Scrubs and shoes – there’s really not much a guy or gal can say about style on the medical floors. In ‘The Hospitalist Manual’, I talk about how ‘scrub culture’ is invading the last vestiges of decency within medicine, and that, in terms of style, we’re all just become one homogenized assembly line of teal green health care factory workers. Well, NCL is here to shine a light on this dim future by occasionally dropping a review of what we like to refer to as ‘medical couture’, ie things that we’ve seen worn amongst our colleagues that suggest that scrub culture can have an edge too.
First up on the chopping block is the humble shoe. Or more specifically, the shoe worn with scrubs.
Let’s start off with the transgressions of yesteyear, so that we may not be doomed to commit the same mistakes of our upperclassmen. I’m pleased to report that the great Croc epidemic of 2004 is slowly fading from memory. Yes, they were supremely comfortable. Yes, they could survive nuclear winter, but that’s not really the point, is it? Having neon orange footware says a lot about an individual, and there is a part of me that cringes with the thought of thousands and thousands of pairs of these things sitting in landfills as we collectively awaken from the hangover that was ‘what the hell did I have on my feet for the past two years’?
Alas, there appears to be a second trend rearing its head that makes a brother want to cut on himself. That is the phenomenon that is the Z-coil shoe. It’s basically a rubberized high-heel shoe with an effing great big spring attached to the heel. Truly, they are a sight to behold. Perhaps most disconcerting of all is the somewhat fanboy/fangirlish fervor that wearers will swear by how these monstrosities of have helped their backs, posture, varicose veins, sex-lives, etc. I’m looking at you, the nurses in my ICU. Please – if any of you out there are seriously considering making a purchase of these Willy Wonka shoes, we have counselors waiting on standby to help you in your time of need.
Nooooo!!!!!
OK, enough negativity. Time to look at some frankly awesome alternatives to what might refer to as the frightening plague of banality that is injection molded rubber shoes, boring sneakers, and springy-thingies. Let’s start off with my current fave – Tom’s Shoes. If you haven’t heard about he good Mr. Tom and his crusade to make the place, one pair of shoes at a time, then shame on you. AT&T, before they became fixated with trying to compete with Verizon’s 3G coverage (they can’t), ran a small series of commercials talking about this little company and their admirable mission. Here it is:
Yeah, I know pretty cool, right? Anyhow, while I don’t really see myself jaunting around town with these, uhm, expensive slightly more robust house slippers, there I said it, I do think they’re perfect for scrub-ware, and dayam if they’re not comfortable. And did I mention that they were expensive? Yeah, all of that feel good humanity stuff comes at a price. Still, if you’re going to drop major coin on something, why not let it pay forwards, right? So Tom’s Shoes. Check em out.
Next up, we have a pair of shoes that I discovered quite by accident while looking for a pair of walking shoes while we were in Vegas last. I had only brought fancy dress shoes and felt kinda like a pillock walking around town in them, so I wanted some cheap and cheerful shoes that would ultimately double as my scrub shoes. Rocket Dogs are the somewhat ominous sounding brand name, but I’ve come to love my ‘Dogs’ dearly over the past two years. They’re made of hemp, claim to be recycled, and are also, comfortable as all get out. Randomly, while looking for a pic to share with you, I came across my exact pair, on the flikr stream of a guy (and possible shoe fetishist) named Elziard. Thanks Elziard!
Hemp - it does a body good!
And did I mention that they were dirt cheap? $10 for scrub shoe bliss. Granted, at those prices, it is entirely possible that they were put together in a sweatshop, but I’m hoping that the same kid that put together my shoes will be wearing shoes I inadvertently purchased for him thanks to the efforts of Mr. Tom, or Blake or whoever in some sort of karmic twist. Unlikely. Seriously, go with the Tom’s shoes
So what about you? Any recommendations for footwear while you’re rocking the teal green scrubs? Let us know and, while you’re at it, feel free to send us in some pics of your shoes that you’re wearing right now and tell us why you chose to wear what you did. Except the springy-thingies. The best explanation gets a limited edition NCL scrubtop – booya!
3 Comments (including trackbacks)
Rocket dogs, when your dogs are bark’in – should be their new slogan.
On my quest to find the perfect hospital shoe, I was pressed to find something that would look good with a tie. The fact that I wear a tie to the ER is likely the result of spending so many days in medical school wearing a tie following around god-like mythical creatures that were Consultants. The bottom line for me was: Upper must be leather, lower must be man-made (and soft). Initially, I tried Rockports. They are almost unbelievably light-weight and while not stylish, have a rather understated business appeal. They are quite comfortable, but I have owned two pairs of them and they both emit a high pitched squeek when I walk. The positive side is that I have managed to avoid walking into any deer in the last two years. The second brand that I tried was Ecco. In case you haven’t heard, Ecco is the pinnacle of comfortable business shoes. They are pricey as well. The leather is soft and supple. The interior of the shoe is constructed from recycled materials, which is environmentally friendly too! The shoe is so soft (including the sole) that wearing the shoe is almost like wearing a thick sock. As a matter of fact, I notice that my socks aren’t as comfortable as they used to be, and I’ve noticed that I can tell what type of surface that I’m walking on just by feel. Some people might say this is a bad thing. Overall, I have been very happy with these shoes.
Haha – epic reply, Jerry. I can totally relate about the ties. And perfect timing regarding the Ecco’s – I happen to be looking for a pair of work shoes would work for day rounds (ie biz casual). A colleague swore by Ferragamo’s, but dropping $500+ on shoes just didn’t sit well with me. After your glowing review and perusing the site, I think my next pair of work shoes are going to be ecco montreux venetians – so thank you, sir! It’s funny, I was just getting ready to do an update on this very post as I had also retired my 3 year old rocketdogs, in favor of a radical experiment that has crossed over from my decision to switch over to bare, or nearly-barefoot running. A friend of mine told me to try running in aqua socks, so I got a pair, and am up to 2-4 miles 3x a week, and haven’t looked back. I’m so enthralled with them that they’ve now superseded the rocketdogs as my scrubshoe of choice. So there you have it!
Hi there, just stopped by doing some research for my Ecco site. Truly more information than you can imagine on the web. Looking for something else, but nice site. Cya later.
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