Every Clog Has Its Day

The Ugglebo 'Make Your Day a Little Better' Giveaway

 

 

 

What's New? (as of February 1, 2012)

 

 his post should be properly subtitled The Swedish Hasbeens Edition. But, alas, my blogging software doesn't permit me subtitles. Subtleties, yes. Subtitles, no. It was only last week that I was lamenting the apparent cooling of the fashion world's fervor for clogs, yet here I sit poised to compose another What's New? post, and I'm actually wrestling with how best to acknowledge all the new styles I've seen on the market lately without giving short shrift to any of the worthy styles. So I've opted to devote today's edition of ECHID entirely to the latest wooden goodness from Stockholm. And I'm thrilled to report that just when you think you've seen it all in the clog universe, the Hasbeens crew comes through with new features to delight us all. And I'm not just talking shoe design. As their website now proudly points out: New! Pay with PayPal!

Why, don't mind if I do!

 

__________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

1.  Striped Beach Sandal from Swedish Hasbeens

Available in black, blue, yellow, red, and pink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

 

2.  Tennis Wedge from Swedish Hasbeens

Available in white and black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

 

3.  Strong Lady from Swedish Hasbeens

Available in red and white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

 

4.  T-bar Sandal from Swedish Hasbeens

Available in brown, red, and white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

 

5.  Baskemölla Duck Toe from Swedish Hasbeens

Note the wide toe. Available in black and blue.

Extra credit for providing an explanation how the model was able to strike that pose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

 

6.  Duck Toe Sandal from Swedish Hasbeens

Available in black, nature, and red.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________

 

 

 

 

[On my feet as I blog:  the timing may seem suspect, but I assure you when I got dressed in the morning, my next blog post was the last thing on my mind. How synchronistic of me to have chosen to wear my Double Strap Lace Up Low clog boot from, who else, Swedish Hasbeens. They've filled the shoe niche in my wardrobe formerly occupied by my Storytime clog booties from BC Footwear (and the Outerspace clog bootie from BC Footwear before that). And they're wood soled, too! Nicely done, Hasbeens!]

 

 

Berkemann is teasing us with details!

 

nd let me tell you, I love the way they're doing it. Europeans have long known and loved the Berkemann brand of clogs, but we only hear of them in fits and starts here in North America. Ironically, it was an ECHID reader from South Africa who directed my gaze at what new things are brewing in the Berkemann camp. Keep in mind that I'm relying on Google Translate to flesh out the story thus far so I may be missing some of the finer points of the campaign. But the upshot seems to be that Berkemann has a fresh new line up of wood soled shoes heading our way in their Spring/Summer 2012 collection, and we'd best sit up and take notice!

Photos of shoes are the easiest way to get the attention of us clog fans. This blog has proven that time and again. But Berkemann is holding back with the payoff. To launch their coming attractions, they've built a campaign around a series of graphic renderings of our fave footwear that owe a lot to the pared-to-the-basics illustrations of comic strips. I immediately thought of the paintings of Roy Lichtenstein and the images created by Patrick Nagel. Berkemann has some showstoppers waiting in the wings ready to take center stage. And they're launching these shoes under the brand name 1885 (located online at www.1885.eu).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the 1885 website,

Die wilden 60iger in New York. Ein Club in Manhattan. Die Band spielt ihre letzten Songs. Rick L.s Blick schweift umher und da steht SIE. Blond, ein Engel mit Highheels aus Holz. Er fasst sich ein Herz. Lädt sie auf den 1885er-Cocktail ein. Sie ist zu Besuch aus Hamburg. Der Rest ist Geschichte...

2011 – Ein Dachboden in Hamburg-Lokstedt
Dem deutsch-amerikanischen Schuhdesigner Andy L. fallen vergilbte Fotos in die Hände. Es muss der Abend des ersten Dates gewesen sein, von dem seine Eltern immer so gern erzählen. Sein Blick fällt auf die Schuhe seiner Mom. Die Highheels aus Holz, die damals schon die Aufmerksamkeit seines Dads entfachten.

Die Idee ist geboren:
1885 – Glamorous Shoes for Supergirls

The gist of this content seems to be this (and those of you who speak German please correct me if I'm wrong): German-American shoe designer Andy L. came across some old photos of his parents on one of their first dates. In a New York night club his father had spotted her while visiting from Hamburg, a striking blonde with high heels made of wood. The boy notices the shoes in the picture. And an idea for a new line of shoes is born.

The part of the narrative I'm really hazy on, though, is how does 1885 fit into the plot. Google has been no help here. The website's Die Story page refers to an "1885er cocktail". Anyone care to hazard a guess. Or better yet, an explanation? While we wait, we have other styles to make guesses about, too. Here are just some of the shoes listed on the 1885 Die Kollektion page.

 

 

 

 

And if that's not enough, you can treat yourself to the much higher res versions of these teaser images on the 1885 Gimmicks page, jpegs big enough to fill your computer display with these delightful drawings.

 

 

 

 

 

Want to know more? It's the Spring/Summer 2012 collection so we obviously won't have to wait for long. But if you're looking for a little more gratification now, pay a visit to the 1885 page on Facebook. Between the posts of the site's webmaster and those of Berkemann employee "Karla Klapper", you'll get quite a few peeks at what's heading our way.

 

 

____________________________________

 

 

 

[On my feet as I blog:  I received a special request from my visitor to bring out my Savanna clog boots from UGG Australia, and I am nothing if I am not a gracious host.]

Gal Day Monday...and Ugglebo wants our input!

 

on't worry. I'm not launching a new series of posts. Today's headline is merely a riff on a feature I ran a few months back. You may recall that the folks at Ugglebo wanted to hear from ECHID readers on ways they could enhance their men's clog designs. I know the remarks and input we generated at the time definitely gave them something to think about. So it shouldn't surprise us that they'd like to get our opinion once again. This time on their new women's styles. The Ugglebo Spring/Summer 2012 line is waiting in the wings, but before they go into production,.... Well, let me allow Fredrik Eklund, Marketing and Brand Manager for Ugglebo have the floor:

I really enjoyed the feedback we got from your readers with regards to the potential men's clog line, and as such, I was wondering if you and your readers would like to help out with the Ugglebo Spring and Summer 2012 Collection? We think that it might be a fun way for people to have their voice heard and influence the direction that we are taking with this coming collection. We would like to choose our limited handcrafted stock selection based on some of your valued feedback since we want to produce clogs that people would actually want to buy. 

I'm thinking it's time to rally the troops and give this fine maker the benefit of our experience as clog fans. You'll find a number of the new designs Ugglebo is considering in the photos below. And they have a number of features they have questions about, too. Please take a moment and let them know what you think via the Comments. As with our ad hoc Guy Day Friday focus group, the feedback we supply today can provide us with the clogs we love tomorrow.

Questions to ponder (feel free to copy and past these in your comment and type in your answers):

1.  What do you think of the collection as a whole?

2.  What styles are your favorites and why?

3.  What do you think of each of these new Ugglebo features: slingbacks? Peep toes? Wedge clogs? Semi-wedge clog sandals?

4.  What do you think of the colors offered?

5.  Which do you prefer: light wood base or dark wood?

6.  Which do you prefer: staples or nail heads? 

Here's to a brighter clog future! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

____________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

[On my feet as I blog: that awesomely tall Tunacha wood soled lace up boot from N. Y. L. A....pictured here with a favorite Madewell style of a fellow clog fan.]

No, it wasn't! Surprisingly.

 

egular reader T Scott wrote in the other day to ask, "Was that you, Lindsey?"

 

 

 

Largest Dutch clog goes missing

Dutch police in the eastern town of Enter are investigating the theft of the country's largest clog after it disappeared without trace from its main street, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday.

"We don't know who stole it, but it's disappeared," Rosita de Vries said of the clog, which at four metres (13 feet) in length and weighing almost two tonnes is the largest example of the Dutch icon, police said.

"It is a joke. We even received an email announcing that the shoe will probably be back after Carnival," in mid-February, she told AFP, adding it was believed the shoe disappeared Friday night or early on Saturday.

Police however failed to trace the email and inquiries lead to nowhere, De Vries said.

"They (the thieves) would have had a truck to fly off with this shoe," which was about two metres (6.5 feet) high, De Vries said adding even if it was done as a joke, the thieves will "answer in court" for their actions.

(spotted on Yahoo! News)

 

__________________________________

 

 

 

[On my feet as I blog:  I'm the one in the steel blue Xray clog from Bernardo Footwear at the top of the image. Melissa showed up in Chicago with her Certitude clog bootie from John Fluevog on her feet. I have clearly met my match!]