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June 26, 2006
Flummoxed by Footwear
Jim Thompson recently posed the question, What is it About Clogs? on his personal blog, jimthompson.org. It didn't take long before I deposited my three cents' worth since I blogged about that very topic in my post Men Who Wear Clogs. I pulled this gem of a comment from my post:
The beauty of clogs is, when you're sitting around the bar comparing chainsaws and debating the pros and cons of Fisher snowplows, if anyone is feeling froggy it is a simple matter to transform that clog, with a simple twist of the ankle, into the dreaded "Flying Birkenstock Death Move." Unlike work boots or the common sneaker, clogs have a way of unexpectedly launching themselves across a room. It is trivial to convert an accident of design into a deadly means of self-defense.
- Al at Rapid Adjustment
Okay, that's one he-man's opinion. Meanwhile...
Jim also touches upon wearing topsiders WITH socks, and ... well... I had to jump all over that too, and pointed him in the direction of my rant titled Are You Dressed to Distress?
In response, Jim claims he only wears socks with his topsiders IN THE OFFICE. Too bad he wasn't a fly on the wall when my former boss walked in one day wearing socks with his topsiders. Guess who told the boss that perhaps it might be better for him to remove his socks?
Yup, 'twas moi. I couldn't help myself, I was HORRIFIED. Looking back, I can't believe I did that but luckily for me, my management actually encouraged me to tell them what I thought. Yay for them! Great for me! Less brain dust to eliminate later on. (Hey, I digressed! Haven't done that in like, forever. Back to the point. Uhm, was there one? Right. Next paragraph.)
It's not like I'm a goddess with superb fashion sense of my own; trust me when I say that I've seen snapshots that left me pondering, what the hell was I THINKING?!? I may know what I like when it comes to men and their attire, but unless I'm wearing a suit or dress or skirt, my attempts at casual attire could definitely use the help of a team of experts. (I recall writing about THAT too, but I digress again.) I was writing about clogs and topsiders, right? Right.
With that in mind, let's rip open the gates again on the clogs topic. Say what you will and deposit your two cents in the comments. Kudos to Jim for noting that shorts + socks + clogs = verboten. (Take that, my friend the former pro football player. See? It's not JUST ME who thinks that.)
Updated 6.28
If you don't know what clogs or topsiders are, visit:
Clogs Online and Sperry Topsider
Cindy
Comments
you just are behind on fashion trends ma'am. the white socks with a clog (and shorts) with hairy legs - will be all the rage next year. men will be out there gluing hair onto themselves as the metrosexual tide goes out. soon people will be wearing big burly man suspenders with the shorts and carrying axes and chainsaws with them. women and gay men alike will swoon. to help the man who is not in shape, i have invented "pheromone flatulance" a discrete device that the man wears yet befuddles the opposite sex by saying, "who was that sexy hunk of love!" watch for postman!
Brain matter deposited by: mr tan on June 27, 2006 12:28 PM
Please don't tell me that this former boss was named HN. Remember him? He was the one who said: "We have a Native American on the team. Her name is Cindy."
Brain matter deposited by: pheerce on June 27, 2006 1:05 PM
Holger - True, except he didn't say it about me. He said it about K. :-)
Mr. Tan - LOL.
Brain matter deposited by: Cindy on June 27, 2006 1:22 PM
Clogs? Topsiders? I had to google both to find out what you were talking about. I always assumed that clogs were those wooden shoes they wore in Holland 100 years ago. Oh, that's right they are. Except now they make them out of orange polybutylstyrene-1.1 instead of trees.
I tried on a pair of topsiders once about fifteen years ago at Macy's. I couldn't see spending $250 on a pair of shoes where the lace was purely a decoration and didn't actually tighten anything. Yes, I'm aware that it's supposed to tighten around the ankle instead of over the top of your foot - but in fact they do neither. And these were called 'boat shoes' or something like that. I wouldn't take a $250 pair of shoes that don't tighten properly anywhere near a boat - with or without socks. And they've got leather soles. You ever tried to walk around a slippery deck in leather soles? What were they thinking?
Brain matter deposited by: mike on June 27, 2006 7:20 PM
Mike - since I have no idea what make of 'boat shoe' you looked at, I can't say much (maybe Jim Thompson will chime in about them - I'll email this comment to him and see if he's got time to give us his expertise.)
In the meantime, I've not worn boat shoes on a boat, but I do wear a pair of Speedo flip-flops that have these cool rubber suction cup-like thingies on the bottom. They're great for boating and those slippery decks.
Brain matter deposited by: Cindy on June 27, 2006 8:27 PM
Mike:
$250 for a pair of shoes? Egad!
I don't think the shoes you tried on were topsiders, docksiders, or boat shoes. The Sperrys I wear are plain leather (my wife says they're oiled leather) - not suede, and not polished leather like a dress shoe, and they don't have leather soles. The shoe is shaped a lot like a moccasin or loafer with a white rubber sole. They have a that lace tightens over the top of the foot, but when properly broken in they can be slipped on and off without tying or untying.
http://tinyurl.com/7k9s7
(My wife has listened to me compose this comment. I say "I can't believe I'm writing comments about shoes." She says "You must be going gay.")
Brain matter deposited by: Jim Thompson on June 27, 2006 8:49 PM
Are Birkenstocks clogs? Inquiring minds want to know.
http://www.reginalynn.com/wordpress/?p=114
http://www.reginalynn.com/Regina/pictures/birk.JPG
Brain matter deposited by: Jim Thompson on July 2, 2006 3:24 PM