Everything around us the earth, the planets & nature all move in cycles. We ourselves are constantly growing & evolving to meet developing needs. I often feel nothing is really new. Everything has been here before at some point in time, then it might disappear & return again when the time is right or it chooses to be. This is very true for fashion trends.
My morning commute requires me to sit on a train for thirty minutes. I am usually engrossed in a book for this time. Some mornings my mind and eyes wander. A few months ago my wandering eyes (in a non creepy way please!) started noticing people’s foot ware. It was the middle of summer & people were wearing boots. Not just any boots but the classic Dr. Marten boots. There in front of me was a high school girl donning a pair of DM’s with her school uniform. Wow I thought that was how I dressed twenty years ago. (20 years how did that happen?!)
I’ve started seeing Dr. Martens or DM’s, Dockers, Doc’s what ever you wish to call them everywhere. They are back in fashion 53 years since they were launched on April 1st 1960. In the early 90’s nearly everyone at my school had a pair. My father hated them. When I bought my first pair aged 13 he was fuming. Who knows what he thought when I invested in a second pair a few years later.
When DM’s first came on the scene in 1960’s England they were associated with the British working class and a youth culture of punks, rebels & skinheads who donned their DM’s before heading off to fight for their rights. This is probably why my father didn’t like them as they were stereotyped with hooliganism. My era of first wear was definitely for the rock grunge gothic look, not for violence. It was the time of Brit Pop. Oasis and Blur were wearing Doc’s so I wanted some too.
My friends personalised their boots to make them ‘different’ from everyone else’s. Mine were never polished the more scuffed the better. Mud and dirt were my decoration of choice. You tied your boots your own way too. Laced up to the top and tied tightly, left open and untied for a slouchy, sloppy look. For me I left the top three eyes unthreaded, wrapped the laces around the back and finished with a knot at the front. Some people drew on their boots, painted flowers and shapes on them, had brightly coloured laces or beads threaded through the bottom lace. DM’s were a great way to self-express.
The major draw card of Dr. Martens is they are actually very sensible shoes. Flat, sturdy, waterproof and so comfortable are the ‘bouncing soles.’ Okay I admit it the first few weeks can be painful until you break them in. Band-Aids ahoy! They do make your legs look like golf clubs too when worn with skinny jeans or skirts.
It was this comfort factor that drew me to investing in a 2013 pair. I was tempted by the array of funky patterns and finish’s but decided a straight up black pair would be more suitable for my needs. I was the fourth person that day to buy a pair the sale assistant informed me. Twenty-one years after I bought my first pair, Dr. Martens are back on my feet again. Maybe I’m feeling nostalgic for my British roots or I just know a good solid authentic brand when I see one. Whatever the reason I’m rolling with the ebb and flow of universal cycles.
Do you have any favourite iconic brands that you’d love to be revived or those that should never grace our presence again? Leave a comment below!
Love Seren xx
