Good News Shoes

I worked very hard this summer. I had two large project competitions going at the same time. Once the dust settled and they were submitted we then had to wait to hear….hear if we had won the project.

It was hectic at the time and I was putting in long days, seven days a week for months late this summer and fall. It’s always nice to have a “carrot”, a reward in mind. So one day I said: “If we win one of the jobs, I get a pair of Fluevogs.”

If you live in Vancouver you probably know what that means. John Fluevog is a master craftsman, creating gorgeous, playful, and artful handmade shoes and he has an international and celebrity cult following.

I remember in the 1970’s it was Fox and Fluevog for fantastical one of a kind shoes, but ten years later Peter Fox and John Fluevog went their separate ways. John Fluevog renamed the business and focused more on designing shoes. “The company was like a big art project where I could discover more about myself” he was quoted as saying. He continues to create magic making shoes and now decades later has a fabulous flagship store very near the original Fox and Fluevog location in Gastown, a heritage district of Vancouver..

If you know me, you probably know I love shoes. Yeah…I have….a lot… of shoes. Too many I’m sure. But I didn’t have a pair of black and ivory ones…till now.

Early in December my team found out we did win the big care facility project in Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory. It represents a fair chunk of my project work for the upcoming year. I will be on the team that will take our design to completion over the next year and see that wonderful project become a reality.

And that meant I got to go shopping and buy my first pair of Fluevogs, because I felt I deserved a treat after that good news.

On the origin of this shoe style, with its contrasting heel and toe accents, known as a “spectator” shoe:

John Lobb, the famous English footwear maker, is said to have designed the first spectator shoe in 1868 as a cricket shoe. In the 1920s and 1930s in England, this style was considered too flamboyant for a gentleman, and was regarded as a tasteless style. As it was popular among lounge lizards and cads, who were sometimes associated with divorce cases, a nickname for the style was “co-respondent” shoe: a pun on the colour arrangement on the shoe, and the legal description of a third party associated with the guilty party in a case of adultery. My! What a racy little history note about a shoe!

I am waiting on the results of the other project competition. Wish us luck hearing more good news in January.

It’s all in the Shoes

Months ago, from the comfort of my home, I saw an ad for BC Business’s Top 100 Networking luncheon.

It sounded like a great idea at the time; I was in a brave expansive mood. Get a single ticket and go on my own…to meet people!

The day drew near and my enthusiasm had flagged a bit…going to an event by yourself is hard. Will there be assigned seating? Will I have to find a place and ask people if I can join them? Hmmm….maybe I just wouldn’t go. No! I wanted to hear the speaker, the man who started the Cactus Club restaurants: Richard Jaffray. So I stuck to the plan.

A few blocks before the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, walking and soaking up all the sights on the downtown streets, I spotted a fabulously dressed woman – wearing a bright red Chanel-style suit and gorgeous red high heeled shoes to match. Wow. She really stood out from the crowd.

A client of mine was calling, so I ducked into the quiet of a nearby building atrium to answer her questions…. 5-10 mins later, I carried on.

Now I saw the same woman in front of the Fairmont. Maybe she was also going to the luncheon…but waiting for someone? I said “you look absolutely fabulous!” as I passed. She gave me a big smile and answered “thank you so much!!” I waltzed into the hotel and up to the conference level.

I picked up my badge and looking around: how daunting….how would I connect with people? Most people were in groups or had a conversation buddy.

I found one guy who was standing alone: “Thought it was a good idea to come alone months ago…..” I remarked…and we started talking. Then another, then another. “Are you here alone?” I asked a young lady standing by one of the food tables. Yes! She smiled in relief. We started chatting and moved over to one of the stand-up tables to eat a bite or too. A few others joined us. I took to cruising the ballroom and stopping along the way when I felt I could touch down and introduce myself to yet another friendly person. One guy had great shoes….I commented….(Fluevogs’s no less)…He was an art director and is going to send me the name of someone who might help with editing my book.

An hour and a half later, I had talked to 20 wonderful people…everyone was very open to meeting, saying hi, reading name tags, it was very encouraging. A public speaking coach, an owner of an architectural millwork shop, accountants, a CEO of a credit union, an events co-ordinator, a project manager for industrial construction, IT advisors….

Then I caught a glimpse of the red suit, and shoes, again. I went up to her and introduced myself. She said “You made my day”. We talked. We both have 20 year old sons, who are travelling or about to travel, she’s a financial advisor that I may hire for some planning/advice. We will meet for coffee.

Veteran publisher Peter Legge interviewed Richard Jaffrey in a lovely, relaxed, casual and intimate style and the large audience sat so silently listening to his every word. His early days, his first restaurant, the hard times and the good times. It was a great story.

I left happy, excited, inspired, strong, positive, pleased, and satisfied. I had it in me all along.