BY DESIGN : OFF THE CUFF : Sole Inspiration

Is Al Bundy of “Married . . . With Children” a heel because of his job? NO! Say shoe salespeople everywhere. Fitting feet is a distinguished profession, confirms David Lang, who’s been doing it for five years.

This is another in a series of first-person columns that allow people in the fashion industry to talk about their encounters .

At Rangoni & Huggins Shoes in Fashion Island Newport Beach, Lang, a fresh-faced manager and salesman, holds court over an array of better-label shoes--Cole Haan and Stuart Weistzman, among others. He says he’s working in paradise.

*

It’s not really a gross thing, working with feet. It’s not as bad as people think. With the customers who come in here, foot odor is not really a big problem, but if I am apprehensive, I will let them put on their own shoe. Still, I wash my hands about three times a day.

Most women who come in here dress pretty casually. At our shop on Lake Street in Pasadena, they’re wearing their St. John Knits (outfits) with the (matching) hosiery and dress heels.

But here, nine out of 10 women don’t even wear hosiery. And they don’t usually come in wearing their best shoes. But they are sophisticated shoppers. They are used to nice things, and it’s a lot easier to schmooze a really wealthy lady than someone who doesn’t have a lot of money. The (Newport Beach customers) walk in wearing a $20 shoe and walk out with a $200 shoe.

Women sometimes don’t want to have to say they wear a bigger size shoe than they did when they were younger, so for vanity reasons, they fudge on the size. Age, having kids and wearing flats make the arches fall inward (and feet spread), and that can change the shoe size. And if they don’t properly clip their big toenails, they may have to go up a size, too. Of course, I could never say that to them.

I used to sell jewelry and clothing, but I honestly prefer shoes--they are more of a necessity.

When it comes to being spiritually akin to Al Bundy, overall I’d have to say I’m not. But sometimes I watch that show and I say to myself, “You know, you’re doing the same things he’s doing, (and) he gets ragged hard.”

But really, my situation is different. My friends don’t give me a hard time, because I make pretty good money.

And as far as it being a good place to check out babes, it is. I’m single, and I have met and kept in touch with some wonderful friends.