FOOTWEAR FOCUS ROAD TEST
By Joan Collett T
here simply is no accounting for names. Today, girls are so seldom named Ethel, Doris, Pearl or Myrtle. It is part generational, will
Auntie Agatha be offended if we don't name our precious daughter after her (that may depend on how much Aunt Agatha will leave us in her will.) Naming is also part class associations - some of
these names evoke memories of terraced houses, cobbled streets and men in flat caps in the dole queue smoking Senior Service. And, it’s part fashion - who would not name their child after a French wine nowadays: there seems to be a lot of Chardonnay about, or a perhaps a "mother earth" name like Sky, Storm or Star. An aversion to certain names is because of their associations - you probably wouldn't find a girl in New Orleans being Christened Katrina. U-boat is the anglicised version of the German
word U-Boot an abbreviation of Unterseeboot, which means "undersea boat" - the submarines that nearly brought Britain under the heel of the Nazi jackboot in the World War II. The naming of the U-Boot Alice from Gumbies that I was given to test,might seem a tad unusual, but it did prove to be a very strong boot! I thought I would give the boots the proper
country test by taking them to my local Point-to- Point, the amateur horse racing meetings that are run across the country. The weather was foul (when has it not been of late?) and it was questionable whether the races would be run because of the soft ground and the risk to horses and riders. Well, my U-Boots were a bit like U-Boats gliding along under the water! The boots are made using
high quality leathers and suede and as waterproof as any, much less stylish, Wellington boot that most others at the races were wearing (the Wellington boot has a military association too, of course, they were supposedly designed for the use of the great general, the Duke of Wellington.) Gumbies say the boots are ideal for all kinds of
outdoor activities such as walking, riding or as a fashion boot. I was at the Point-to-Point and doing my bit by selling the race cards and was surprised by the number of people who commented on my boots. In fact, a couple of people said to me, "What nice boots, I am surprised you are ruining them in these conditions." They are not only completely waterproof, but
because they are fully lined they kept my feet dry and toasty. At events like point-to-points one tends to spend a lot of time on one’s feet and covering a lot of ground going from where the runners are paraded to the course to watch the race and then to the bookies to collect your winnings (ha! ha!) and back to the parade ring for the next race. But, if truth be told, after I had cleaned them
up the following day (I seemed to bring home half the racecourse mud!) they looked as good as new and what is more they had proved extremely comfortable. Just to round off, a friend of mine's daughter
was riding one of the runners at the point-to-point and she won her race despite the conditions. And, as she is a friend I had put some money on her - but unfortunately my winnings were not sufficient to buy her a pair of U-Boot Alice boots as reward - much as I would have liked to!
Details:
Black Leather U-Boot. RRP: £160 - Trade: £65 Contact: Gumbies Footwear Tel: 01258 839100 Email:
tom@gumbies.co.uk Web:
www.gumbies.co.uk
12 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• JUNE/JULY 2013
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