Sunday Odds and Ends

If these posts had a place to put a subtitle, the one for today would be: An assortment of stuff that didn't really fit in anywhere else this week. You, gentle reader, come here to take a peek into the world of clogs. But I suspect you also have an interest in shoes in general. So I'm thinking this might be a good way to cover some interesting tidbits about a wide range of footwear related topics without leaving you feeling like you invested a perfectly good mouse click to get here and all I've posted for the day is picture of a clog made out of soap. These occasional Odds and Ends posts will venture afield, I imagine, but I will make it my mission to include some sort of wood soled shoe content with each outing. It is the fair thing to do.

What inspired me to give this series a try were the fun facts to know and tell I uncovered while rooting around the internet for details about those Alexander McQueen armadillo boots a week ago. Clearly not clog related, but of interest nonetheless. So when I found myself foundering this past week in shoe trivia I didn't know what to do with, the solution seemed obvious. Bear with me as I chart a course into these unexplored waters every other Sunday or so. I think it will be fun.

If you recall those Alexander McQueen boots, they were notable for the uniqueness of their design and construction. Clearly the intention was to make an impact. And that's exactly what they did as fashion pages and fashionista blogs were flooded with commentary and comments both pro and con concerning this groundbreaking style. But as much as I love the shoes and admire the late designer who brought them into being, this past week I found myself more than once wondering "Why those shoes, and not these?" 

For example, these platform pumps from Dutch fashion designer Jan Taminiau certainly raise the bar for heelless construction. Mr. Taminiau debuted this style when he opened Fashion Week in Amsterdam this year. The theme of his show: Duality. Which he explained "praises the powerful woman that, in all her beauteousness, is not afraid of seduction and conquest." The outfits are bold and fanciful. Naturally, the shoes worn with them had to be equally up to the task. Photos courtesy of FashionWindows.net. Definitely worth the jump to view more of this inventive designer's work.

 

Obviously, the question everyone wants to ask is "Can you walk in them?" The answer is yes. And from what I can tell from this video of Mr. Taminiau's Spring 2010 show, the models are not having any trouble in them at all.

Elsewhere on the planet, a young fashion designer named Chau Har Lee has just let her voice be heard with an intriguing collection of footwear fabricated out of such unexpected materials as steel and perspex. Her own web site announces that she only just graduated last year from London's Royal College of Art with a degree in Women's Fashionwear Footwear, but clearly she's only just getting started! 

For a different perspective on Chau Har Lee's designs (and to see a few not posted on her own site), take a spin by the Style Bubble fashion blog. The translucent orange sandal really catches my eye.

Meanwhile, a fashion student named Madeline Vintback just sent a rather incredible pair of wooden platform shoes down the runway at her recent show at Stockholm's Beckmans College of Design. An admirer named Sonny documented many of the thought provoking designs the students had dreamt up on his blog. And though I had plenty of enjoyment just ogling the pretty pictures, Ms. Vintback's creations moved me to share them with you.

 

There. Not a bad collection of odds and ends, wouldn't you say? If it felt a little low in clog content, please stay tuned. I'll be posting about this particular pair of high heeled klompen I just discovered some Sunday soon.

 

 
 

Comments

[The Chic Petite]

The Tamineau pumps are amazing. They make the foot look so much like a horse's hoof (I mean that in the nicest possible way), it's like seeing Darwin's homologous structures in action.

[Lindsey Cochran]

Dont know why, but Ive always been fascinated by shoes that are out of the ordinary. They fill me with as much excitement for the creativity of the designer thats on display as I feel for the fearlessness of the person whos chosen to wear them. Considering that the world of fashion is a world of sensual pleasures, its not so surprising to find designers borrowing a page or two from the fetish community. The hoof look of those Jan Taminiau pumps is a perfect example. They clearly call to mind the pony boots that have been on the market for some time. In a similar fashion, Alexander McQueens armadillo boots create the toe walking illusion of ballet boots. And then there are all the thigh high boots, stiletto heels, and towering platforms that designers send down their runways on a regular basis. Clearly sensuality is a language spoken in many places.

And thank you for alerting me to that insight of Charles Darwins. (I wonder if he ever dreamed his ideas would be discussed in a public forum on fashion!) I was aware (most likely from past viewings of Discovery Channel specials) that the structure of a human arm (upper arm, forearm, fingers) corresponds to the structure of a birds wing (supporting bones, ribbing). But I wasnt aware of the name for that distinction. For anyone who wishes to do a little more digging on the subject of homologous structures (structures which have evolved in different directions from a common ancestor) versus analogous structures (structures which function similarly but have evolved via different paths...such as bird wings as compared to butterfly wings), I found this particular page on developmental biology quite helpful:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=dbiopart=A69

I wonder if the National Center for Biotechnology Information ever dreamed theyd be mentioned on a blog like this!