Taking It One Doc Marten at a Time

I've had a rocky relationship with Dr. Martens over the past 15 or so years.

When I was in third grade, I graced into my new elementary school wearing a pair of Dr. Martens Mary Janes, which I wore every day until a growth spurt caused me to forgo them in favor of a roomy pair of fluorescent Adidas running sneakers. In retrospect, an ugly but acceptable choice because the only groups that can wear running sneakers with jeans sans judgment are little kids and dads.

In fifth grade, my friend and I secured our bffaeaeae status by buying the same pair of Dr. Martens knock-offs courtesy of Skechers. There's nothing more effective at warding off new friends than by wearing matching bowel movement brown oxford lace-ups. I'd say that the shoes lasted as long as our friendship, but we're still friends and the faux rubber soles deteriorated a couple of days into middle school.

I didn't consider Dr. Martens again until The Princess Diaries came out and deemed itself the Best. Movie. Ever. (Obligatory Anne Hathaway sucks comment: she has yet to deliver a performance better than her portrayal of Mia Thermapolis.) Despite their being Mia's footwear of choice pre-Paolo makeover, the Dr. Martens don't look that bad, and they seemed to be a practical choice for navigating the hills of San Francisco.

It's fitting then that I was in my company's San Francisco office last month when a co-worker who I don't personally know walked in to work wearing black Dr Martens with grey skinny jeans, a graphic tee, and an oversized car coat. She didn't look like a high school misfit/overanxious hipster, she looked pretty chic and put together. And since then, I've been pining over a pair of Dr. Martens 1460s.

I don't know. I've seen enough girls on the street with pink hair and floral (or worse, purple) Dr. Martens boots to taint my perception of them. Then again, typing Dr. Martens into StreetPeeper's search box renders images of edgy models and bloggers wearing the boots, swaying me back to the pro side.

Something to think about.

(Who else is streaming Katy Perry's new album today? So pop, so mainstream, so good.)