Category Archives: Popdiatribe

Popdiatribe: Dog Days of Summer

I was walking through Ridgewood Queens 

WedgesInRidgewoodand saw these wedges lying at the base of a big ol’ tree. There was something about the composition; I usually post discarded kicks on Insta, but it wasn’t a good square. I wanted to use it as the Popdiatry twitter header image, but the image got cut too much. So here it is leading off this month’s collection of random thoughts and images.

LACES

Summer 2015 is in full effect here along the northeast corridor and most of our boots are hibernating in favor of something lighter (but not flip-flops or sandals!). Timberland, the boot, shoe, clothing and accessory giant that had their humble beginning in Massachusetts might not have boot-heads salivating as much as Chippewa, Broken Homme, Nicks, Thorogood, Oak Street, Red WIngs, Viberg, White’s, and Wesco,, but somebody is going to speed by us in a Benz bumping Biggie with a Timberland boot on the pedal, and in 2015, there is something they offer to the boot snob that may interest you.

Many of the Timberland brick and mortar stores, such as the one on Broadway in Manhattan, have a “lace bar” where they can custom cut you a pair of boot laces for a reasonable price.

Timberland Lace Bar
Timberland Lace Bar

TimberlandLaceBarSign1

Thanks to Funyagi for the Tim pictures.

A few days ago was another moon landing anniversary, and I totally slacked on posting this:

One Small Step by Howard Fink
One Small Step by Howard Fink

That being a piece of 3d art by Howard Fink title “One Small Step”

I’m always keeping an eye out for foot/shoe inspired art, like this foot from Mr. Chunkism:

ChunkismFootChunkism.com  

The Fastest January Ever

If there weren’t a company called Brooklyn Boot by now, wouldn’t you be surprised? While not made in Bushwick, Flatbush or Midwood NYC- the Brooklyn Boot Company is transparent about their naming and offerings. The small line of classically designed workboots are to be manufactured in Martinsburg Pennsylvania. Leather uppers and linings sewn to some Vibrams sounds hard-to-hate. The bootstrap I see may assist pulling up, but also adds meat against the possibility that your pant leg droops over the rear heel- the dreaded pant-leg condition that affects manyI look forward to seeing if these things are pretty on the inside too. 

Image: Brooklyn Boot Company YouTube video
Image: Brooklyn Boot Company YouTube video

 

NikeJordanJumpman

 Jumpman Jumpman 

JordanBrandedStuff

You’ve no doubt heard about this photographer suing Nike for using his image as the pattern for the jumpman logo that has appeared on their Jordan-branded sneakers and gear since before many of you were born.

Nike Air Jordan XX9 Black History Month shoe
Nike Air Jordan XX9 Black History Month shoe

Not a lawyer- I just feel like.. what about the Polo guy and his horse? This insignia has been around for a spell. For a history lesson on the logo, Jordans and jumping men, you can’t start at better place than this nice piece by NiceKicks.com .

TinkerHatfieldNike2015

On the lighter side, Nike is playfully feeling the feels of pop culture fundamentalists to deliver on the self-lacers worn my Marty McFly Jr. in the movie Back To The Future II. The company has patents for the complex designs. Tinker is on board. At very least, footwear like this could be great for injured folks, and others with limited mobility. 

NIkeSelfLacingPatentSheet5

For all you able-bodies: Tie your own shoes. Yes it would be novel to see real McFlys in action, but many would be much happier if they could simply find some decent 45-inch boot laces. You burn calories tying shoes. How much would these self-lacers cost? Would we need certified technicians? You might be better off grabbing some Mauri crocodiles and saving the difference for that hoverboard.

Mauri Swamp 8690
Mauri Swamp 8690

 

 As much of a reader as a writer- and a guy still learning about women’s footwear- I enjoyed the many stories about shoe business pioneer Vince Camuto, who died this month at age 78.

That’s all for now. Enjoy your Superbowl Sunday. 

Follow Popdiatry on Instagram for the best in discarded shoes and newspaper clippings.

NewsweekSexismCoverHeels

P E A C E 

October Pop Gallery

First off, this post was created using Handcrafted Artisanal Internet:

HandcraftedArtisanalInternetTake a close look.
GothamCityLeatherworkAnimalShoesTake a closer look. The ones on the left are animalistic, but use no real animal parts. They ones on the right are worn by the dreamer upper of both pairs- Rachel Eisley for Gotham City Leatherwork

TTMbarefootBeerStandErnie Papp, the lead singer of Ten Ton Mojo performs barefoot at Trash Bar in Brooklyn last Thursday.

PuertoRicoFakeAdidasPardon the blur. Some faux-didas repping PR spotted in the East Village Shoe Repair deadpile.

DiscardedOnBroadwayWe started an Instagram for Popdiatry. At first I wasn’t sure what I should post. Good pictures would be used here, but since I started writing for Pop D, I’ve been spotting more discarded footwear than ever. So our Instagram will be mostly abandoned, thrown away shoes- like these above spotted on Broadway in Brooklyn, NY.

NBA is back in a couple weeks! Didja see the clip of Laker’s Ronnie Price throwing his Nike (after it fell off) at Golden State Warrior Andre Iguodala?

It was worth a try- technical foul though..

Autumn Shoerageously

Pssst. There’s still a few days to see the Shoerageous exhibit put on by Creativity Explored in San Francisco, CA.  There you’ll see a handpicked collection of drawings and sculpture inspired by the shoe and sneaker.

You already know right? Basketball star Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace..

mettaworldpeace.com
mettaworldpeace.com

He’s playing for the Sichuan Blue Whales in the Chinese Basketball Association this year.

twitter.com/MettaWorldPeace
twitter.com/MettaWorldPeace

Art came to life via sneakers and books available for sale directly from Metta’s World Wide Website.

From MettaWorldPeace.com
From MettaWorldPeace.com

RonArtestThePandasFriend

twitter.com/mettaworldpeace
twitter.com/mettaworldpeace

What more can I say? He’s top billing.

You are going to get it; shoes with blood designed onto them. The NBA’s Dwyane Wade posted them first.

Grabbed from instagram.com/dwyanewade
Grabbed from instagram.com/dwyanewade

Sneakers actually; just in time for Halloween from Li-Ning. They might have something promotional to do with a cable TV show about a killer. Surely they’ll be great to wear at job interviews and other dress-to-impress occasions. 

Grabbed from instagram.com/dwyanewade
Grabbed from instagram.com/dwyanewade

Not to be misread as the shoe company Dexter– the old school New England brand whose founder is said to have started the country’s first factory-outlet…

DexterBowling.com
DexterBowling.com

Readers may recognize Dexter as the inexpensive offerings seen on  JC Penny, Payless, and Sears shelves. Did you know Dexter has a deluxe bowling category and sell what they claim is the world’s most advanced bowling shoe– the SST 8, featuring removable heels and soles?

Visualiser at dexterbowling.com
Visualiser at dexterbowling.com

 

What are.

The most expensive shoes in the world ?

NickCannonRemovesDiamondShoes

What more can you say about the shoes Nick Cannon wore hosting an America’s Got Talent TV show? Shown above kindly removing before walking on a performer’s smart dress…

Grabbed from instagram.com/jasonofbh
Grabbed from instagram.com/jasonofbh

 Cannon and Tom Ford brought them to life in the form of diamond encrusted loafers. Jason the jeweler tags them at 2 million. Chances are they’ll be auctioned off for charity; then we’ll see if they fetch more than some $666,000 ruby red slippers that Judy Garland had worn while filming Wizard of Oz did at a Christie’s auction fourteen years ago.  

Smithsonian
Smithsonian

According to Guinness, no one knows how many red shoes Garland used in the production of W.O.O. The above pic is from the Smithsonian (not the pair auctioned). 

One more thing: Toe cameras put the sneak in sneaker.

Toecamsneaker

A Japanese law-enforcement official points out the pinhead camera embedded in a brand of sneakers which have already sold 2,500 pairs while society figures out if they should be legal.  It’s a law tightrope, because multiple cameras on just about everything we wear are “OK” (really though?) , but being so easily able to take photos upwardly, undetected… skirt wearers take note. 

Summer’s Not Over Yet

You heard about the Killer Heels exhibit taking place at the Brooklyn museum- “The Art of The High-Heeled Shoe”. Along with shoes like these…

there are some original short films running alongside the exhibit that use the heel as a conceptual starting point.  Check out this teaser of SMASH by Marilyn Minter:

What about guys who want to wear something killer? We need to look in the direction of boots…

Salomon S-Lab X Alp Carbon GTXlike these Salomon S-Lab X Alp Carbon GTX  waterproof mountaineering boots- shown here with optional crampons.

For more formal situations, Allen Edmonds just released some new boot models. This leather mid caught my eye.

AE Odenwald Boot
AE Odenwald Boot

 The Allen Edmonds website is using this “see with pants” feature, which allows you to visually audition the look of their shoe with different pairs of pants.

Nice. While the online revolution continues to make it easier for us to avoid brick and mortar shops, a company in New York City happily invites you to their place in the East Village to try on some select handmade footwear called Sabahs.

sabah.am
sabah.am

Sabahs are a new school take on traditional footwear worn 1000 years ago in southeastern Turkey/Syria (think: mellowed-out genie slippers). An American exposed to the style in Istanbul sought out old school cobblers in Gaziantep Turkey to recreate modern versions of this ancient loafer in which high quality leather uppers are handstitched to rubber soles.

sabah.am
sabah.am

The makers of Sabahs encourage the wearing of their footwear sockless, with no fear of swampfoot. The leather bootie shapes around the foot after a few wears as they become more ‘you’. If you can’t pop-up at their base in NYC, Keep an eye on their IG to catch where they might be travelling next. For more check Sabah.com

September Popdiatribe

Happy September. It’s time for one of these liquid posts.

FootwearMustBeWornAtAllTimesNYCNo need to remind me.

FreshFourSeasonsSlippersShout Out to Four Seasons Hotel Slippers

JawdropperSandalI had a great time at Afropunk in Brooklyn last month. Besides music coming from 3 stages and a sound-truck, there was BMX freestyle, and a little section of pop-up shops. I don’t know too much about these sandals, but I snapped a quick pic when I was strolling through. They were being sold by Jawdroppers Jewelry. Pony was one of the sponsors of the fest. I’m not sure how I feel about their “Product Of New York” marketing slogan. They had a try-on booth in effect. 

Product of a screenshot from Pony's Instagram account
Product of a screenshot from Pony’s Instagram account

Maybe someone got the idea blazing to the Capone-N-Noreaga song T.O.N.Y. (Top Of New York). It has to be tough to stand out from the Nike-Puma-Asics-didas world order. I’m sure the people who work at Pony are fine folks, but the slogan seems to be insinuating that Pony Sneakers are made in New York– which they are not. I understand Bronx & Harlem fashion culture of the late 70s-early 80s produced an environment where sneakers pushed shoes aside as the choice for city dwellers on-the-move, but Product of New York is a very misleading statement. I’ll leave it at that. 

SanaiEssentialsHeelRingHolderJust this weekend I swung through the Bushwick Vendors Market held at Silent Barn In Brooklyn. This high-heel shaped ring holder caught my eye being sold by Sanai Essentials.

I love my Dynomighty Tyvek wallet. Ever since I got my first bank account card sheathed in an everlasting Tyvek sleeve, I’ve been fascinated by DuPont’s durable, long-lasting super paper. I was even surprised when I read this New York Times article about a couple companies based in New Jersey that use Tyvek in their shoe designs. 

Papes
Papes

Civic Duty (Secaucus) and Unstitched Utilities (East Brunswick, pictured above) use the Tyvek selective barrier technology in most or some of their Keds/Vans-like steppers. P.O.N.J.

RedSoxHighHeelBottleOpenerAs a Red Sox fan (Go PawSox!), I’d pretend I didn’t see this at Bob’s Store in Randolph, MA., but here’s a picture. Definitely not handmade, definitely not real diamonds- this is a high heel shaped wine bottle holder made of metal. You’d have to be buzzed to buy it. 

EVSRshoeOnRepairI caught this patient on the operating table at the hospital they call East Village Shoe Repair in Brooklyn. I’m sure our patient is back on the streets in good spirits as I hit post on the September Pop Gallery. 

Happy walking

Shoetooth Guidance and Heels For Yori

Did you know that the Oakland A’s are the only major league baseball team that wears white shoes all of the time?

Did you know the Red Wing shoe company launched its own print paper- the Red Wing Post– in Europe last month?

instagram.com/redwingheritage
instagram.com/redwingheritage

Ducere Technologies’ Lechal brand “smart” shoes were all in the news cycle this week, but did you know you can get some Lechal Bluetooth-enabled insoles that can make almost any pair smarter?

www.lechal.com
www.lechal.com

Do you know why someone would want Bluetooth-enabled footwear? Haptic technology can create a vibrating effect on the left or right sole to guide you on walks and rides, eliminating the need to glance at anything (Hells Angels hate looking at smartphones). This makes the Lechals a potential breakthrough for the blind community. Along with counting steps and calories, you can also share fitness goals with other Lehcal users using the connected app (Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile). Check out Lecahl.com .

Hey Ladies! Would you try on this platform heel that was created using a 3D printer?

www.continuumfashion.com
www.continuumfashion.com

Part art sculpture, part shoe- this kick is generated by a company called Continuum– ran by Mary Huang from Brooklyn, New York.

The above Continuum "Daphne" shoe being printed
The above Continuum “Daphne” shoe being printed

Huang’s Continuum was an early adopter of software-based fashion items. Her pieces have been shown in museums, and this footwear- inspired by trees, the Apollo statue, and Tron*- are sure to show up in upcoming fashion photoshoots. They also print dresses and bikinis. Check out ContinuumFashion.com

* Yori was Tron’s female sidekick in the first movie.

Have you heard about Paul Evans shoes? A couple fellas from NYC are sorta doing for shoe-shopping what Harry’s razors are doing for shaving.  They believe they’ve created an affordable product for guys that can match the quality of popular brands we’d normally buy. Think hundreds, not thousands.

Paul Evans Cognac Chukkas
Paul Evans Cognac Chukkas

They scouted a factory in Italy to create their designs, and launched a website to sell them direct to consumer. The shoes are very conservative business-guy style, but it might be time you got your suit together and entered the business world proper, bro. With belts and bags to match, you might attain that extra edge to close that deal, increase your EBITDA, or at least get her number. Check PaulEvansNY.com .

Speaking of the Oakland A’s… I mean… the Boston Red Sox- it’s Baseball time- C-ya

Bound: Then and Now

Hong Kong based documentary photographer Jo Farrell launched and landed a successful Kickstarter campaign to create a book showing some of the last remaining women in China with bound feet.

image: Jo Farrell
image: Jo Farrell

In the early 1900s, having bound feet was a mark of beauty and status for some women in China. Developing pre-teen girls would have their toes pressed and squeezed into the bottom of the foot until they broke. Their arches were also broken, then the feet were wrapped tightly with bandages, and cultivated by soaking and rewrapping tighter and tighter as they developed into women who would be considered good, subservient wives.

Zhao Hua Hong photographed by Jo Farrell in 2010
Zhao Hua Hong photographed by Jo Farrell in 2010

Check out more pictures on Jo Farrell’s site

Footbinding was phased out around 75 years ago, but are westernized women doing a milder version of it by wearing impractical decorative footwear that may lead to deformed toes and sore knees over time? What about the mainstreaming of so-called Cinderella procedures, where elective surgeries are done so women can better slide into “sexy” shoes?

A modern American women having a toe-shortening procedure at Evo Advanced Foot Surgery in Beverly Hills, CA. She can now wear "designer" shoes with less discomfort.
A modern American women having a toe-shortening procedure at Evo Advanced Foot Surgery in Beverly Hills, CA. She can now wear “designer” shoes with less discomfort.
Podiatrist Dr. Oliver Zang of NYC Footcare explains his concept of "designer feet for designer shoes"
Podiatrist Dr. Oliver Zang of NYC Footcare, the self-proclaimed originator of the foot facelift and toe-tuck, explains his concept of “designer feet for designer shoes”

 

Almost Shoe Religion and Horseshoes

Have you tried Atheist brand shoes yet?

AtheistShoes
atheistberlin.com
atheistberlin.com
atheistberlin.com

 Probably not, as they’re brand new. This Berlin company Kickstarted itself into existence with a classic concept (quality materials, handcrafting) and an authentic open kitchen approach (check out their site) to why they deserve to be purchased by you (me), in a world where consumers become converts to global sneaker gods.

Atheist doesn't believe in any shoe
Atheist doesn’t believe in any shoe

The Atheists are made in Guimarães Portugal, using high grade Nubuk, calfskin, and other leathers. 

An Atheist shoe begins with 3 pieces of natural, unprocessed leather
An Atheist shoe begins with 3 pieces of natural, unprocessed leather

They even make a vegan imitation leather option for your vegan friends (you’re still friends right?). Their website is a great read in itself. As an American barraged by the billboards of Broadway daily, I find Atheist’s campaign to be refreshing in its honesty, and entertaining with its info.

Skechers has made an endorsement deal with a horse.

Mr. S
Image from photo by Anthony Gruppuso, USA TODAY Sports

Skechers, a marketing company that just happens to be in the footwear business, has draped California Chrome with this blue training blanket and a big sponsorship deal for the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York this weekend. Of course Mr. S will not be wearing two pairs of Skechers on the track. The crew will don the sneakers, and if Chrome wins, expect to see all Skechers everything everywhere. For information on the actual horseshoes attached to California Chrome’s hooves by an equine footwear blacksmith click here.

 This popdiatribe is going, going, done! Check back soon~ C

Still image from the Young Liars "Night Window" video directed by Nathan Boey
Still image from the Young Liars “Night Window” video directed by Nathan Boey

Say Nikey! New Navy? No Tickle

To squash any debate about how exactly to pronounce the brand with the swoosh, chairman of Nike’s board, Phil Knight confirmed via letter sent with a self-addressed-stamped-envelope that it is definitely pronounced “Nikey”.

Screenshot of letter sent by Ben Martin and Kendal Peters to Nike's Phil Knight
Screenshot of letter sent by Ben Martin and Kendal Peters to Nike’s Phil Knight

Adidas is involved in a little marketing battle with international competitor Nike on who can out-sponsor each other in the glow of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Puma is playing the ‘come get me’ strategy by waiting until after the big match to promote their kicks, hoping that kids will see teams playing in Pumas and then press ma and pa for a ‘back to school’ pair. Does Skechers make cleats?

Meanwhile, the US Navy is wearing boots that they do not love. In an article in the Navy Times called “Building Better Boots”, writer Lance M. Bacon identifies the problem plaguing today’s Navy-issued footwear, and offers up solutions based on feedback from hundreds of current and former sailors. Sentiment says the things are too heavy, uncomfortable, and way out-of-date.

Navy Uniform Inspection
Image cut from photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Ian W. Anderson (via Wikipedia)

I wonder if ideas provided by these suggestions, along with increased commitment to the Berry Amendment can create a solution. Could we see New Balance and Wolverine footprints on aircraft carriers some day? Could another maker meet this need?

Clothing designers dropping shoes:

Thakoon Panichgul is releasing Thakoon Addition shoes this summer for the ladies (made in Portugal).

Tom Ford has line of Italian-made sneakers now.

Hi, I'm Tom and I'm $700 pr.
Hi Stan, this is Tom…

Stories that Boston College was being bothered by a serial foot tickler look to be unfounded according to Boston police on an update on Boston.com . Of course the story has been shared thousands of times by now, but can you blame folks? Serial tickler?

Thanks social media.