Charlotte, North Carolina
Gate E20
My eyes landed on these colorful kicks while waiting to board a flight to Austin last weekend. As I mentioned in my first blog post, I absolutely love people watching at the airport. It ranks right up there with peanut butter and designer jeans. I love speculating about what they're doing and where they're going, and often their attire factors in heavily when making these conjectures. Is it an investment banker in a business suit, frantically running to make his connection en route to close a huge deal in Manhattan? A college sorority girl, proudly (often obnoxiously) displaying her Greek letters on her chest as she flies home for the weekend? A family of four, all decked out in matching Mickey Mouse ears as they return home from their first magical trip to Disney World?
In this case, the girl who claimed ownership of the colorful sneaks appeared to be in her early 20s, possibly college age but I suspect recently graduated. The tights/skirt/shoes combo was a bold choice, particularly on a chilly evening in early February, but I respected her unspoken desire to differentiate herself from those around her. She exuded confidence in herself and in her sense of style, which was certainly best reflected in her unique choice of footwear. I found myself looking down at my ripped jeans and nondescript flip-flops almost guiltily, as though I should've put more thought into my own appearance. After all, if people like me are assessing the wardrobe of those around me, I'm sure the reciprocal is also true. Guess I better bring my A game next time.
