Shanghaiist: What a Croc: Please don't wear these shoes

guest

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:48:17 +0800

-Quote- Never again will we be able to look at people's shoes in Shanghai. Because if we ever see someone wearing Crocs combined with, horror of horrors, those awful ankle pantyhose, that will be the day we are forced to pack our bags and leave. -End- Then just leave!! I don't understand why you guys are so interested in this topic. Why? Anyone who wearing Crocs is a criminal? Even if Crocs is ugly enough to make you sick, there're only few people wearing the shoes compare to the large numbers of people in Shanghai. If you can't stand this little you-don't-like stuff, I bet there's no any other place in this world you can live. Move to Mars! No people there except yourself!

Robert Campbell

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 01:45:31 +0800

I write about Holey Soles here in Canada. I wonder sometimes what the difference is? Does anyone have both and prefer one or the other? I also wonder how Holey Soles can retail so much cheaper? http://roberrific.typepad.com/handsandfeet/

Alexandra Khong

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:41:47 +0800

Maaaaan ....... They are comfortable and forget about the shit you hear from the 'Fashion Expert'. What do they know!!!! Just wear whatever you want and be yourself.

wow

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 16:36:21 +0800

I like crocs. They are cute.

Cameron Kippen

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 11:28:55 +0800

Crocs are cool style Have enjoyed following this thread. I am a shoe historian living in Perth Australia and have an ebook on the History of Footwear . The introduction of a new shoe fashion holds much fascination for me. Crocs may not suit all tastes but they are very comfortable to wear and give colourful attitude to the fashionista as well as a functional shoe to those who cannot afford expensive footwear. This is a very rare occurance and all the more remarkable. Keep on crocing Cameron Kippen

Zat Liu

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 11:18:13 +0800

Me thinks crocs are good for summer time, the shoes are light, comfortable and I just like the vibrant color. Last time I saw a young couple wearing orange crocs, which actually make me smile. O and by the way, I have a pair of anthes, black and red.

Nick Withycombe

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:43:54 +0800

I just checked ou the Clay Aiken link. Firstly, he must be a millionaire now so don't feel to bad for him. Secondly, he looks like a twat, and thirdly, 24 million Americans voted on American Idol? That's quite some stupid country you've got there.

optimus

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 23:24:52 +0800

my co-blogger ainsley attributes their success in rainy halifax to the fact that they instantly dry after rain: http://toronto.optimuscrime.com/?p=144 (i disagree: i attribute their success to the buying power of idiots)

Josh

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 16:16:09 +0800

Just wait till you get MBT's. Both Crocs and MBTs are massively ugly and sell by the bucketload. MBTs are orthapedic-ish shoes designed to help your back and *gasp* remove cellulite.

Boris

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 14:56:08 +0800

Pan Dawei's posts made no sense. But then again, a 45 year old spending his time posting silly words on someone else's very popular website makes no sense either, but here we are.

fashion police

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 10:43:43 +0800

you didnt break up with your gf because of unacceptable footwear, its cuz she fugly to begin with

Enough

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 10:36:04 +0800

Lamentably, when that fine English magazine Quo's circulation trickled to a standstill, no one in Shanghai could hear Mr Pandt pontificate on his own brave life here in Shanghai, and all those fake-ass foreigners who arrived in his wake. These days, David spends most of his time sending irascible emails to local magazines and blogs, all in the comfort of his terribly ugly shoes.

Fredrik

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 10:09:12 +0800

Have fashion arrived in Shanghai? Is this a topic for Shanghai?

Barbara

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 22:03:46 +0800

To each his own. Personally I think they are butt ugly, but my granddaughter loves her Crocs. What I don't understand is why you can't leave Clay Aiken alone. He is the best ambassador for autistic and under-priviledged children in the entertainment industry. Moreover, he has a great voice. Does it somehow build you up when you tear him down? He had a tough childhood himself and doesn't deserve the abuse he is getting now.

Pan Dawei

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 21:18:01 +0800

"Ironical"? Is that from the Shanghaiist style guide? I have to say, it's rather enjoyable to posit something on a blog—let’s says, referring to content as sophomoric, irreverent and ironic—only to be swung at by blogging individuals opposing your point of view, in exactly the mode your are criticizing to begin with. It's like watching somebody jump cocksuredly, land and knee themselves in the chin. So, how 'ironical' is my mid-life crisis? Clearly not as 'ironical' as your youth.

TW

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 20:08:07 +0800

Thank you, Nick. I was just searching for the right adjective, and you found it. Funky. Just typing it makes me want to bathe my brain in dettol.

Nick Withycombe

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 19:50:55 +0800

If "some guy walks into a business meeting wearing a soft, hemp suit with black funky black rubber clogs with holes in them", then please torture him slowly. I wonder how ironical your mid-life crisis is? "Funky", I'll bet.

Pan Dawei

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 18:27:58 +0800

Geez. Irreverence 'and' irony.

elias

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 18:10:20 +0800

Dude, dont diss the crocs. best shoes ever. does this mean i will have to get a new pair of shoes for the next shanghaiist happy hour? or just steer clear of dan?

Dan

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 17:35:04 +0800

Thank you for adding to our sophomoric and marginally informative blog publication, David. Enjoy your shoes.

Pan Dawei

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 16:22:57 +0800

Shallow post is right on. Of course, since you announced it as a shallow post, it ceases to be shallow, and actually counts as cool, hip irreverence. Which is exactly what a sophomoric, marginally informative blog publication like Shanghaiist clearly aims to be. Anyway, this is a lot of vitriol directed at what is genuinely a decent, comfortable, healthy, funky and decently priced consumer product. I’m the proud owner of five pairs of Crocs, and my 42-year feet and achy writer’s back thank me every day. (No, I’m not a nurse, Dan. I’m a chair-and-keyboard-ridden hack like yourself.) We all have adverse, at times, near violent reactions to fashion trends when they don’t suit our sensibilities, fit into our social clique, or border on entering into, God forbid, the fashion mainstream. And it’s fun to go off on them, preferably in print. I mean, who hasn’t wanted to take a 9-iron to the all the clean-cut white boys wondering Shanghai’s summer streets in three-quarter length Capri pants? Or those same guys when they step out at night in their striped, untucked dress shirts, boot-cut blue jeans and slipper-esque, fake-ass Pumas? Or that same group, still again, when they’re working their ubiquitous preppy boy polo shirts or soccer, er, football jerseys about town as they troll for local talent. I’ve lived in Shanghai for nearly seven years, and never has its foreign population—who seems to think it’s so ‘with it’—been so f**** vanilla and lacking in creative minds or individual spirit. So if some chick wants to wear bright orange rubber sandals that are actually better for her feet than bone crunching high heels…or some guy walks into a business meeting wearing a soft, hemp suit with black funky black rubber clogs with holes in them, instead of pleated khakis and tasseled loafers left over from the 80s…more power to them. Viva Crocs!

superficialiter

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 16:07:55 +0800

Last October, I was introduced to someone wearing a pair of these (here in Shanghai). Their owner turned out to be quite a nice guy, but I still can't shake that first, duck-booted impression. I feel a bit guilty, harbouring reservations about a person based on their footwear, but it is what it is. Not wanting others to feel residual guilt on your behalf is a nice altruistic reason not to buy them, for all those non-superficial people out there.

a

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 15:29:04 +0800

Those shoes are quite comfortable and convenient for gardening, but I think that they would be a bit uncomfortable to walk around in regularly.

Dan

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 14:17:20 +0800

... but i also cant see why one would want others not to buy them, i mean...at least they are colourful yes? Why don't I want people to wear them? So I don't have to look at them. The bright colors only make them worse. It's hard to look away.

yu888

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:57:01 +0800

ugly as they may be, it really is all about marketing. dunno why i would buy them personally as I need no help to get any more ugly, but i also cant see why one would want others not to buy them, i mean...at least they are colourful yes? :)

TW

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:17:09 +0800

First Uggs, now this... is there some kind of evil podiophobic mastermind at work behind the scenes in Shanghai? Or is it part of some larger, global plan devised by foot-loathing Illuminati?

Micah

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 12:35:39 +0800

They're on sale at Lucky Greens. Their marketing must be genius.

Derek Scruggs

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 11:56:08 +0800

I've always thought they were pretty ugly, too, but Crocs the company is a pretty neat business story. The founder was practically bankrupt about four years ago when he hit on the idea. Fast forward to the present. They IPO'd back in the spring and now he's mega wealthy. The company is based in Niwot, Colorado, which is about ten miles from where I live in Boulder. Of course, the shoes are now made in China. :)