from home.

There are some generations who would never be seen in bare feet and would always choose to wear smart shoes…even at home. Have a think; did you ever see your grandparents’ feet?

Even if you are fan of bare feet, how do you feel about taking a video call with your boss, colleagues or staff with your pinkies enjoying the fresh air under your desk? That feels weird just writing it!

We need work from home footwear solutions. Here’s what I suggest:

Moccasins
Easy to slip on and comfortable to wear, we market moccasins as driving shoes but these are ideal for mooching about the house (in a productive manner, of course!) We sell them in suede or nubuck and in a range of colours, with and without ties.

Slippers
A pipe is not required but these are super-smart, classic velvet slippers. Again, we can offer a range of colours and a choice of hand-embroidered motifs, including a skull and cross-bones. These are not your average slippers, but then again, these are not your average times.

Loafers
The slippers above were credited with being the forebear of the loafer. A loafer is a real shoe, but it is easy to slip on and off if you are not allowed to wear them on the upstairs carpet! We have suede versions that are truly easy going while remaining business-like. I like our Verona loafer with leather soles, rubber pimples and a rubber heel. The classic Exeter has a rubber sole too and is a popular choice.

Deck shoes
Like the loafer, they are easy to slip on and off. They also might give you a sense of summer and happy times spent on the beach, on a boat or on holiday. Let the positivity rise from the feet up I say!

Sneakers
If you are allowed to take advantage of a more relaxed dress code while you are working from home, then what about a sneaker? I am not talking about the battered old running shoes you use to take the bins out, but classy leather or suede statement sneakers that epitomise dress-down Fridays. I still favour the high-top Boxer IIs in Cognac calf and suede or our New York classic trainers as a smart relaxed shoe that should not need to be hidden under the desk.

So, these are my WFH footwear musings, but hey, if it feels right, just wear your black Oxfords as usual! We are interested to hear about your work from home footwear choices in these strange times. If you are not wearing your usual work shoes at the moment, make sure you have popped shoe trees in them and maybe check out Jared’s latest blog on shoe care.

Stay safe all.