Summer Outfits

It's funny to notice someone who is barefoot but has otherwise looks very put-together—like a downtown store clerk in a somewhat bohemian town where we once lived. She wore spring outfits on nice days but sometimes no shoes. Also my dog-walking neighbor, and my classmate strolling on a chilly autumn day.

As I said earlier, it’s a little like the host or hostess of a casual house party (usually the hostess) who, dressed and barefooted, is ready for the party.

A cousin laughed as she told of another cousin who arrived at a family event barefoot in a suit and tie. He had gotten only so far in “dressing down” from his Sunday best.

At a strip mall in the South, I noticed a fellow in casual summer clothes, walking barefoot into a shoe store with his family. You don’t see many folks in shoe stores starting from scratch, as it were…