he’s from a family of shoemakers - he notices shoes. it was a character trait i put in early on and have tried to carry it forward. I can’t remember where i got the idea from, but it has stuck with me for a long time, as you say - you can learn a lot about a person by their shoes.
Looking at those boots was like staring into a deep hole. Without buttons or buckles or even a toe-crease, they fit like they were grown rather than made
His quill pen, falling from its perch atop his ear, left yet another long black streak down the back of his blue learner’s robe, and joined several others in becoming permanently mislaid.
