Fast-laning is when you rush along on the very outer part of the sidewalk or walkway. Outside of the parking meters, outside the planters, the bike-racks, hydrants, mailboxes, scaffolding- likely treating the curb like a balance beam, eyes peeled for animal droppings and automobiles. Even the best planners occasionally find themselves in a rush and if the powerwalk trajectory is congested by stuck-together saunterers and other slow pokery— fastlaning, even if just to pass some crowded clumps, is something we’ve all done.
Fast-laning : Advanced Walking Technique number one
Fashioned on the crisscrossed jaywalker-friendly streets of Boston Massachusetts, and refined on the overcrowded walkways and platforms of New York City, I bring to you a new feature:
Advanced Walking Techniques
These techniques will assist with proficient movement among earthlings on a variety of terrains using your two feet and one brain.
A few fundamentals to keep in mind while walking
Try to never be in a rush. Rushing increases chances of falling, bumping and other bumbling moves that advanced walkers avoid.
Don’t wear sandals, flip-flops or other open-toed footwear when walking city streets. Closed, secure footwear offers superior support and protection from pebbles, germs and other comfort invaders including the dreaded “flat tire” if someone (a walking amateur) mistakenly steps on the back of your foot.
“Pull-over” when checking your phone. If it’s important enough to check (a text, a map), it deserves full attention. People walking behind you will appreciate it, and you’ll decrease chances of a walking accident.
Keep your eyes on the road. Remember to glance down every so often as walkways can often feature animal excrement, gum and other day-ruiners.
To be wearing the best socks available for your current life style with attention to fabric, thickness and shoe type
Clipped from The Boston Globe 1964
You lose the sock game if you are asked to remove your shoes and your socks are thrashed, dirty, ripped or all three. The board game Stratego was a bit like Chess, in that you had your plentiful ‘trooper’ pieces (work socks) and a hierarchy that led up to Generals and Marshals (socks you wear on a first date).
Whether you keep your shoes on indoors like on the Wale album cover,
or remove your shoes indoors like the Magnetic North and Taiyo Na album cover*,
It may benefit you to mentally leap from sock game to sock strategy, which can be even more fun since life itself is not a game.
*On the subject of shoes indoors, this recent New England Journal of Medicine study shows how trace amounts of bird dung on the bottom of shoes can transfer diarrhea-causing C. difficile bacteria to the human body. (game changer)
You can still conform to the style standards of your outside world while also being the most comfortable. Remember the goals of the game again?
To be empowered, never embarrassed by your socks
To be wearing the best socks available for your current life style with attention to fabric, thickness and shoe type
It starts with good buying choices. When it comes to shoes, we recommend spending more on less. With hosiery, the spending is more painless because affordable socks are everywhere.
A Happy Socks sock truck spotted outside Washington Square Park
I’ve gotten great socks from Amazon and big stores like T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. Outdoorsy shops like REI tend to have great socks. If you think like me, the occasional splurge on some boutiquey expensive socks is an inevitability.
The Sock Man on St.Mark’s Place
Have you ever packed for a trip and spent minutes contemplating exactly what socks to take? You put in a couple extra pairs right? Your thin socks are good for those, but thicker socks work better on these. See: You’re a sock strategist. I got my first “good” pair of socks at The Sock Man on 8th Street back in the 90s. Up until then my sock game was passive; I just relied on the inevitable packs of socks I’d receive from my folks on birthdays and Christmas. I’d even default to socks from brands of sneakers I liked at the time: Adidas, Puma, etc.. Many years later I’ve gravitated back to the idea of buying socks in multi-packs in order to bring some consistency to my sock roster.
Einstein’s Uniform (bulk buying)
You know how heavy thinkers like Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs and Pee-wee Herman always dressed the same. Why waste neurotransmission on deciding what to wear in the morning? My grandfather always wanted the same kind of socks (black Gold Toes) for a similar logic. When you do the wash, you needn’t blow minutes sorting each pair. Partly because I long for brilliance, and mostly because I’m paralyzed by too many choices, I’ve become a sucker for a good 3-pack of quality stockings. This incorporates a bit of the uniform theory, and since I often wear the same footwear, it’s nice to have the same sock/shoe combo on multiple days, and opening the sock drawer doesn’t activate the inner scatterbrain.
Keeping in mind that Popdiatry is not a website for medical information while also bearing in mind that we urge readers to be comfortable and happy, I love me some cotton socks. Cotton is so forgiving and absorptive that it makes a great choice for a long day with long walks. Be that wise reader of the package while shopping. 100% cotton socks are rare. There needs to be some elastic agent; Just look for a majority percentage. The sock label will often have a breakdown similar to nutritional info found on food packaging. The con of cotton is that it tends to becomes pully and misshapen after a series of wears and washes. Other materials like polyester and nylon can lead to a better shelf life (drawer life) and therefore resilient look. We don’t need a PhD to recommend that you air-dry your hosiery as much as possible. If you don’t have some clothespins and a line, get yourself a wooden dying rack and hang your wet socks on there with game-winning pride.
A great hangout for socks
Also: You know that thing where you roll a pair of socks together to put in the drawer? I’d avoid doing that, or reduce it to one roll, to preserve the aforementioned elasticity around the ankle. Unless it’s a look that your going for, droopy socks can be annoying as hell.
How many socks should you have?
Reporting live from New York City, around twenty pairs should do ya. That gives you plenty of flex time between washings, and won’t crowd your drawer. You can hibernate those alpaca and merino wool socks when the temperature is above 80. Conversely, the no-show whites can lay low if it’s winter. You can store any socks over twenty and smoothly introduce them onto your roster when a pair ‘retires’.
Left Right Socks
I first noticed New Balance doing left/rights for some of their high-end running socks. Most of our socks start to develop a left and right after some good wear anyway- especially those cottons. But like the package of these Keen L/R socks say “You don’t have two left feet”:
During the American Civil War- the leather brogans (boots) issued by the confederacy to their soldiers had no defined left and right boot. Soldiers were expected to wear two of the same boots until the leather conformed. Imagine that break-in period? No wonder the bad guys lost. Today we have left/right shoes, and left/right socks, but sadly the human race hasn’t moved past wars. Maybe left/right socks can help pacify us?
CLIP YOUR TOENAILS (just not in public)
Until every sock is left right, you want to make your socks last longer by minding your toenail length. Comedian George Carlin had a funny line about toenail clipping- like, when you decide to do it? How about when your big toenail is sharp enough to cut a gash in your lover’s calf? That means it’s slowly slicing away at your sock. After finishing this article would be a great time for a clip.
Toe Socks
Toes to freedom
I first saw toe-socks (like gloves for your feet) in the catalog of Things You Never Knew Existed back in the day. I remember thinking how socks like these would drive me nuts with the sensation. Fast forward to 2015 and I bought a pair of Injinji performance toesocks to try for myself.
Injinji Performance 2.0 Original Weight Thin Cushioning ToeSock: 29% Polyester, 68% Nylon, 3% Lycra, made in China
I do appreciate my toes having their own pockets, and I understand they allow a more natural splay. These socks worked out okay. Maybe it was the material, but I found them to be a bit fatiguing after a long day. My index toe being almost equal length to my big toe probably doesn’t help either. If it’s toe-crowding you’re concerned about, a set of foam toe-spacers may be a better solution. I am however intrigued enough to buy another pair soon with a different thickness.
PLAYING FAVORITES
Think hosiery natural selection. The socks you like will always be picked and worn and remain at the top of the drawer. Before writing this article I did purchase a bunch of different socks, and one brand started to be picked all the time- Wrightsock.
I happened upon them in an REI store and really really like their patented double-layer construction. The company makes their socks in the USA, and guarantees they won’t give you blisters; They are double layered, but do not feel too thick. I bought a second pair, and look forward to my third, forth and fifth. They’re not cotton, but the innovative design has them feeling great, and they always seem to be hanging on the top tier of my wooden rack.
Swiftwick sock rack spotted at an American airport
Expensive Socks
Remember when Biggie rapped “…I stay Gucci down to the socks…”? Just like any apparel category, there exists a high-end in the world of socks. Pairs that may cost you more than dinner at P.F. Chang’s. Barring the simple name of some designer printed on the sock with no other testament to quality, many expensive socks aren’t even that expensive considering they should outlast the pair you bought off the endcap at Walgreens. You have Stance, Darn Tough, Cole + Parker, Dahlgren, Feetures!, Smartwool, Thorlos… so many brands actually that I’m having a hard time finishing this article.
Rihanna X Stance
Graphic/Novelty Socks
Odd Sox
Semi-recent advancements in fabric printing technology have made it possible to put detailed images on stockings, and there are a whole lot of companies offering anything you can imagine to grace your feet in these times of memification.
Cocky Socks
Don’t expect the graphics to stay looking brand new after multiple wears and washes. You should definitely follow the instructions on laundering, and consider air drying socks with pictures of butts on them.
40s and Shorties “Twerk” socks
I have a hunch many of these novelty socks are being produced faster than licensing agreements can catch up for likenesses and imagery. We know Biggie rapped “… cheese, eggs and Welch’s grape…” but the grape juice on these 40s & Shorties Big Poppa socks appears genericized:
“T-Bone steak, cheese, eggs, and Welch’s grape” – Biggie
The Rules
Every game has rules, and the sock game rules are written in invisible ink on the collective conscious of wherever you happen to be in this world. The more shorts are worn in the summer, the less I see of my own socks. In Seattle, no one might blink an eye at socks with sandals, elsewhere you might get Vice Don’ted or social media dissed for daring to .The fate of your sock/shorts combo will be tried in the court of public opinion regardless of what some blogger writes. Good thing you are the judge.
So there aren’t any rules, but if you break a non-rule, life will hand you the proper infraction. Function may funk you up if you wear wool socks and it’s 90 degrees out. Going sockless in certain types of shoes can be doable, but if you have a long day with lots of walking, you may be better off with stockings. I should add that getting blisters on your feet won’t help you win anything.
Uses for retired socks
Old socks that are still together but look bad, gifted socks you do not love, holy socks- these can all be retired in the trash, a deep hole or:
Dry foot therapy: Rub petroleum jelly on extremely dry regions of feet and put some retired socks before slumbering
ps- there are also these:
pps: Also: Going sockless at the airport is for losers
and saw these wedges lying at the base of a big ol’ tree. There was something about the composition; I usually post discarded kicks on Insta, but it wasn’t a good square. I wanted to use it as the Popdiatry twitter header image, but the image got cut too much. So here it is leading off this month’s collection of random thoughts and images.
LACES
Summer 2015 is in full effect here along the northeast corridor and most of our boots are hibernating in favor of something lighter (but not flip-flops or sandals!). Timberland, the boot, shoe, clothing and accessory giant that had their humble beginning in Massachusetts might not have boot-heads salivating as much as Chippewa, Broken Homme, Nicks, Thorogood, Oak Street, Red WIngs, Viberg, White’s, and Wesco,, but somebody is going to speed by us in a Benz bumping Biggie with a Timberland boot on the pedal, and in 2015, there is something they offer to the boot snob that may interest you.
Many of the Timberland brick and mortar stores, such as the one on Broadway in Manhattan, have a “lace bar” where they can custom cut you a pair of boot laces for a reasonable price.
Timberland Lace Bar
Thanks to Funyagi for the Tim pictures.
A few days ago was another moon landing anniversary, and I totally slacked on posting this:
One Small Step by Howard Fink
That being a piece of 3d art by Howard Fink title “One Small Step”
I’m always keeping an eye out for foot/shoe inspired art, like this foot from Mr. Chunkism:
Wanted to travel light. Needed to bring a business suit; Bought a Skyroll Garment bag from a Manhattan Men’s Wearhouse in which you can fit a couple suits, other clothes, and a pair of shoes (in one of the cylinder partitions)*
*Look for an extended Skyroll review in a future post. For my purpose, I was able to pack enough for a 2-3 day jaunt and cancel out the burden of a big old case; Think more like dufflebag.
STUCK DOWNTOWN
In the shade of John Hancock Center/Water Tower Place, yes Near North Side; Yeah, where all the mall stores and annoying walkers are. I thought positive, had a little time between tasks, so took a stroll around-a-few-blocks in search of inspiration.
Rushing up Rush Street
I was wearing my Frye Arkansas boots (no affiliation), so on N Rush Street, I gravitated into their flagship store to see what they’ve been up to lately. The big Frye flagships, of which there are four in the U.S., are set up a like countryish museums, with lots of leather, dark wood.. a certain kind of mood. Most of the men’s made-in-USA footwear is in the very back.
TheFryeCompany.com
Frye has some interesting patinas going on that fill good space away from the standard browns and blacks. Some of their leathers are even tumbled with stones in a wood drum before construction. Though not always a fan of pre-busted wears, I really like the “smoke” distressed waxed suede on their Prison Boot (dig those inside-out eyelets too), and another color they are calling “gaucho” on their stuff. My year-old Arkansas are plain black (rubber sole) and it was cool to view some other colors, especially the painted and stonewashed leather shade they call Whiskey.
The Frye Company “Whiskey”
I make my boots travel friendly by swapping the stock laces out to 45-inch fabric ones, or else you’d be stalling in the TSA line tying those long leather laces that come with many of the Fryes.
Up the block there was a Vans store where I bought a swell pair of 45-inch polyester flat laces. I made quick work of a Mexican lobster roll at Da Lobsta on E Cedar.
I window-shopped through the little Church’s store on E Walton. The made-in-England brand’s NYC store is closed for renovations, and the Chicago one is the only other location in the country. It was proper to see the entire collection up close. If Frye was museum, Church’s have their men’s and women’s shoes presented more like a jewelry shop.
Game-wise I could totally see maturing Doc wearers wanting to take the British style to the next level and getting into the Church’s line. Most of the shoes appear at quick glance like they’re from 1930. Closer inspection reveals flourishes of modernity on the inners and soles plus they have some leather sneaker/shoe hybrids on the roster. Above images are from Church’s website.
INDEPENDENCE ON OAK
In-the-cut on East Oak Street in a waythat no dingbat may find, lives a place I would tag “must visit” in Near North. Independence has damn-near the whole collection of footwear by Oak Street Bootmakers on display, along with select made-in-USA clothing and useful accessories like shoe-care kits and bottle-opener keys.
Pic: Popdiatry
Less department store, more like a friend’s nice apartment, the guys who maintain Independence are very involved in its workings and are happy to talk all manner of shoes, clothes and life while you browse. Other customers in the store may join in conversation and give shoe and food recommendations. That’s the type of vibe this spot gives- just a great shop for the American man near Lake Michigan with a friendly crew.
Patina again. I love the color Oak Street refers to as ‘natural’ on their models. It’s a kind of oily golden that you can envision looking better with age and conditioning.
Oak Street Bootmakers “Natural” color
Oak doesn’t play when it comes to making shoes. They now offer plenty of loafers, bluchers, oxfords and boats featuring the same Horween Chromexcel leather and tough construction of their big boot brothers.
Oak St. Mocs @ Independence
For me it is all about the boots. We’re impressed with how O.S.B. has matured, making tiny improvements along the way, and getting into low-tops. Their natural roughout (rough side of leather out, smooth side in) products are very sweet. Though do you ever notice what happens to light rough leather boots when worn a lot with bluejeans? The blue dye may stain the tops; I feel like Oak Street channeled this by dropping these dark blue roughouts, with a “pajeana” baked right in. Cobra Commander could wear these on a date with the Baroness.
Oak St. Indigo Roughouts @ Independence
You have to feel the insides. To ready my feet for the day they marry some Oak Streets, I purchased a pair of their made-in-USA majority-cotton socks ($8) in a unique shade of burnt orange/red.
Oak Street Bootmakers
WHY NOT SOME UNDIES
Icebreaker have been on our deep watch-list for a while now. When I happened upon one of their nine U.S. TouchLab shops located on E Walton Street, I went in and dropped $33 on a pair of their Merino wool underwears. The Icebreaker rep says these drawers can be worn for three times the normal length of regular undies before washing due to the fabric’s absorptive nature. They’re wool, but spun so thin the front is double layered lest they be nearly see-through. They guarantee the product; Look forward to a review in Off The Path soon.
Icebreaker Anatomica Merino Wool Briefs
MIDWEST VINTAGE
Thanks to an old pal who lives in Chi, I rode shotgun in a Subaru through Wicker Park and Bucktown way away from the skyscrapers and mega-malls. We drove past the Horween leather tannery and I took a big whiff. I got a glimpse of Chicago’s new greened elevated rail path for bikers, runners and walkers The 606. We needed a retro sensory overload and It was at a vintage shop in Wicker called Kokorokoko where I saw some mind-blowing kicks that I never imagined existing.
L.A. Gear “Election 88” HIgh Tops with a license plate lace-tag!
Yes that’s Michael Dukakis on a removable velcro “All-Star” patch, and yes there was a George H. Bush one included. What?!
If the 80s and 90s were magic, you could cast spells with items from Kokorokoko; Cassettes, patches, VHS workout tapes, trading cards, Metal, New Jack Swing, Bulls, Hulk Hogan, select footwear and more. You’ll find something here whether you were born the 70s like me or the 90s like recording artist Tink, who came through for some shopping recently.
instagram.com/official__tink
Let thebright colorsof latelast century surround you, and pop-culture past rewind you. I forgot to check the size or where those LA Gears were made (Korea we think), but if you can get over to 1323 N. Milwaukee Ave quick you might be able to scoop the Election 88s in time to wear for July 4th when you’ll never be asked “where’d you get those?” so much in your life. Kokorokoko !
Before I knew it, it was time to go. I packed my laces, socks and underwear in the remaining space in the Skyroll and hopped a cab.
The Skyroll didn’t let me down. I packed my things just like the instructional video showed, and got it even better on the way back. You do need a large flat surface to get the pack correct: bed, table, clean floor; The garment bag is advertised as carry-on friendly but I checked it both ways because JetBlue.
PS: Water Tower Place has an amazingly wide variety of places to dine and lots of great stairs to climb.
Did you know that the Oakland A’s are the only major league baseball team that wears white shoes all of the time?
Did you know the Red Wing shoe company launched its own print paper- the Red Wing Post– in Europe last month?
instagram.com/redwingheritage
Ducere Technologies’ Lechal brand “smart” shoes were all in the news cycle this week, but did you know you can get some Lechal Bluetooth-enabled insoles that can make almost any pair smarter?
www.lechal.com
Do you know why someone would want Bluetooth-enabled footwear? Haptic technology can create a vibrating effect on the left or right sole to guide you on walks and rides, eliminating the need to glance at anything (Hells Angels hate looking at smartphones). This makes the Lechals a potential breakthrough for the blind community. Along with counting steps and calories, you can also share fitness goals with other Lehcal users using the connected app (Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile). Check out Lecahl.com .
Hey Ladies! Would you try on this platform heel that was created using a 3D printer?
www.continuumfashion.com
Part art sculpture, part shoe- this kick is generated by a company called Continuum– ran by Mary Huang from Brooklyn, New York.
The above Continuum “Daphne” shoe being printed
Huang’s Continuum was an early adopter of software-based fashion items. Her pieces have been shown in museums, and this footwear- inspired by trees, the Apollo statue, and Tron*- are sure to show up in upcoming fashion photoshoots. They also print dresses and bikinis. Check out ContinuumFashion.com .
* Yori was Tron’s female sidekick in the first movie.
Have you heard about Paul Evans shoes? A couple fellas from NYC are sorta doing for shoe-shopping what Harry’s razors are doing for shaving. They believe they’ve created an affordable product for guys that can match the quality of popular brands we’d normally buy. Think hundreds, not thousands.
Paul Evans Cognac Chukkas
They scouted a factory in Italy to create their designs, and launched a website to sell them direct to consumer. The shoes are very conservative business-guy style, but it might be time you got your suit together and entered the business world proper, bro. With belts and bags to match, you might attain that extra edge to close that deal, increase your EBITDA, or at least get her number. Check PaulEvansNY.com .
Speaking of the Oakland A’s… I mean… the Boston Red Sox- it’s Baseball time- C-ya
At a Manhattan pop-up last December, the friendly folks at Frigo were kind enough to flow me a pair of FRIGO 2 boxer briefs. We agreed that along with footwear, good underwear is a key ingredient for great walking. The Frigo 2s are 92% polyamide & 8% elastane (feels like spandex). The revolutionary feature on these drawers is the netted pouch with a patented “soft lock” adjustment system. I’ve been wearing them every couple of weeks for six months, and now that hot temperatures and high humidity are upon thee in the northeast, I’m happiest to have them in my rotation.
There’s an inner line of fabric that is adjustable by a button on each out side of the hip. These small buttons are unnoticeable while wearing. Guys! you put them on carefully and find the right adjustment so that your family jewels are comfortably supported, then you keep the adjustment as is with the buttons. There is some counting involved. The design thoughtfully and structurally acknowledges male anatomy, and is light years ahead of some pitiful dollar store endcap tighty whiteys. Imagine a time when you experienced chafing of the thighs while walking, or underwear discomfort while exercising… chances are underwear like this may offer an antidote for that. You’ve got a smartphone now, why are you still wearing dumb underwear? I like the way they provide a little lift, and are in no way time consuming to put on or take off.
REVOLUTIONWEAR Inside-Out
In my experiences, most boxer briefs are too short and/or without properly elasticized leg bottoms- they tend to inch up the thigh, leading to wedgie conditions. Longer legged boxers help against wedgies. The FRIGOs feature a 6″ inseam. Along with elasticized leg openings, they also have a strip of silicone material going around the inner thigh that successfully serves to keep the boxer legs from creeping toward the crotch during long wear. The strap-pouch gets all the attention, but these “stay4sure” hem stabilizers are just as cool of a feature- a good step in the war against wedgies.
No ride-up hem
Comes in a VHS style box
Many underwear companies now incorporate some sort of pouch for the male package. How are things in the FRIGO Zone? Keep in mind that these are the entry-level FRIGO “2s”. Their top of the line product has similar construction, but uses pricier fabric. I’m intrigued enough by the design to where I’d invest in a pair of the “1s”. The company is still new, so has an open horizon to grow the line and dream up more innovations. My bros and I are definitely starting to be more accepting of newer underpant designs. Some Joe Sixpacks may balk at the $100 price tag on the FRIGO 1s, but a little math containing X amount of lousy underwear the average dude has probably bought or been gifted, it’s freaking worth it for the long haul. MLB star Derek Jeter, a big investor in the company, is retiring from baseball after this season and- who knows- might devote more energy to Revolutionwear. More visibility and more adoption lead to higher chances that your family or loved ones may buy you some as a gift. Good luck.
Image from Freshpair.com
I washed them a bunch, air-drying each time on a wooden rack. Aside from a few very small fabric pulls, and a stray thread or two, the sewing has kept together fine. I envision these lasting for years. They are a great choice for walking. Once you put on your favorite overwear, and everything starts to settle, they offer a pleasant machine-like feeling that promotes healthy completion of one’s day.
