Sitting in Starbucks in the retail outlet in Swindon, having had a row in Clarks about which shoes my son will permit himself to year for school. He hates all of them, apparently, so on doubt there’ll be more rows next week when I try and make him wear the ones I’ve chosen. I have shopping, how on earth people become shopaholics I’ll never know, my head hurts. Can you tell how happy I am? Bag humbug grumble groan
While waiting for the elevator I spied some lovely boots at a nearby store. I didn’t bring any winter footwear, and right now my warmest pair of shoes are my New Balance sneakers (I should’ve brought my flat brown boots!). I made a mental note to pass by the store on our way out, just to see if I could get something cheap to tide me over for the trip.
After a lovely dinner that included traditionally prepared Cantonese shrimp, pork, and duck (which was delicious), we made our way out of the restaurant and stopped by the store downstairs. After looking at several clarks shoes on the floor, I pick up a boot that was simple in design and looked sturdy. After asking the saleslady for the price, I learned that anything resembling a name brand costs an arm and a leg here in China. The pair of black Clarks boots with a wedge heel and rubble sole costs 1580 RMB, or $205. $205! And that’s including the 20% discount! For $200 I better see a nicer name on the label like Coach, Charles David, or Cole Haan. Clarks? Are you kidding me? Clarks sounds like Charles David’s hick cousin.
What’s even more perplexing to me is that most of these boots are probably made in China, and you would think that because you are in China you’d be cutting out the middleman and paying a reasonable amount for these boots. But no – the price is even higher than the US. I would gladly pay $20 for a pair of decent-looking boots here but $200 is price gouging. And they weren’t even that cute!
(this blog has been reposted after I deleted it. I saved everything and have decided to repost it all. This blog has been backposted to original date and time.)Comments made to original post are reposted too, minus dates.
I was directed to an article that was originally published by the Semiole. Unfortunately, I cannot directly pull it up because their articles are not archived but I have not seen it before. Lots of details here:
the Seminole, OK newspaper written on 4-28-06
Mom Speaks Out on Boy’s Disappearance
By KAREN ANSON Managing Editor
“The psychics say he’s in a bale of hay out there in the pas-ture.”Sixty percent of them say he’s still alive.”
Rebecca Clark, foster mother of the nine-year-old who has been missing from his Seminole Coun-ty home for more than a week, introduced herself with those words, and immediately broke into tears.
“We have $10,000 we’ve been saving to rebuild our house after the fire,” she said, tears dripping from red-rimmed, pale blue eyes.”My husband said we’d sign over our property and walk away from everything”If whoever has him will just bring him back.”
Rebecca is small and blonde, dressed in jeans, boots and a straw hat and has been taking her quest to news media statewide.She and her husband, James Rex Clark, the missing boy’s bio-logical uncle, were approached almost three years ago by the De-partment of Human Services to serve as foster parents for Colt and his 12-year-old brother.
She told tales of what the boys had been through with their bio-logical parents.”They saw and were involved in things that even adults shouldn’t know about,” Rebecca said, mentioning the drug and pornography investigations of their parents.Their mother was recently re-leased from jail and their father is in a drug rehabilitation unit.”
They changed their names when they came to live with us,” Rebecca said.”Colt became Colt Levi River Clark he’s dramatic; I am sure he’ll become an author someday.”He chose the name, Rebecca said, because Levi means “for-ever faithful” and River means “everything washed clean.”"And Colt is a young horse,” Rebecca added.Colt’s brother, took the name Homer Justice Levi Homer meaning “good measure.”He wanted a good measure of justice,” Rebecca said.
Rebecca and her husband were emergency room nurses for awhile, then she worked for Vi-sionQuest, an in-residence reha-bilitative program for young men who have been involved in the judicial system.The program had a headquar-ters in Wewoka for awhile, but is best known for taking the youth on cross-country wagon train rides.
“Because of that, and because my husband was a charge nurse at the prison, we thought we could accomplish anything with these children,” Rebecca said.James was injured in a tractor accident and homebound, so now she stays home with him and the boys, she added.
Most of their time together was much like any other parent and child relationship.”He’s a sweetheart,” Rebecca said of Colton.”He draws pictures of flowers and writes ‘I love you Mama and Daddy’ on them.”He missed his biological mother, but Rebecca encouraged him, saying maybe they could see her after she finished her “pro-grams.”"We prayed for her,” Rebecca said.
But it had been a hard year for the children.Last summer, the family came upon a car wreck in which a child died.”Because we’re both ER nurses, we stopped to help,” Re-becca said.”There was blood all over, but we kept the boys in the car so they couldn’t see.”Later, they saw the dead girl’s picture on television and found it was someone they’d known before.”They just fell apart,” Rebecca said.
At Christmastime, their foster father had surgery and they feared there would be no gifts.”But we’d already gotten their gifts,” Rebecca said.Two days after Christmas their house burned, including their Christmas toys and some of their dogs died.Since then they’ve lived in a shop building they were thinking of using for an exotic animal farm.”We’ve been building back a little at a time, hoping not to go into debt,” Rebecca said.
The neighbor who Colt had become close to over the past years died earlier this year.In January, the boys’ biologi-cal father came to the house, jumped the fence and, Rebecca said, threatened to have the dogs bite Colt.”He was screaming and I ran out with the gun,” she said.”Since then, they hadn’t felt safe.”My husband has been sleep-ing on the couch and I on the bed and we’ve padlocked everything.”The Chihuahuas make so much noise we’d know if any-body came up.”Cold had been having night-mares about the fire and the past.
Rebecca paints Colt as a child who loves music and can play any instrument by ear and sing like an angel.Colt was described as a “bouncing ball,” always being told to get down off things.”People thought he was re-tarded, but he just had different interests,” Rebecca said.
The stories she tells have also a bit of the darker side, probably what would be expected with the history Colt had.”When he first came to us, he hurt animals,” Rebecca said.”They had a dog that bit them and we had to get rid of him,” Rebecca said.”We let them get every puppy they wanted. People gave them things.”Colt had a special pet, a real Russian red wolf pup, who slept with him and was devoted,” Re-becca said.
“He was a ornery, but he was a good boy. He wasn’t a troubled child, but he had had a hard life,” Rebecca saidThey were being home-schooled because Colt hadn’t fit in at Seminole Public Schools, she said.”We told them they were go-ing to Bowlegs after the first of the year and they have the pad-dle,” Rebecca laughed.But after the fire and the trau-matic visit from their father, the Clarks hadn’t started the kids back in school.
“They are wonderful kids,” Rebecca said.”Colt wants to be a bull rider and a veterinarian and Homer wants to be a lawyer for chil-dren.”Colt had stolen a few dollars from Rebecca before.”I thought he was probably go-ing to buy dip with it,” Rebecca said.”They (his parents) let him dip and spit.
“The day Colt disappeared, he had just finished being grounded for sneaking into a neighbor’s house and taking beer.”He wasn’t mad any more,” Rebecca said.”But he’d watched ‘Cops’ and saw a little boy being handcuffed.”He told me they arrested that little boy because he stole stuff.”It was so silly I can’t be-lieve I let him watch that.
“Colt didn’t want to go to coun-seling or to visit with the DHS worker, afraid, Rebecca said, that he would be taken away from his second family.Since his disappearance, Homer has told about Colt disap-pearing whenever Rebecca went to town and reappearing before she came home.
“He was ornery, but he was never afraid to come home,” Re-becca said.
The day he disappeared, April 20, they were getting ready to go to a counseling session in Nor-man.After their return, a DHS worker was supposed to come over.Rebecca told the boys to dress in their new summer clothes; Colt complained, wanting to wear his boots.
While she got ready, her hus-band planned to lie down.When she looked for Colt, he was gone.”The window was up in his bedroom,” Rebecca said.Asked if she thought he’d gone out there, she said she thought at the time that he was out in the car, ready to go.When he wasn’t, she searched and called for him.
The DHS worker came and they agreed to call the sheriff; a deputy came immediately.They brought dogs and ordered the family to put up their own dogs.”It was then that we found that Colt’s Russian wolf pup was gone,” Rebecca said.
The searching continued all night.At 4 a.m. the pup returned and scratched on the door, but the boy wasn’t with him.
Now the Clarks are being con-tacted by psychics, some of whom say the boy is still on the property, and others who say he’s with another family member.The deputies continue to fol-low leads and search.
Rebecca said a friend of Colt’s told the police that he’d met someone who lived on the rail-road last winter”I never knew it was so awful back there along the tracks,” Re-becca said, talking about the weeds, shrubbery, abandoned shacks and some kind of old drain or sewer plant.
She said they found food in one of the abandoned shacks.”I remember telling him that when the VisionQuest boys ran away, the ones who stayed on the railroad tracks were the ones who were the hardest to find,” Re-becca said.
She also recalls teaching him to drive a car in case of an emer-gency.”I taught him his directions and he was proud that he could tell me the way to Grammy’s house or the VA hospital,” she said.
She recalled the time he ran away from the shelter he was taken to as a five-year-old.Rebecca returned again to her hope that, if someone has the child, they’ll bring him to the police and claim the reward.”We have $10,000, but our family is trying to help us find more,” she said Thursday after-noon.”It’s been so longand it’s going to storm again.”I had made him dress in summer clothesI can’t imagine he could be gone so long.
“COLT LEVI CLARK Case Type: Lost, Injured, Missing DOB: May 24, 1996 Sex: Male Missing Date: Apr 20, 2006 Race: White Age Now: 9 Height: 4′4″ (132 cm) Missing City: WEWOKA Weight: 65 lbs (29 kg) Missing State : OK Hair Color: Brown Missing Country: United States Eye Color: Hazel Case Number: NCMC1042577 Circumstances: Colt was last seen on April 20, 2006. He was wearing blue jeans, a sky-blue shirt, white and blue tennis shoes. Colt wears glasses and has a scar above his left eyebrow.
Now I have lots of questions after reading this. I will post a new blog later about it.
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Its a nice chilly fall morning (brilliant in my opinion) I’ve already busted out the Burberry Scarf (I’m an occasional skack designer whore) and multiple layers. No jacket yet because I just don’t think its warranted. Today is the fun day of the MRI, a little freaked @ the concept but I’m not worried about the result. I’m not allowed to eat after 2pm (shouldn’t be hard because I’m hardly ever hungry anyway) so I made two little post its to put on my computer to remind me. I share with you now.
*Update: Phone call from the Doc said labs are normal but they are still waiting on the Celiac tests. So no Crohn’s or other nasty type things for me but no word on the Celiac work ups. Awesome. Also I added another possible business card design for SA that I enjoy.*
*2: Its now 2pm. No more food or bev. for me until post MRI. 2 hours until home-time. 4 hours until MRI time.
A few years ago I spotted the first Clarks Shoes showroom in India – right beside a tiny but elegant Jockey showroom. Curious, I moved in. There were exactly 4 designs for women, and perhaps 5 for men. Each of them was lovely. The walls were decorated with blow-ups of women’s feet clad in those same shoes, and somewhere it mentioned ‘Clarks Shoes, London’.
Discreetly placed was a banner stating a 30% discount on 1 of the designs. Excited I picked up the shoe, tried it out and fell in love. It was then that I finally flipped it over to check out the price. Rs 4000 (appx) after discount of 30%!! I slipped out of the shop.
Cut to today. There are Clarks showrooms in almost every self respecting city in India (I think). And my favourite by far is the one in Pheonix Mills, Mumbai. Though it looks bare in the first glance, it is good enough. Large, spacious, with nice sales men and good shoes, and a perpetual sale.
The designs of Clarks shoes are not extremely cutting edge Chic. They are not Jimmy Choo or Gucci, nor do they try to be. However, they are mostly leather, and some rubber based. and they are extremely comfortable.
Designs
The designs can to the undiscerning eye look almost dowdy. However, slip them on your foot before making the declaration. These shoes look extremely elegant on a foot, somehow. Ranging from the flats, to block heels, to kitten heels and even longer heels (of around 1-2 inches), they are made in such a way that they suit most feet and the overall effect is to enhance your leg – the requisite of a shoe – rather than just look showy.
Balance
I think it is extremely important for a shoe to be well balanced. So that if you are walking long distances, or over uneven turf, you don’t twist your foot. Also, it should not be uncomfortable to stand for a long time in your shoes. Clarks shoes fit the criteria. The heels however tall, are very well balanced and placed at the correct location at the heel – the curvature of the shoe usually ensures that your foot rests comfortably no matter how long you stand/ walk.
Comfort
Thanks to the well balanced heel, half the comfort problem is solved. And then there is the material of the shoe. None of them, insofar as I know, bite. No matter how new the leather. And the shoe soles are usually a little padded, so it feels comfortable and absorbs the shock while walking.
Style
Like mentioned in Design, the shoes are not cutting edge stylish, but are exactly what you want to wear on a daily basis. They are muted yet elegant and a great way to show off your style quotient. It would be very difficult to pick up a pair and make a Big Mistake in your shoe choice. The heel turns out well, and the overall shoe is well made – with attention to detail. So the shoe always looks great. Good craftsmanship shows.
Price
Like mentioned in my opening lines, the prices can be a little steep for an average worker bee. However, like I mentioned, the Phoenix Mill shop has a perpetual discount and certain designs are always available at pretty reasonable (though 4 number) rates. They are definitely worth it.
After Sales Service
Is great. I tend to rough use my shoes a lot. And after months of rough usage, finally one of my pairs started sporting an opening in the seam along my toe, where the sole met the top. So I took the shoe to the shop. Immediately, without a murmur or demand for the purchase slip, they took it, promising a mended shoe in a week. And lo and behold. After a week, I had me shoe back in stellar condition, freshly polished and buffed, and not a mark in sight. Only the sole surface gave away the usage it had undergone in my foot – no longer the pristine cream of new shoes.
Durability
They last for ages. If they have lasted more than one year on my feet, in Mumbai, through rain, puddles, rocks and goodness knows what else, without a single scratch on the sole as well as on the surface, I think they are extremely durable.
Overall
They are one of my fall-back pairs. My daily wear comfort shoes, that always look great. They have only select designs in India but the designs are all pretty good in nice colours. The price can be selected as per your wallet, and though the lowest end is also in thousands, I feel it is worth it. Being pure leather, with a very nice sole – both inside the shoe and outside, they are extremely durable. Like I mentioned earlier, they are stylish yet understated and elegant. And they scream the worth they are. It is rare to get shoes of this good quality, comfort and style in India, and in case you think it is too much to spend on a shoe, think of the after sales service. Though the company can look at reducing their MRPs on some designs rather than having a round the year discount on them, as long as it works for them and I get them at reasonable rates, Im OK.
I would say, Id like to see more Clarks shoe stores in India. Wait. I think there are enough. I don’t want everyone to sport the same shoes as me, now do I
But I cant repeat enough, I think the shoes are totally worth it!
PS – For my male readers – Clarks has some very good designs for men as well, though size might be an issue. And this stands true for women as well. Essentially catering to the UK population who are bigger in size than Indians, the shoes here tend to be available in bigger sizes than the average shoe store.
They also stock handbags and other leather stuff – but not too many of these things.
"It’s about comfort. Like blankie and fuzzy and Xanax," Isaac Mizrahi told Harriet Mays Powell backstage before his fall 2009 show. "That’s the order — those are the first four looks." He used lots of color, being careful not to be too exuberant, since in this economy no one feels that way. He also cited African inspiration, but don’t think beads. "It’s more like a fur-lined flip-flop, because October’s the new August and you need a flip-flop in October now, I think," he explains. Watch the video to see what he means.
Watch the slideshowPhoto: Melissa Hom
Macy’s isn’t necessarily the first place one thinks of for great men’s fashion, but things seem to be changing. At the fall preview, we were surprised to see that the department store’s private label, INC, was stepping up their menswear. The line’s outerwear, which hits stores mid-September, was the most impressively revamped area of the well-priced label. Jackets were simple and classic, but details like deep utility pockets and plaid wool added just the right amount style. We love the soft, black leather bomber with a knit collar — it would be perfect for guys who want good fit and design without too many trendy elements. And, best of all, everything will retail for under $200, an amazing price for wool and leather jackets and coats.
A nun tending to a bonsai tree at ThreeAsFour.Photo: Getty Images
Veteran fashion critic Lynn Yaeger will be blogging for us during this week of weeks. This is her first dispatch.
There must be someone else taking the subway to Jason Wu on Friday — the way I hear it, editors at all the major mags have tossed their Louboutins and are lately chasing pavements in Uggs — but nobody seems to be headed to a fashion show as I trudge up Tenth Avenue. A half-block away, I make out the trademark blue jacket of Bill Cunningham. I am ashamed to say — but why really? There’s no one else around — that I take out my hairbrush for a quick touch-up.
Why isn’t Michelle texting me? When she was raising money for her husband’s campaign, girlfriend was in communication a hundred times a day. Now I am watching the show of the guy who designed her inaugural gown and … nothing.
Show’s over, it’s time for the tents! I mooch a ride in a cab and arrive in time for a cup of free coffee, which this year is being supplied by McDonald’s. (And I was saving my “Here’s to the Ladies Who Lunch … at McDonald’s” joke for the Carolina Herrera show.) And then go into Charlotte Ronson.
Lindsay’s here! Her gal pal, as the tabloids call her, Samantha, is spinning, and the first tune I hear is Peggy Lee singing, “You had plenty money 1922, you let other women make a fool of you.” (What’s next? “Brother Can You Spare a Dime”?) Lohan is horrifically thin and looks sad, but maybe that’s because I and the hundreds of other people in the tent can’t take our eyes off her.
Rag & bone is conveniently located in a spot that is closer to New Jersey than my apartment. Are there any celebs here? I see Simon Doonan and ask him how it’s going. “Well, retail is … challenging,” he allows. Can I quote you, Simon? “Um, sure! It’s challenging … but great!”
I go home for an hour, then out again to the Prada party, where the draw is that the laundry-bag-like clothes have been styled by Alex White. I close my eyes and see these garments lined up the aisles of Space, the Prada outlet in Woodbury Common. And I’ll probably buy one there, since I am the rare person who actually likes a rumpled laundry-bag look — but not for $2,580, the asking price for a crumpled sleeveless shift.
I start Saturday with a visit to James Coviello’s installation because (1) it’s around the corner from my house, (2) I have always had a soft spot for Coviello’s vintage sensibility, which this year features prints out of Oscar Wilde’s drawing room, and (3) he is showing in a townhouse that reminds me of the sort of the place Lily Bart inhabited before she spiraled down and started hitting the chloral. Is this where the rest of us fashion girls are headed?
With such cheery thoughts dancing in my head, I go to Alexander Wang at Roseland where everyone is very, very cheery, maybe on account of the fact that they are dispensing free alcohol. (The high point for me is the Art Deco bathrooms, which appear to be unchanged since VE Day.)
Then it’s off to Poleci, a new store in the meatpacking district (perfect timing!), where I am struck by a young woman who has “She Don’t Look Back” tattooed between her shoulder blades, followed by a trek back up to 26th and Eleventh for ThreeAsFour, where we are crammed into a freight elevator and then stand around like a herd of sad overdressed cows in a dark room for about a half-hour. “It better be worth it,” someone mutters behind me and surprise, surprise, when we finally get in — it is. Medieval nuns in black and ivory glitter tunics tending bonsais set on mirrored columns! That’s how I want to greet the most fraught era in American history in 70 years!