BACK IN THE MID-1960'S IN SAN FRANCISCO, AND WITHOUT JUDGEMENT THERE WERE BASICALLY as always a call to how one would dress and the current fashion; what one was comfortable in both fit and comfort and your self-expression. There was always innovation; even how one dresses comes from an art form.
The bands were being seen more so, if not locally in concerts then on television and the Stones were just way too cool in their style of dress...as one would expect most bands set trends within small groups before it became mainstream as it was almost a right to go to concerts. It was part of the escape, part of the culture-or sub-culture, if you will, that was to use a cliché, "a scene, or the scene for many", I digress.
North Beach was a cool place with several book stores and coffee houses, both having indoor or outdoor seating and little unique stores...this was where the beat era (beatnik) was in full swing back in the 50's and left its imprint here, book stores with poet readings, and much tea and coffee to sip.
Well, I knew at the time I was having a difficulty finding shoes I liked. It did look as if they came off the shelves of department store with every other Tom, Dick and Harry wearing them (I was young and didn't want to fit in the niche of whatever the stores let people buy-as best I could).
Well the quandary had come up and I could not find any shoes that really appealed to me. There were stores where various seamstresses had their clothes that were of unique cloths and patterns, then form fitting in cut and the way they were sewn. There were imports from England as that was the trendsetter, as it were, and the designs came from Europe, but mainly England, such as Granny Takes A Trip. And were quite pricey, luckily artistes, the local seamstresses used the London designs adding their style in various materials; some of silk or satin with unique patterns like birds or art-deco-or just unique in itself. You could also had the other extreme-go from subtle to stripes of various sizes and bold colors. Pants we either bell bottoms in various degrees or flared, I like flared never really a bell bottom person; and not a fan of floods either usually like an English cut where the cuffs angled longer in the back to cover your shoes or boots perfectly. Socks, other than being white, were open season, but generally dark and not too short, especially with boots. So choices were not limitless but a small and every-changing supply of "cool" clothes for the few stores that catered to that crowd; for me, innovative at the least there was The Boot Hook, Middle Earth, Mom's Apple Grave, North Beach Leather (for those who wanted Jim Morrisions tight leather or snakeskin pants and for (although not my taste) unique not only suede but leather and unique colors-fringed jackets and vests.
Not so with shoes, years later in L.A., I found Capezios (ballet shoes-but I put street soles if I could and rubber taps on the heels) black seamless, and some soft leather shoe that added no height and fit everything. But by late 60's in San Francisco, I had the hardest time.....going to North Beach, for me, was usually a solo experience; although my road dog, Bart and I would do coffee houses and book stores as he had introduced me to the area. My solace would be a walk through Chinatown but more so through North Beach.....always remember hearing the fog horn there and sometimes the fog accompanied it. There was a solace there, bright lights from the strip clubs and conversely the book stores and indoor and outdoor coffee houses being more subtle yet still calling you. There were always unique shops there and one's mind would wander and their body too, if something caught your eye. On stroll through North Beach I did see shoes and boots in the store windows that were nice and basically not in the wing-tip family. In this search for shoes and becoming less and less eventful, I wandered inside.. I thought, "Rainbow Cobblers"...there were some shoes inside on display and someone asked if they could help me. Well I had seen some boots in the window and was told me they could custom-fit the boots either pull-on or zippered in any color and design I wanted! My mind began to seriously ponder…."Which boots would I want?"
Back then, I was called "Virgo John" more often than just John. Also later in L.A., I lived in an apartment facing the outdoor pool and there were six Johns living there and each with a nick-name so you knew it was you they wanted. I asked if i could get a Virgo sign put on the top side of the boot about two inches in orange. I wanted a deep purple boot, zippered on the inner side, stacked leather heel (but not overly high) with a leather sole slightly thicker than usual. The answer was, "No problem" then my feet were each measured; in all areas and then rechecked. The total cost was a bit over $100.00, which today would make that price paltry(and unbeknownst to me, these boots lasted for years and years and never really worse for the wear). I offered a deposit for the shoes and it was about two weeks before I would pick them up; and it was time for me to come up with the rest of the money. As fate would have it, I had found a pair of shoes in the interim.
The big day came and off to Rainbow Cobblers and as I arrived, I looked at the boots and they we nice. I tried them on and they fit like a glove; the leather was sturdy by not hard. My foot fit well but not binding and a nice zipper that was hidden by the flap just as I ordered (made it look like a solid boot). As I took off the boot, I had to do a double take, the orange Virgo sign was very well set into the leather on the top of the boot just I had ordered. Only problem, they had put the Virgo signs in backward. To say the least, bummed, but they said they would make another pair with the correct placing of the Virgo sign. I think they gave me a small discount for the extra wait for the new boots.
Two weeks passed and as I approached the shop and looked in the window, there were my purple boots with the backwards orange Virgo signs.
( the photo had me with the boots but hard to see)