MetaFilter posts tagged with shoes

Did they use one-click?

smackfu — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:58:01 -0800

People adore Zappos. Will that continue now that Amazon has bought them for nearly a billion dollars? In a battle of new wave corporate communication, Jeff Bezos announced it on Youtube while the Zappos' CEO posted his letter to the employees on their blog. (Previous Zappos posts: 1, 2)

Crocs shoes face bankruptcy

johnny novak — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:05:25 -0800

Crocs face bankruptcy! They sold over 100 million pairs of their practical, stylish yet affordable shoes to George W Bush, Steven Tyler and my overweight aunt amongst others, so where did it all go wrong? One bright note: boxed, early models are already selling on Ebay for big money.

Just don't do it!

rongorongo — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:44:06 -0800

"At Stanford University two sales representatives from Nike were watching the athletics team practise. Part of their job was to gather feedback from the company's sponsored runners about which shoes they preferred. Unfortunately, it was proving difficult that day as the runners all seemed to prefer... nothing" - from Christopher McDougall's forthcoming book "Born to Run" which looks at the story the growth of the $20 billion running shoe industry. Starting form Bill Bowerman's Cortez in 1972 onwards runners have seen a steady flow of innovations to improve performance and reduce injury rates. Only it would appear they may not work. By way of contrast the book includes coverage of the Mexican Tarahumara tribe who run ultramarathons with shoes made from car tyres on their feet.

DROPPEDIT'S ONE-SHOE SCENES IN MOVIES AND TV

fearfulsymmetry — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:27:10 -0800

Women losing their shoes, mostly high heels, appear to be a common theme in movies and TV serials... This list one is the first, consisting of what I term “Prime” shoe loss scenes... ...This category is different from "Prime" List because: the female character slipped her shoe off on purpose; or the errant shoe is readily recoverable or carried in hand; or she removes the remaining shoe and continues barefoot; or the loss is a result of or accompanied by editing flops and inconsistencies in the movie; or the female character is already dead; or the dose of realism is low (such as twisted Cinderella theme, fairy tales), and so on.

Barefoot To The End

AzraelBrown — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:19:01 -0800

Wednesday, a woman jumped from the top tier of the Queens Center Mall, leaving by the railing a distraught companion, her purse, and her shoes. At first glance it would seem a spontaneous, strange thing to do, but it was most likely a premeditated action to show her intent. Workers on the Golden Gate Bridge use shoes as a clue of somebody about to jump, and Japan has long known that people who end their life leave their shoes behind. Age has little to do with it, and method seems irrelevant, so the common bond seems to be that taking off your shoes is the second-to-the-last decision some people make in their lives.

Iraq finds peace and unity...

445supermag — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:35:55 -0800

"...relatives and fans of the shoe-throwing journalist, who has become a national hero, have staged a sit-in in a park adjacent to the Green Zone, and their numbers are growing. Army tanks and helicopters surrounded the 400 protesters and demanded they disband, but authorities were apparently persuaded that Iraq didn't need its own Tiananmen Square massacre, so the protest continues. Indeed, al-Zeidi has become a unifying figure for an Iraq split along a deep sectarian divide, with Sunnis from Samarra reportedly joining the predominantly Shi'ite supporters of the shoe-thrower. At last report, the two groups were sitting side by side eating lamb and vegetables, with the soldiers guarding them joining in." Via The text of the post was lifted from "via". Also, Iraqi parliament member plans to visit Bush shoe-thrower in jail.

Successful Bush jobs initiative

mojohand — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 06:59:44 -0800

The shoe hurled at President George W. Bush has sent sales soaring at the Turkish maker. "Istanbul-based Baydan Ayakkabicilik ...has received orders for 300,000 pairs of the shoes since the attack, more than four times the number his company sold each year since the model was introduced in 1999. The company plans to employ 100 more staff to meet demand, he said..."

Shoes thrown at President Bush in Iraq

xorry — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:07:36 -0800

Shoes thrown at President Bush in Iraq. As America prepares to give him the boot, President Bush was forced to do some atypical sole searching during a press conference in Iraq when an Iraqi television reporter flung both shoes at him. HuffP has MSNBC video without ads and adds: "In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt. Iraqis whacked a statue of Saddam Hussein with their shoes after U.S. marines toppled it to the ground after the 2003 invasion." This is a "gross insult in the Arab world." Value added video.

I'm doing fine with my shoes right now...

Potomac Avenue — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:34:20 -0800

Sneakers: A Short Film Meditation on International Shoe Culture Topi Tateishi is a half finnish, half japanese urban dancer and owner of a small sneaker store in Helsinki. He got into sneaker culture through urban dance as he started as a young b-boy 18 years ago and he has been dancing ever since. Sneakers mean the world to him and sometimes they can even replace the significant other. By the end of the movie a whole world of sneaker and urban dance culture has been revealed through a pair of Topi's shoes.

These shoes are ripe for crafting

orange swan — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:41:02 -0800

While you may not be the shoe hoarder some people are, you have shoes in your closet you never wear and you'd like to know what to do with them. Are they just boring? In that case you could just experiment with new ways to lace them, or find a way to make them light up when you walk into a room. Or you could draw on the shoes with markers or sharpies. You could also paint them, going with the theme of your choice: Art Nouveau, Picasso, Day of the Dead, or any of the ideas here. You could cut motifs from fabric and glue them on to your lace-ups, cover your flats with new fabric, bling up a pair of strappy shoes with glitter, or embellish your flip-flops with some yarn. Is the old upper worn out? Knit or crochet a new one. Want to get where you're going faster? Make custom roller skates, or modify your bicycle. Do your shoes hurt your feet? Put them on your face instead as a wrestling mask, or turn them into an iPod case. Your shoes could also become a birdhouse, a planter, a centrepiece, or an integral part of a coat rack, bookends or leg lamp. If you're really not up to crafting, here are 11 non-crafty ways to recycle old shoes. But what fun is that?!?

Like one of those magical closets you see in the movies

ThePinkSuperhero — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:22:42 -0800

Modista [via mefi projects] Finally, an online retailer that replicates the experience of what it's like to shop in a store on a website.

The Pigeon

meech — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:49:49 -0800

Designer Jeff Staple may have his name on Levis but he really made his name in 2005 when, in conjunction with Nike, he put a pigeon logo on 200 pairs of Nike Dunks. Today they sell for up to $3000. In June The Pigeon made a special appearance on a camera and now The Pigeon returns on 650 pairs of New Balance shoes that are released globally on Wednesday. Nike probably wont be impressed.

"Taking them off feels like an orgasm."

miss lynnster — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:19:59 -0800

Walking a mile in our heels. If you'd like to try it yourself, here are some handy pointers. Just be forewarned: after a few minutes your feet may feel like bloody stumps, but your calves will look irresistably fabulous.

Rock the streets

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:47:21 -0800

Whether you want to learn to lace shoes, tie shoelaces, stop shoelaces from coming undone, calculate shoelace lengths or even repair aglets, Ian's Shoelace Site has the answer!

How Shoes Are Ruining the Human Foot

homunculus — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:50:31 -0800

You Walk Wrong. "It took 4 million years of evolution to perfect the human foot. But we’re wrecking it with every step we take." [Via]

barefoot for a cause

geekyguy — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:40:49 -0800

Barefootin'! Ron Hunter, men's basketball coach of IUPUI, decides to raise awareness for Samaritan's Feet, a charity that collects shoes for needy children, by coaching barefoot. Initially, he hoped to collect 40,000 pairs in honor of the 40th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr. - 110,000 pairs of shoes were collected by tip-off. An inspiring(?) story. as seen at SpoFi

These shoes rule. These shoes suck.

hermitosis — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:28:21 -0800

How you'll wear shoes in the future... "You start with a 'bone': the made-to-measure core of the shoe that cradles your foot. You cover the bone with one of many 'skins,' the shell and sole of the shoe that creates the look everyone else sees."

There are no traffic jams along the extra mile

growabrain — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:47:46 -0800

Zappos brings customer to tears (in a good way)

GPS platform shoes for street hos

Burhanistan — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:41:53 -0800

The Aphrodite Project : both an homage to Aphrodite and her prostitute-priestesses as well as a practical tool for the contemporary sex worker. Or, GPS platform shoes for street hos. Check the demo.

It's all about the shoes

mathowie — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:11:49 -0800

The Shoe Project: people and their shoes. Simple and sweet, I don't know why this makes me smile so much but it does. (via swissmiss)

Shoefiti: shoes on powerlines

Rumple — Mon, 28 May 2007 11:38:24 -0800

Shoefiti: Shoes on powerlines. Shoefiti Phenomenology. Not to be confused with shoe trees.

Kaysone Phomvihane

PHINC — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:10:32 -0800

He fought battles on the Plain of Jars, hid his rebel faction in caves for nine years to escape U.S bombs and now has a huge museum in Vientiane. Laos' Kaysone Phomvihane is not the most well documented 20th century communist leader. And not everybody is happy about him of course. But if you want to judge him for yourself go to Laos and visit those caves or visit his humble residence and have a look at his tennis shoes.

“Hey you, get your damn hands off her!”

hermitosis — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:24:13 -0800

Nike Air McFly to be released?!

Of shoemakers and elves. . .

flotson — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:44:19 -0800

Design your own Chuck Taylors. Not normally a fan of corporate gimmickry. However, I grew up wearing these, and as a wee lad always dreamed of this day. (In the eighties the best that could be managed was to try to sneak a mixed pair under the nose of the sales clerk.) My Chucks were as beautiful as they were useful. And in those days they were still sweatshop-free.I knew little of the man, as the youth of tomorrow may know little of this one. I conclude with a parable.

feeling the pinch

nickyskye — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:14:30 -0800

Punitive shoes, chopines, namakshin and kabkabs, sabots, lotus shoes, all over the world, weird and strange contemporary styles. [previously]