Creative people are the ones who take the raw material of our everyday existence and infuse it with energy and magic. So instead of residing in an identity-less society like China's under Chairman Mao (where both men and women wore outfits that were basically interchangeable...oh, wait...the gals did have the Mary Jane style available in their cloth footwear), we have the good fortune in living a land of options and variety. And that is a beautiful thing.
Even so, an occasional visionary soul emerges to wow us all over again with something so unexpected, so clever, and so right that all we can do is experience that V-8 moment and revel in the fact that at least one person on the planet was able to take those materials sitting right there in front of us all and put them together in a new way.
Are you ready to live that experience today?
Behold...the Clogverse:
Industrial design student Anton Danielsson is the free spirit who dreamed up this delightful design. As he explains on his Clogverse project blog:
Clogs, oh, clogs, where have you gone? The classic Swedish wooden slip-on shoe who all the great farmers (or more like everyone who lived in the countryside here in Sweden) wore when they went to the outhouse, the mailbox, or sometimes even as far as to the Saturday night dance. A few weeks ago I asked myself, why don't more people wear them these days? Why aren't clogs hip anymore? Maybe I should try to make them hip again. Now, that'd be a challenge!
My response is a hearty, "Mission accomplished!" Anton, you have definitely taken a plain and simple clog to some places we never dreamed it could go. Well done!
Do take a spin by Anton's diary of his project (via the link above). The photos below only give you a hint of how much hard work he put into it. (His efforts are all the more amazing, I think, because he started out with a black clog and painted all the necessary bits white.)
You can also get a peek at some of the other inventive things Anton has come up with by visiting his online design portfolio here: antondanielsson.blogspot.com.
All I can say is: I'll never look at a pair of plain white clogs the same way again!
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[On my feet today: Claudie clog bootie from Zigi Soho by day...though I'm due to meet a friend for dinner and that could inspire me to pull something different out of my arsenal. D'oh! Please excuse the camera strap hanging in front of the lens.]
Those of us who fell in love with clogs in our younger days no doubt recall another near ubiquitous (faux-) wood soled style: the Candie's slide. I was initially going to post the listing for just such a pair from Etsy seller robinetteofca when I noticed the follow up message read
Oh, this is great. I am a wooden sole lover too! Also included a couple other pics from the wardrobe.
I was expecting see just another pair or two, but lo and behold, Robinette has a shoe addiction I can relate to. No wonder the Etsy listing states
I've been collecting Candies for years in a quest to be Olivia Newton John in Grease, but alas I am starting to sell a few pairs slowly.
Does anyone remember my query on behalf of a reader from France who was trying to track down this high heeled clog? This was back in May of last year.
I'm not going to say I've solved the case, but while poking around on the web the other night, I ran across a style from a Brazilian shoe designer Fernando Pires that captures most of the same curves and attitude.
"Os tamancos foram desenhados por Fernando Pires." Or in English, "Clogs designed by Fernando Pires."
"Fernando Pires criou um clog super delicado, na cor nude, e, claro, com um salto incrÃvel!" Or in English, "Fernando Pires created a clog very delicate, the color nude, and of course with an incredible heel!"
And the same shoe, style name Pelica, from the Fernando Pires web site.
Don't hand out the cigar just yet, but I do feel that I'm getting close.
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[On my feet today: those Coco clog booties by Vince Camuto again. I've been meaning to point out what you can see in the photos. The style is constructed with a nubuck cuff that breaks on the instep and covers part of the heel. But although it's not designed to be worn folded up, I'm tempted to do just that. The leather beneath is absolutely gorgeous. VC and company should have taken this basic style and made a knee high clog boot, too.]
Shoes just wouldn't be as much fun to wear if they didn't feel so delightful when we slip them on. Something about the way a properly sized clog embraces our feet can be a heavenly experience. There's a sense of solidity and security under our soles while the upper surrounds our toes and insteps with warmth and tenderness. And if the shoe is a good fit, there's that sense of rightness when our foot slides into place. You could say they fit like a glove. (Though I'm more inclined to think my gloves "fit like a clog".) What a shame that there are more shoes in the world than we can possibly ever find in our own particular sizes. So many footwear experiences we'll never have a chance to sample. Still, every week when I visit eBay or Etsy, I find a seed of hope germinating within me wondering what new/old discoveries I might make. And maybe, just maybe, I might find that pair that beckons earnestly is actually in my size.
May your visit to today's Saturday Flea Market be a fruitful one.
I'm thinking these shoes have manmade midsoles, too.
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[On my feet today: those fabulous XRAY clogs from Bernardo. I'd wear 'em everyday if I didn't have 20 other pairs of shoes I need to get my money's worth out of!]
I have to say, I've really started looking forward to this new feature each week on Every Clog Has Its Day. And a good bit of the reason for that is the hearty response these Guy Day Friday posts receive from you readers. Clearly, we've touched a nerve with our online discussion of men and clogs. And I like to think we're finding strength in numbers on both sides of the gender line. Though even as I type those words, I'm reminded that the easy divisions of male and female have become as slippery as the terms masculine and feminine. We tend to think of men as determined by their XY chromosome and women by their XX chromosome. But what do we do with our siblings who are born with one of the other not all that uncommon chromosomal sets: XXY, XXX, YYY,XYY, or XO? And those are not all the variations that have been observed.
I grew up in a world in which men were men and women were women, and the roles, attitudes, norms, and styles of footwear were definitively defined for each. But as I got older and wiser, I began to see not only what any good psychologist would tell you, but also what any good physiologist would agree with: the things that make a man a man and a woman a woman are not so cut and dried. So where does anyone in this society get off telling anyone else the way things are supposed to be?
Puh-LEEZE!
The unanimous sentiment here in this corner of the internet is without a doubt that clogs are just fine on men. And I'm thrilled to help lead the chorus. Since that particular portion of the debater is settled, it now remains to figure out how I can help guys find the clogs they might actually enjoy wearing. Two styles I discovered this past week serve to illustrate the plight of male clog fans. On Wednesday's What's New? post I spotlighted a pair of wood soled slingbacks from Boden.
The product description suggested that their designers began with a basic clog and felt "an elevated wooden heel and a slingback would make these feel much more feminine". Agreed. But let's say you wanted to take that same basic clog and make it more masculine? What would you do? Toughen up the leather? Make the heel bulkier? Thicken the platform? Coarsen the overall design? Makes sense to me.
Then why is this next clog listed in the women's department?
This is one rugged looking clog. And why it isn't being marketed to men as well as women is beyond me. A big thank you to reader John from Pennsylvania for reminding me about this style. The maker is Kurt Geiger, and the style name is Boston. And if you reside the Great Britain or Ireland, you're in luck because you can definitely place your order and get them delivered right to your door. If you don't,...well, that sucks. Right now this chunky wonders are more than 50% off the original price, and a couple of the colors are still in stock in the occasionally man friendly sizes of 40 and 41.
Also worth contemplating and/or crying about is the companion Kurt Geiger clog boot style, the Singapore. Also ruggedly designed. Also available at a significant discount. Also available only in the U. K. and Ireland. Life can be harsh sometimes. Unless you have a friend who lives there.
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Speaking of Britain, regular reader and fellow clog fan Daz has been working his wooden footwear in the U. K. for years. But not without his share of anxious moments and grief. Here's his story:
I've been a fan of backless shoes all my life, I don't really know why I just have. One day about 7 years ago I decided to buy a pair of long admired Swedish clogs as I knew that they were unisex and wanted to try them. I was a bit nervous about going into the store to buy them but the staff acted totally normal, a young female member of staff even smiled at me while I was trying the clogs on, so I thought 'what the heck...wearing clogs as a guy is no big deal' but still harbored feelings of trepidation/excitement.
I began wearing them when grocery shopping (risky, as back then I lived in a small town) and around the house. I loved the way they looked and felt and just enjoyed wearing them. Over the years I wore them openly in the company of house mates but avoided large gatherings of friends as we Brits are know for our savage 'banter', Didn't want to be a soft target.
Over the years I've walked many yards wearing open backed wooden clogs and worn on long journeys and trips to different towns and city's but I have to concede that the UK is not ready for such footwear choices from men. Open backed clogs have been favored by females in the past so are placed that side of the gender divide in the collective consciousness, exceptions being chefs and health care workers. (Spot the double standard.)
It's a small shame, but social perceptions of clogs on men won't stop me wearing mine as I think differently. I do get looks from some people who notice my clogs as I'm sure they think I'm gay, something I don't mind as I now live in a big, diverse city and have anonymity on my side. I first dared to wear clogs with jean shorts in the summer when I first moved to the city. Very liberating.
. . .
Sorry to interrupt, but I just want to highlight the horns of the dilemma that clog loving men face. On the one hand is the disapproval of others. On the other hand is the heady sensation of following one's bliss. I'm not going to say I've got this issue licked in my own life, but I do try to remind myself that when I'm lying on my deathbed, I'm for sure not going to be thinking back on how many people I made happy by fulfilling their expectations!
But back to Daz's message.
. . .
I have worn clogs in front of friends in the past and received the odd compliment but I can tell they all think it's a bit weird, so I've decided to give the wooden mules a rest when visiting old buddies.
I have a new girlfriend who does not know that I like clogs and I'm debating whether to tell her or not. Our relationship is a good one but I'm not sure If I want her to know for fear that she'll ridicule me or change her opinion of me. Input welcome.
Okay, troops. Let's hear from you. The Comments section awaits your wisdom and your warmth.
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And finally, while we're wrestling with the various hurdles men have to confront as they search for their comfort zone in the world of fashion, I wanted to reprint an essay composed by one of my female readers. Her topic is a different accessory from the male wardrobe, but I think there are parallels that can be drawn.
Caped Performers
by Heidi Bertman
I am always curious to see where trends start and how popular culture influences what end up being developments in our daily lives. In this vein, last week I saw a movie theater trailer for what I believe will be a documentary on Elvis, although I do not recall the title/release/etc.. I commented to the mister about his costumes which I have always thought fairly revolutionary in the world of popular musicians' stage wear. Perhaps what endures more is the way his costumes became part and parcel of his persona. The capes, the sequins, those big shoes, the handkerchief ready to toss (that didn't last). His publicists styled him as quite the dandy starting in the late '60s. See this photo of him visiting President Nixon for a hint of what was to come for him in the '70s and an equally iconic star in the '80s.
Comparison photo of Michael Jackson visiting the Reagans at the White House:
To be fair, dandyism and capes were well established, though not always seen together in men's fashions of the post WWII era. The cape silhouette was integrated for women within many New Look styles, so the garment itself in the modern context was nothing new. Paired with a man's sequined jumpsuit, however, was a strong step toward the styles we saw later with funkadelic costuming and the New Romantics. The mister pointed out that James Brown had some edgy stage sense and he's right. The same time period saw Mr Brown wearing extremely sharp suits and, as a precursor to the baroque costumes of the Parliament era which included some impressive capes, long leather coats. See this cover from the Cold Sweat album:
There are also photos out there from 1968-1970 performances which show him wearing silhouettes which would become cape and jumpsuit, but at the time were still (extremely sharp) suits.
It's likely that Elvis' image and the associated garb are so easily recognized because he had the array of resources driving his publicity machine and the advantage of being not-black. I doubt that his image and costumes would have been that well honed had he lacked any part of his advantage and/or team. Although being part of (mostly) white culture and having a good publicist/mentor are not guaranteed to embed an artist's image in the popular consciousness either. This all brings me to post a live performance from one of my favorite New Romantic artists in the punk/post-punk era; Adam Ant called Malcolm McLaren both manager and mentor and enjoyed a certain level of success in the '80s. Granted, there are few clothes in this video, but I'm not sure if anyone ever out-did him in the dandy department. Mr Ant definitely paved the fashion way for Mr Jackson and other popular figures with a strong assist from Elvis and Mr Brown, among others. The themes of his videos were also revolutionary for the time, setting the stage for Madonna's content - at least one was banned by the BBC and it's hard to see why from today's perspective. Anyway, a dandy onstage:
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[On my feet today: Calleen Cordero clogs to take me through the morning (style name Claro, I think). Outerspace clog booties from BC Footwear for errands this afternoon.]
