Credit where credit is due: however else failed Glenn Greenwald believes the Bush Administration may be, if George W. Bush's wearing a pair of Crocs -- complete with snazzy black anklet socks, no less! -- causes sales of these fashion monstrosities to plummet, I shall doff my hat to him in thanks.
Speaking of which -- presidents, sartorial standards and hats, that is -- John F. Kennedy shall always have a place of honor in fashion hell for the death of men's hats in American society.
(Yes, I know Snopes says this is urban legend, but they fail to account for JFK's continued hatlessness accelerating this terrible fashion trend.)
Showing posts with label Shoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shoes. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
SHOES! SHOES! SHOES!
Social construct theory be damned, men and women are different. "How different," you ask? I have no idea. All I know is that, for example, no (straight) man would ever look at an unadorned window and either on his own or at the urging of his other straight male friends think "You know what? That window needs a treatment. Perhaps if I hung some folded cloth around the top and sides..."
So, too, even fashion conscious men do not care nearly as much about shoes as women, on average, do. Not even fashion conscious gay men. In fact, men who care as much about shoes as women do are called fetishists. By comparison, women who care as much about shoes as male shoe fetishists do are called, um, women. Furthermore, they both care only about women's shoes.
Men's shoes, on the other hand? Meh. Go figure.
Thus, in my never ceasing efforts to build this blog up one reader at a time, I once promised a certain Susan W-G I'd eventually get around to writing something about "the shoes." As it happens, there is exciting shoe news around the globe these days, with two major stories sweeping the media.
First, at long last someone has invented "Sensible shoes for work that become killer heels at night" or, in other words, adjustable heel shoes. This is a wonderful, practical idea and it is absolutely guaranteed to be an utter and complete financial and market failure. Of the various women I have known who care about shoes at all (my wife, by contrast, could care less except that they be comfortable and presentable), not a single one of them would consider buying one pair of shoes when they could, instead, buy two or three. Part of the very appeal of fashion and "killer heels" is that they are, by definition, impractical.
The second story requires a bit of background. Big box specialty stores are all the rage these days, including home improvement stores, furniture stores, electronics stores, clothing stores and, yes, even shoe stores. The earliest such big box specialty store, however, that I can recall was Toys R Us. As anyone who has ever taken a child to Toys R Us knows, even in these modern, egalitarian times around 80% to 90% of all toys are aimed at boys. Specialty big box clothing and shoe stores are, simply put, the revenge of the little girls once they've grown up. Sure, there's a tiny Men's section tucked away somewhere in the back corner with the clearance items, but the overwhelming preponderance of the merchandise is for women. Fair's fair, after all.
Historically, urban department stores were the first "big boxes," some upscale and some downscale; but there, too, the clothes and shoe departments for women have always been several multiples of the floor space devoted to men's apparel. Now, in what must surely be a new and historic moment for women's shoes, Saks Fifth Avenue announces that its new 8,500-square-foot space on the eighth floor of the flagship store in Manhattan will soon have its very own zip code. Not the entire store, mind you, but just the shoe department. Yes, come August, customers will be able to send mail specifically to 10022-SHOE for the Saks shoe department. A grateful shoe buying nation will no doubt remember to include adequate postage.
Even though I'm just a guy who, like most guys, pretty much wears the same two or, at most, three pair of shoes until they're completely ruined and who then and only then goes out grudgingly to buy a new pair just like the old ones, I say it's high time shoes got the recognition they so richly deserve!
There now, promise fulfilled. Other readers are welcome to suggest their own favorite topics. Maybe I'll, um, cobble together something for you, too!
So, too, even fashion conscious men do not care nearly as much about shoes as women, on average, do. Not even fashion conscious gay men. In fact, men who care as much about shoes as women do are called fetishists. By comparison, women who care as much about shoes as male shoe fetishists do are called, um, women. Furthermore, they both care only about women's shoes.
Men's shoes, on the other hand? Meh. Go figure.
Thus, in my never ceasing efforts to build this blog up one reader at a time, I once promised a certain Susan W-G I'd eventually get around to writing something about "the shoes." As it happens, there is exciting shoe news around the globe these days, with two major stories sweeping the media.
First, at long last someone has invented "Sensible shoes for work that become killer heels at night" or, in other words, adjustable heel shoes. This is a wonderful, practical idea and it is absolutely guaranteed to be an utter and complete financial and market failure. Of the various women I have known who care about shoes at all (my wife, by contrast, could care less except that they be comfortable and presentable), not a single one of them would consider buying one pair of shoes when they could, instead, buy two or three. Part of the very appeal of fashion and "killer heels" is that they are, by definition, impractical.
The second story requires a bit of background. Big box specialty stores are all the rage these days, including home improvement stores, furniture stores, electronics stores, clothing stores and, yes, even shoe stores. The earliest such big box specialty store, however, that I can recall was Toys R Us. As anyone who has ever taken a child to Toys R Us knows, even in these modern, egalitarian times around 80% to 90% of all toys are aimed at boys. Specialty big box clothing and shoe stores are, simply put, the revenge of the little girls once they've grown up. Sure, there's a tiny Men's section tucked away somewhere in the back corner with the clearance items, but the overwhelming preponderance of the merchandise is for women. Fair's fair, after all.
Historically, urban department stores were the first "big boxes," some upscale and some downscale; but there, too, the clothes and shoe departments for women have always been several multiples of the floor space devoted to men's apparel. Now, in what must surely be a new and historic moment for women's shoes, Saks Fifth Avenue announces that its new 8,500-square-foot space on the eighth floor of the flagship store in Manhattan will soon have its very own zip code. Not the entire store, mind you, but just the shoe department. Yes, come August, customers will be able to send mail specifically to 10022-SHOE for the Saks shoe department. A grateful shoe buying nation will no doubt remember to include adequate postage.
Even though I'm just a guy who, like most guys, pretty much wears the same two or, at most, three pair of shoes until they're completely ruined and who then and only then goes out grudgingly to buy a new pair just like the old ones, I say it's high time shoes got the recognition they so richly deserve!
There now, promise fulfilled. Other readers are welcome to suggest their own favorite topics. Maybe I'll, um, cobble together something for you, too!
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