Clog-Sabots (KY)

Continuing on the subject of footwear...

I am going to indulge myself in my brutally honest feeling towards clogs today, largely because one of the most popular bloggers Garance Doré did the same too. Here is the English link as well as French. She pretty much said it all when she said, "OH NO." They are everywhere this season, and this only means there are wooden heels everywhere! Celine, Miu Miu, LV, and of course Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld took it to a whole new level with the "return of the farm look" theme.

I am no footwear elitist and am much more likely to be found in sneakers, flats, and even...flip-flops. In fact, I wear shoes that can be put in the "simply beautiful to look at" category on rare occasions. However, even my most utilitarian aesthetics are perplexed by the sighting of clogs in a fashion context.

Nothing against the Dutch (they will beat the Japanese soccer/football team, I know), but no footwear officially accredited as "safety shoes" emblazoned with can be a mark of style. According to the ever-so-reliable Wiki, they can even withstand almost any penetration including sharp objects and/or concentrated acids.

Another major issue I have is that of comfort. Aforementioned sturdiness of clogs equals hardness, and I have learned the hard way that solid wood and feet do not go together, dragging my feet in a pair of Birkenstock wood clog-sandals. Such was my trauma, those became my first and last ever purchase from the venerable German shoemaker often associated with comfort.

If the same Wiki entry is half true, the word "sabotage" is derived from the French version of clog, or sabot, as disgruntled workers supposedly threw in their clogs to damage the workplace machinery. I must say, I am all for sabotaging the CLOGged (the word just has a negative connotation, doesn't it?) runways!

Musical/Visual Homage:
Beastie Boys' Sabotage (1994)