Every Clog Has Its Day

Day 14...and This 'n' That from Here 'n' There

mong my many mad skillz is the ability to play a brass instrument. I learned trombone in high school, thought about majoring in it in college, played it for a few years after graduaating, and then...

...put it in my closet. 

But about a year ago, some musician friends of mine found out I knew my way around a bass clef. Next thing I knew, I was onstage playing on "Saturday in the Park" and "Jet" and a whole bunch of Schoolhouse Rock tunes. Long story short: right now as I blog, I'm sitting in the green room at The Old Town School of Folk Music waiting to contribute a few horn parts to the Levon Helm Tribute that's underway at the moment. We just helped open the show with the litte melodic quote from "Dixie" that opens The Band's live arrangement of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". It was such an effective way to kick off the evening with the brass section suddenly wafting out of the balcony. Anyway, I'll be playing a little..then typing a little...then playing a little...then typing a little.  

 

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Like just then. I was just onstage playing "Remedy", a song from The Band's Jericho album. And now I've got time to kill 'til the second song of the second set. It's a busy Sunday. But hopefully that will make for a more satisfying blog come Monday.

So how about some clogs?

 

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Day No. 14

(style #40-223)

Today's Deal of the Day! Carpe cloggum!

 

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Multnomah Leather Shop...for all

Mark Casperson writes from Portland, Oregon, to say

I thought I'd send this photo as a reminder to your readers that we can do clogs in wide and narrow. The customer with the wide feet has trouble finding anything wide enough for his 11 5E feet. The narrow one is a Ladies 7 AA, we can do them even narrower if needed. Of course, medium widths are also available.

Hats off, Mr. C. We're all about inclusiveness here.

 

 

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Okay, right there? Just was onstage playing "Life is a Carnival", a tune from The Band's Cahoots album. It's one of those tunes that the band specializes in: deceptively simple pastiches of Americana that'll rise up an bite ya if you're not paying attention. But hey, for only having one rehearsal wtih the vocalist, I think we came through with flying colors.

Now, where was I?

 

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May I gross you out a moment?

At first glance, there seems to be something unsettling about the thought of growing an animal with a specific pattern on its skin solely for the purpose of turning it into a pair of shoes. But then, isn't that what we do with cows?

 

 

 

 

 

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Ugglebo vintage collection

Then this news arrived the other day from Ugglebo HQ:

This spring and summer we are putting together a very special little collection for all you vintage lovers out there.

Here's a chance for you to feast your eyes. And a link to give you fingers something to do, too:

Ugglebo Vintage.

 

 

 

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[On my feet as I blog and play trombone:  my Swedish Hasbeens lace up clog booties. Though in deference to Levon, I wore pinstripe pants. It's always good to have one's feet solidly planted when making music.]

 

Ulp! Time to go onstage again! "Ophelia" calls!

 

 

 

This 'n' That...from Here 'n' There

om. Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom. I don't know why, but this spring I've had frequent cravings for a healthy slice of apple pie. Cold, thick crusted, reeking of cinnamon, and oozing with syrupy filling apple pie. Just now I ran to my local Whole Foods for a piece. Twenty-five minutes round trip for this aphoristically wholesome treat. I thought after a long day, it would be a suitable reward. Just the thing to get the blogging neurons firing. Though now that I've freshly wolfed it down and chased it with a glass of milk (what is it about sweet desserts that makes a glass of milk seem such a necessary accompaniment?), it occurs to me that I should have bought two slices. They weren't that large. And who would know?

Anyway, the pleasure synapses are firing away at the moment. Time to take some of that joy in the sensual delights this life affords and see if I can infuse it into a few wondrous footwear sightings.

Come to think of it, it's those joyous moments we can indulge in that make the rest of day bearable. My trip to the grocery store was duller than dull. Just another tedious car ride spent dodging kamikaze vehicles and pedestrians with a deathwish. I had the yumminess of the pie to look forward to when I got home. But it's never supposed to be about the destination, is it? The journey itself is where we ideally locate our gratification. And honey, let me tell ya, that's why I've got a closet full of great shoes to pick and choose from. There's not a mundane task I've performed or a uninspiring errand that I've run or a boring meeting that I've sat through that wasn't improved because I had some fabulous footwear on my feet. Here's hoping something in today's post will be a welcome antidote to ennui in your world. 

 

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What clog is this?

Regular reader Jan found herself over on Pinterest where she noticed the clog pictured below.

 

And just as you or I would have done, after a moment transfixed with the wonder of the sight, she wanted to know more. Who makes this shoe? Is it for sale? Do they accept MasterCard? But the postings on Pinterest are often short on details. So Jan turned to a readily available expert on all things wooden and foot worn. Me.

And fortunately she was in luck. It took a moment or two of pondering, but I relized that I did indeed recognize the style. None other than the work of the Austria based cordwainers, Simone Springer and Yuji Mizobuchi. Better known as the designers behind the brand rosa mosa. And with a little digging, I discovere that yes, indeed, the cranberry colored clog above was a part of their autumn/winter 2010—2011 line. And the style name is Grete.

 

 

And if this style caught your eye, you might want to spare glance or two at the related Nora clog below.

 

Jan also writes that as she was delving into the post on Pinterest, she came across the comments of other intrigued footwear fans, one of whom wrote "Who needs sex when you have clogs?"

Says Jan, "possibly the only time I could say that clog-loving has been carried to the extreme!!"

Thanks for the query, Jan. After poking around the rosa mosa website, I realize I need to catch up with this creative couple. It's been at least two years since I last interviewed them, and they've obviously been keeping themselves busy! 

 

 

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A moment of admiration

Meantime, regular reader KD tells me she has been stimulating the economy by acquiring four, count 'em, four new pairs of shoes. 

Feel the waves of envy, KD, as they roll in your direction from all corners of the globe. We should all be so lucky!

But more than envy, what we're really feeling is curiosity. "Whadja get? Whadja get???"

Feast your eyes.

First off, there's the El Naturalista peep toe style that goes by the name of N165.

 

 

And its fellow El Naturalista style named the N167.

 

 

Then there's this very funky pair of platform sandals from MIA, the Weaver.

 

 

And for a splash of color, she also picked up the Memory high heeled clog from Sanita.

 

Well done! I don't think I've ever acquired four pairs of clogs in one day! I've had multiple deliveries show up at the same time, but I've never had the occasion to keep more than two of the litter. You appear to have hit the jackpot. 

Time for another wave of envy to flow your way!

 

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What's new at Multnomah Leather Shop?

And finally, Mark Casperson, the CEO (clog envisioning officer), COO (clog orchestrating officer), and CFO (clog fabricating officer) of Multnomah Leather Shop sent along this image of his latest creation.

 

Says Mark, 

Announcing a new style, in the spirit of Summer Suede Buck shoes. Clog shown is Brown Suede with Lizard Print accents. I will send photos of other color combos as they are completed (Any suggestions on what your readers want to see?). Classy and Casual Clogs for Spring.

Feel free to chime in via Comments. You know we always have Mark's ear.

 

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[On my feet as I blog:  it was another twofer weekday. I put on my Underground lace up clog booties from Jeffrey Campbell the first half of the day. Then when I ran out for an errand with a John Fluevog loving friend, I strapped myself into his Conviction lace up bootie. I'm getting to like this idea of giving more of my shoes more street time.]

 

 

This 'n' That...from Here 'n' There

n the off chance that you hadn't noticed I was in social butterfly mode the past few days, let me state the obvious: it's been a busy week. Happily, my readers have been helping me chart the course for many of my posts this week...whether by supplying material or suggesting topics. And given my penchant for covering whatever I've chosen to focus on with more than a cursory glance, it's good to be able to circle back to the subjects of some of this week's previous posts and dig a little deeper. Thanks for your interest! 

 

 

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Allow me to introduce: jewelry maker Sara Cochran

This past Monday, I hooked up with regular reader Melissa to attend a gallery show of my daughter Sara's jewelry making class at Pratt Art Institute. That's not "class" as in Jewelry Making 101 or Learning to Bead. I'm referring instead to the "class of 2013" that will be graduating with degrees in jewelry making. All eleven of them! They each collected a number of the stunning items they created over the first seven months of their junior year and put them all on display in a shared gallery setting on campus. Ms. Melly and I enjoyed being there to see and be seen along with a handful of other parents and friends and a healthy helping of students. How could I miss cheering on my daughter when she was getting the chance to shine?

 

An up and coming jewelry designer's choice of footwear

Gorgeous shoes were on our feet (as you no doubt noticed in yesterday's post), but what were notoriously missing from my coverage were shots of Sara's jewelry. Today, I'm correcting that. After all, that's what we were there to see. Why shouldn't you get a glimpse, too?

 

"Hey, wait!", you might be saying. "I can't see what she made that clearly! What all is on the table there?"

I'm glad you asked. May I direct you to my daughter's website where you can see quite a few of these items (select the Pictures to Come link) and much more?

www.saracochran.com

 

UPDATE:  Checking with her on whether or not the photo I chose of her work passed muster, Sara informed me that there was a judging of the work on display and...SHE WON FIRST PLACE in Pratt's Junior Jewelry Critique!!! And it was not just recognition she was awarded. The honor was also accompanied by prize money for art materials and supplies. You go, girl!!!

 

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Something that makes me smile: Trippen product enclosure

It's a delight to get a new pair of shoes. And the experience is made all the sweeter when the manufacturer encloses some word of appreciation to thank us for choosing to make the purchase that we did. Too often in the world of commerce we receive nothing more than a terse message to communicate a shoe maker's concern for the quality of the product.

 

 

But there are exceptions. Such as the entertainingly illustrated shoe boxes that the Jeffery Campbell people regularly ship their products in. Or the messages of whimsy and uplift that adorn the John Fluevog shoe dust bags. 

 

Trap sandal from Trippen

 

So imagine my delight when I saw what the makers of the Trippen brand, Angela Spieth and Michael Oehler, chose to include in each box of their shoes: two pages of closely worded text that elucidates the many facets of their exquisitely crafted designs. Just like the attention to detail their shoes are known for, the carefully thought out verbiage struck me as so characteristically German! 

I'll never be content with an "Inspected by 23" again.

 

 

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Philip's Phootwear: Still More Clog Boots!

On Monday, Philip sent a fun-loving photo of his clog boots for us to enjoy.

(And in the Comments that day he noted, It was a challenge to set up this photo as I had to work out the number of boots and the the area I had to work with.I did try to add the S but I didn't have enough room.)

 

On Tuesday, I printed a few individual photos of some of the boots in his collection.

On Wednesday, I picked out photos from even more additional images that Philip sent me to share with you. All of them, Sanita clog boots.

Again, I'm left with nothing to say, but, "Whoa!"

 

 

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[On my feet as I blog:  I wore my Arc Halfmoon platform sandals from John Fluevog for the flight home, but once I found myself in Illinois' cooler weather, I had to switch into my Mara clogs from Frye.]

 

 

 

This 'n' That...from Here 'n' There

oof! You know you're tired when you open up the laptop to write a blog post on a Monday evening and the phone rings and it's Bob the Clogvert and you end up chatting with him while sitting on the sofa scratching your cat, and the next thing you know, it's 1:20 in the morning and you realize as consciousness comes surging back that after you hung up, you fell asleep still sitting on the sofa in one of the more contorted physical positions imaginable (upright with your chin sunken to your chest and your spine curved at the L3 vertebrae) and you have that painful awareness dawning that you've still got that blog post to write.

Phooey!

Well, I'm nothing if not dutiful. I know you look forward to seeing what I come up with to share with you each day, and I would hate to let you down. And what's more, I enjoy surfing over to ECHID in the middle of my day to take a look at the collection of wooden goodness that's been uploaded, too. I hope I don't sound burdened by my blog. It truly is a labor of love. Trust me. If you weren't there, I'd still be looking at pictures of cool shoes. And buying one or two of them from time to time as well. But it is so much more fun to have kindred spirits to share them with. 

Enjoy!

 

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Wedge shoe from Fiel

Regular reader Natealine recently wrote in with an unusual sighting: a combination wooden wedge and woven leather upper. And that's not all. According to the product description, 

This wedge comes with: -Coverage with air circulation. -The Supermodel height that you have always wanted. -Comfort. -Lifted butt, toned thighs, and lean calves; while you wear them. 

Truly a miracle shoe! Look for it in rapidly diminishing sizes on Scarpe.

 

 

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Clogmaster is coming to San Francisco

Experience the fit you've read about so many times through ECHID. Owner Cecilia Tidlund truly has a remarkable way of finding the perfect shoe for your foot. And if you live near San Francisco, you can discover what we've all been talking about.

 

"Fittings by Appointment" in San Francisco, CA - Saturday April 28, through Monday April 30, 2012 - 11:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M 1. E-MAIL CLOGS@CLOGMASTER.COM TO REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT TIME. PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR REQUEST: YOUR FULL NAME, A CONTACT PHONE NUMBER, YOUR AMERICAN SHOE SIZE, YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS, AND YOUR BILLING ADDRESS IF IT IS DIFFERENT FROM YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS.   2.  PLEASE REQUEST A TIME. - IF IT IS AVAILABLE, YOU WILL RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION WITH THE ADDRESS & TIME BY E-MAIL. (SAVE THE E-MAIL) NOTE: YOU ARE NOT CONFIRMED UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE CONFIRMATION E-MAIL.

 

 

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Platform sandals from Sca Ulven

You may recall having seen this dramatic platform on ECHID before, but at the time I had no details to offer about it. Happily, today I can remedy that and even point you to a website to make inquiries. According to Oslo Fashion Week, these dramatic platforms made their appearance in the Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 collection of Scandinavian designers Sca Ulven. Their website explains,

SCA ULVEN is the eponymous brand of designers Sara C. Andersson and Marte Ulven. Based in Norway, they have close ties with both Sweden and Denmark.

Needless to say, the rough hewn design and sturdy wood construction attracted my attention immediately.

 

 

Visit the Oslo Fashion Week website (linked above) for a more extensive gallery of images from the show. And for a closer look at the shoes themselves, spin over to trendhunter.com.

 

 

And lookee what Sca Ulven are showing for Spring/Summer 2012!

 

Sca Ulven?

Yes, please!

 

 

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Clog art from Etsy artist whimsikalwood

Wooden shoes are fun with bare feet on the inside. We all know that. But it turns out they can be just as fun with bare feet on the outside, too. Thanks to Philadelphia based artist Diane J. Berger. She paints her vivid images on all manner of wooden surfaces and sells them through her Etsy shop as whimsikalwood. But if you take a size 9 (women's), this unique pair of shoes is waiting just for you!

I'm digging her re-envisioning of the classic tragedy and comedy masks, too. How fun! There's nothing that a splash of acrylic paint can't take to a new plane of existence!

 

 

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[On my feet as I blog:  my No. 6 shearling clog boots in chocolate.]