Every Clog Has Its Day

Sensible Shoes Sunday: Melissa Clogs

The well-meaning middle aged man who urgently pressed his one word into the ear of Benjamin Braddock didn't make much of an impression on Dustin Hoffman's character in The Graduate. But apparently the Brazilian shoe manufacturer Melissa was listening in and took his advice to heart. Thirty years ago they launched a fashion footwear company that has evolved to create all of its wares from...you guessed it: plastics! And not some refinery reeking, ozone depleting, toxic petrochemical nightmare brew of organic compounds either. This noble brand is pointing the way forward in our increasingly green conscious culture by fabricating their shoes out of "a patented, hypo-allergenic, recyclable, and extremely flexible PVC" that they've dubbed MELFLEX. I gleaned that little tidbit from this article on inhabitat.com. And I have to say, the more I look into this company, the more I'm impressed. For example, their sustainable industry/environmentally friendly stance has attracted all sorts of celebrity guest designers. Vivienne Westwood turned quite a few heads (and opened a fair share of pocketbooks, too) with her Anglomania line. 

Rising fashion star Alexandre Herchcovitch is making a name for himself on runways around the globe. He turned the Melissa line in a new direction with his decidedly androgynous oxfords.

While acclaimed British/Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid (whom you would have found on the Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2008) contributed her own modernist sensibilities to the ever growing Melissa line. Unfortunately, this photo doesn't do justice to the asymmetrical cut of the shoes or the unique buckle-less strap design.

 

Clearly this is a company that's making friends in high places. And thanks to our more ecologically enlightened midnset, the key to this success seems to be,...you guessed it: plastics!

What does all this have to do with you and me? Well, God love 'em, the men and women behind the scenes at Melissa haven't forgotten about us clog fans. Back in 2008 they launched a line of whimsically styled, intensely colorful clogs. Oddly enough, the shoe was named "Clogh". (I have no idea where the additional letter came from.) But no matter how you spell it, this sturdy shoe has a plenty to love about it. A bit lacking in the wooden construction department, but hey, this is Sensible Shoes Sunday. And what could be more sensible than an environmentally friendly shoe?

 
 

 
 

These photos courtesy of the Melissa Plastic Dreams web site. A quick Google search may turn up some remaining stock from various online retailers in sizes from S to XL. Flipping through the Melissa Collection via your browser can be fun, but if you really want to see these shoes in action, pay a visit to the Melissa YouTube channel. (Be sure to look for the Melissa Clogh in motion about 2:10 into this video.)

 

 

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Oops! Forgot to mention something else that makes these manmade shoes so distinctive. The plastic is specially concocted to smell like bubblegum. Now there's a novel idea!

  

Saturday Flea Market: Pimento Spread

It's amazing how adept one becomes at reading photos. Spend a little time studying the pictures in celebrity tabloids or cooking magazines, and you find yourself filling in all sorts of blanks. "Oh, she's wearing Jimmy Choos with that outfit." "That's not parsley! That's cilantro!" The same goes for clog spotting. Graze through any shoe site and take a look at what's being offered, and you'll find yourself appraising the cut and the construction and the general overall feel of a shoe simply based on what's in the photos. And after a few months ordering and trying different styles in person, you'll fine tune that knowledge to the point of certainty.

That's why I so appreciate the fine photo work provided by eBay seller bohemian-wrap-city. Where some moneymaking hopefuls would content themselves with a single, hurriedly snapped cell phone pic, these hard working vintage clothing specialists treat every item they post to the full photo shoot treatment. Which means when they put something up for auction, it's almost like you can hold it in your own two hands and turn it every which way. As you can see, this particular clog has details that go on for days: snub toe with hand stitching, Western stitching accent on the instep, side cut outs, "silver" buckle with metal tipped strap, uniquely carved wooden sole. The brand is Pimento, and yes, they gave this shoe quite a spread.

 

 
 
 
 
 

You just have to smile

What did we do in the days before the internet? Think of all the time spent haunting shoe departments and thrift stores in search of some new footwear find. And when you consider all the time we spent looking through styles that simply did nothing for us, it's a wonder we found anything worth wearing at all! At least in this digital age we have the opportunity to browse in comfort. Both newly released styles and vintage looks. I've been a collector of shoe images from the web for years...most of which pop up on my computer display in a continually updating photo frame widget. And today I happened to see this style that I found online back in 2007.

 

Every clog lover knows that there's a basic look to the majority of clogs on the market. We're all well acquainted with the standard rounded orthopedic bottom with its snubby, slightly upturned toe and the sturdy heel that angles smoothly to the ground. It's the sole that's launched a thousand shoes. And of course the leather upper on every one of those thousand shoes follows the same basic contours sloping from the top of the instep to the rounded toe in the front. Say the word "clog" to most people, and that's the image that comes to mind. 

At first glance, the features on this particular shoe seem so familiar. Even down to the staples that ring the foot securing the leather to the wood. Which is why I always smile when the clog you see above pops up on my rotating footwear photo album. Because whoever designed this shoe took that conventional look with its modest stitching around the mouth and that practical strap at the rear and married it to a platform of truly breathtaking proportions.

 

 

Clearly these are not your mother's clogs. 

Personally, I love styles that are out of the ordinary. If you've dug very deeply in this blog, that's obvious. But I find this particular pair so amusing for its combination of design elements that are both conservative and outrageous. And what an experience that must be to wear these shoes. When you look down at your feet from above, you're greeted with the look of a conventional clog. Yet as you make your way through your day you know you'd better watch your step. As any shoe lover will tell you, wiping out in a pair of heels is an experience to be avoided at all costs. Not only is it extremely embarrassing and hurtful to your pride, but if you do any physical damage, it can keep you from enjoying all of the shoes you love so much.

Enjoy your weekend. And tread carefully!

Behind every pair of shoes...

...is a story or two waiting to be told.

I've been seeing these sweet little clogs on eBay for a few months now, but try as she might, seller victorydue hasn't been able to get any takers. Which is a shame considering that the Guillaume Hinfray name is a worthy one in the world of fashion and design. According to this article from the Women's Wear Daily website, the man Guillaume Hinfray is only one half of the label Guillaume Hinfray. The other half is Guillaume's partner Marco Censi. They met after Guillaume stepped away from positions at Hermes and Lanvin to explore shoe design at Bottega Veneta. The two wound up as chief designers at Salvatore Ferragamo before launching their own line in 2002. It ain't rocket science, but Hinfray says that working in fashion was as complex as making shoes  But as he points out, "Shoes may even be the most difficult. You can hurt somebody with a bad shoe." 

I'm pretty sure he means that literally. Though I have to say I've viewed some footwear in my time whose mere existence has caused me pain. 

On the newly relisted eBay auction for these clogs, the seller notes that they originally sold for $500.00. Perhaps a little reassurance is in order. Hinfray believes that if you choose "to create shoes that are expensive, you must make them worth it, so it will be a source of satisfaction to use them." Lovely carved wood soles with whimsical flower embossed leather uppers. And oh, yes, according to Marco that metal detail on each shoe matches the piercing that Guillaume sports on his eyebrow.

Clearly, these are not just a pair of clogs. They're a complete fashion experience!

 
 
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This just in. Courtesy of the seller herself. Another shot of these sweet little clogs you can bid for on eBay. Patio deck and breathtaking countryside not included.