What are your two favorite things to wear?
I was going to go in a different direction until Sara brought up her Doc Martens.
Oh yeah… my Docs. I love those boots.
I bought my Docs in 1996. I was an intern at Detroit Metro Airport that summer. They had just broken ground on the McNamera terminal, and the construction supervisor wanted someone to go around and take pictures of the progress. I was the only intern with a 35mm camera. Yes, folks, digital film was still in its infancy. I used good ol’ Kodak 100.
I needed to be on the construction site, and one requirement was work boots. I opted for Docs. They were still considered “punk” and definitely didn’t look like something my dad would wear. I shelled out $125, thinking that was a really exorbitant price for footwear. 😂 The first two days were excruciating while they broke in. On the third day… Ahhh – best shoes ever!
Here they are today, in all their scuffed and worn-out glory. I should buy another pair, but how do I get rid of something that I’ve had almost half my life?
My other favorite thing to wear is my trench coat. I bought that just a few years later. I graduated from college and was living in Northern Virginia, working as a revenue analyst for a regional airline. I needed some clothes that looked a little more professional. A tattered army jacket “borrowed” from a long-ago boyfriend was no longer cutting it.
Off to JCPenney I went. For $45, I found a hot little black number that falls perfectly to about an inch and a half above the ankle. It’s not a heavy coat, so perfect for spring and fall. I got even more mileage out of it in VA, where winters are less extreme.
The best thing about the boots and trench is how they work together. Donning them both forms a perfect synergy that transforms me from mild-mannered, fifty-something marketing content specialist to Superhero Gothy McBadAss.
I’m truly unstoppable in this gear.
Life is a dark ride 
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