What do you call them in your neck of the woods then? Plimsolls, gym shoes, daps, pumps, tennis shoes, rubbers, sandshoes, sneakers, trainers, tackies... A lightweight canvas sports shoe with a rubber sole
My first plimsolls were black, with an elasticated gusset, so we could easily slip them on for PE at school [having first removed outer clothes, and were just in our vest and pants]
In the mid 19th C they were called sandshoes, but the coloured horizontal band joining the sole to the upper got them the nickname "Plimsoll" after the Load Line round a ship which had just been introduced
If you got water above that line on your shoes, your feet would get wet!
At secondary school we had to have white plimsolls for tennis. Mine came from a bloke on Romford Market I think. Other people [with more money!] had 'proper' Dunlop Green Flash shoes. Worn at Wimbledon since 1929 [Fred Perry, three times champion wore them and won, three years in a row, 1934-1936] The ad on the left is 25 years old!
White plimsolls were back in fashion in 2021, and I treated myself to a pair from Muji. How bright and white they were when I got them. I have worn them a lot during the last three summers, with jeans, and with skirts. They are cool and comfortable.
But now it is almost October, and they'll go away with my summer clothes till next Easter. They looked so grey and grubby last week. I have scrubbed them well with a mixture of Washing Powder and Vanish, and soaked the laces in more of the WP&V solution.
I rinsed them and pegged them on the airer to dry.
I did not risk putting them through the washing machine in case they disintegrated! Clothes
and shoes put into winter storage should be put away
clean. Though I doubt these will ever regain their virgin purity!
Perhaps I should treat myself to a bottle of Cherry Blossom Sports Whitener. I remember Grandad watching some cricketers and muttering about their dirty shoes. In
his day, every man kept his sports footwear [and parts of his army uniform too] pristine white with
an application of Blanco...
How times have changed! My grandchildren wear shoes with velcro straps, and trainers you can run under the tap or put through the washing machine!!
My children's primary school required all the pupils to wear black plimsolls as indoor shoes. Back in the 'olden days' when we were young we had to have regulation Clarks or start-rite proper leather indoor AND outdoor shoes; at boarding school I neded an extra pair of indoor shoes, one pair at school and one pair in the boarding house about a mile away. Talk about ££££!
ReplyDeleteAt the end of a Summer term I decorated my daughter's black plimsolls with gold decor paint snd she happily wore them all thrthe holidays. That was quite a saving.
I love the golden slippers! I remember painting a green pair of shoes black once, so they could be worn as uniform shoes, to save £££
DeleteI use the word Daps from when I lived in Bristol. I wear Sketchers, black ones that look like plimsolls. I started wearing them when we lived on the boat and I still wear them now, especially when walking the dog.
ReplyDeleteDaps is definitely Wales /West Country. I met a lady at church yesterday who showed me her new Sketchers, "my podiatrist recommends them" she told me.
DeleteWe call them plimsolls here. I wear Sketchers nearly all the time. I have black, navy blue and a turquoise pair. They all wash really well in the washing machine. They are not stylish but oh so comfortable. My feet complain when I have to wear "proper" shoes. You got your white plimsolls quite pristine again. No plimsolls today it is pouring with rain here Wellingtons are called for. Regards Sue H
DeleteThrowing it down with rain here too.🌧️☂️🌧️
DeleteDaps in Wales! Never heard them callled this anywhere else. I had completely forgotten shoe whitener for white sandals. Also , cutting the toes out of leather sandals to get one more wear. Best wishes Jill
ReplyDeleteCousin Gill and I always had new white sandals every year for the Sunday School anniversary!
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