So What, Who Cares (vol 2, issue 94) Why you'll be saying, "Oh my God, shoes"
Hello! I have no idea why this didn't go out on Friday. Now my whole thing about Amazon Prime Day seems super-dated.
But how about that Amazon Prime Day, huh? People complained about the items on sale but the sales figures were compelling enough to prompt Amazon to say it's going to do this annually. And that raises an interesting prospect: Since this sale can be considered proof that people will show up for retailer-designated shopping holidays, can we maybe cool it on the Thanksgiving Day sales? There's still another fifteen designated shopping events around the holidays (vol 1, issue 55).
What do you think: Take back Thanksgiving, or give people an excuse to flee awkward family gatherings to get their postprandial splurge on? Tell me via Twitter and email.
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Ugly shoes are chic. Or so decrees the mainstream media, which began noticing last year that fashionable types were stocking up on Birkenstocks -- once used as a last name for a character in Clueless to denote how radically un-trendy he was -- and Tevas. LL Bean's Duck Boots sold out last winter (vol 1, issue 63). Earlier this year, the New Yorker devoted a few thousand words to Birkenstock, noting that the company is positioning itself as proudly unfashionable and equally proud of its product origin story, where each pair of shoes is made in Germany, by workers who enjoy fair compensation.
(That ethical consumerism happens to be turning into a compelling brand asset has been covered: vol 1, issue 7 and vol 1, issue 24.)
By contrast, Teva is working hard to build aesthetic differentiation from other sporty brands by teaming up with fashion-forward labels like Opening Ceremony and Nasty Gal. The velcro sandals that used to be called "Air Jesus" shoes in the 1990s can't compete on technical merits -- not in a world where Nike exists -- so the edge the company's cultivating? Make velcro sandals seem like a style choice.
So what? Some folks are betting big on data from the NPD that showed 85% of women prioritize comfort as "important" or "very important" in shoe priorities. NPD has also found that among the much-coveted millennial shopper demographic, two of the five top brands were decidedly comfort-oriented -- Toms and Vans.
Who cares? People who have strong opinions about shoes, and whether or not they should be made from velcro and foam? Orthopedists who have been waging a war against flip-flops? People who have been waiting for a resurgence of 1990s fashion (vol 1, issue 51)? The point is that you can probably expect a lot of vigorously practical looking shoes in stores and on websites for a while.
(Full disclosure: I have gone through four pairs of classic Tevas since July 1990.)
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Your pop-culture note of the day: I have my friend Kim R. to thank for pointing me to this more than ten years ago, and I have my friend Joanne to thank for reminding me of this video today: Kelly's "Shoes" is three amusing minutes that manage to send up consumer culture with a soupçon of commentary on Aughties "alternative" culture and gender construction. (As Kelly is actually the creation of actor Liam Kyle Sullivan.) Also, it is about shoes. Oh my God, shoes. There are swears in it, so put on some headphones if you sneak a view at work.
For a different take on women and shoes, this excerpt from Patricia Morrisoe's 9 1/2 Narrow: My Life In Shoes, "Me and My Mom, in Five Pairs of Shoes," is a wonderful meditation on the power of physical objects to symbolize a deeper understanding between two people.
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Are there typos? Copyediting is the only editing class I did not earn an A in. And I can't change any typos in the archives. I know. It irritates me too.
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