Clogwild in the press...

Footwear famed for comfort is suddenly chic

These Clogs Are Made for Walkin' By Laurie Lucas, The Press Enterprise, May 15th, 2003 Clogs, once the anti-fashion favorite of flower children, have made a comeback. This time, they're chic, reinterpreted by every designer from Coach to J. Crew, from Old Navy to Miu Miu, splashed in catalogs from Lands End to Garnet Hill, and sold on websites such as Clogwild. Clogs really became trendy last fall, says Ashley Kennedy, accessories editor for the New York-based Lucky magazine. After combing Palm Springs last month, Lucky's senior editor Gigi Guerra checked out Clogwild in Palm Springs. Realtor Lori Simmons snapped up 10 pairs of clogs from Clogwild, including blue ones painted with daisies. "They're conversation pieces," she says, "sort of extensions of yourself." (Click the article to read more. 220 KB download.)

New York is crazy about clogs and Clogwild.

Lucky strike By Nancy Yang, The Desert Sun, February 9th, 2003 By day, she wanders through thrift stores, outlet malls and major shopping centers. By night, she researches future shopping destinations and writes a monthly column about her store-hopping adventures.

That's not even the best part. One week out of every month, she's in a different city -- maybe even a different country -- doing what she loves: shopping. In short, she has many women's dream job. She gets to shop for a living. Who is she? She's Gigi Guerra, senior editor and writer for Lucky magazine. Fittingly, Lucky is all about shopping and the best things to buy in fashion, beauty and home -- and where to buy them. And what better place to shop than Palm Springs? "I looked at some tourism guides and they said the No. 1 thing to do in Palm Springs was shopping," Guerra said. So last Tuesday and Wednesday, Guerra shopped Palm Springs for her upcoming column about the best places to shop in the Southwest. While in Palm Springs, Guerra zeroed in on what she said was "big." Stop One: Clogwild, Palm Springs Everyone in New York is crazy about clogs, according to Guerra. So it was natural that she, a New Yorker, check out the clog selection in Palm Springs. So where did she go? Clogwild, of course. At the store, she oohed and ahhed over the quirkier shoes: ones with painted designs, the children's lines and the exercise clogs. "I liked it!" she said. (Shopping continued to other stores...)

Store Owner Hopes to Get Foothold in Clog Craze

By Jeanne Krause Special to The Desert Sun October 13th, 2001 PALM SPRINGS-- Eric brought wooden shoes to the Coachella Valley. Eric's shop, Clog Wild, located on the upper level in the Andreas Plaza, is on the ground floor of what he hopes will be a clog craze. "One of our local Realtors has bought six pairs from me," Eric said, "and lots of professional people are wearing them for better posture."

Eric hung around Hollywood for a number of years. In the 1980s, he was a chaperone for guests of "The Dating Game."

Opens Store: By the 1990s, he was a personal driver for some of the higher echelon at Sony Studios before coming to Palm Springs and opening the downtown shop.

Eric is proud of his 5-year-old pair of blue suede Bastad clogs and says he even has one pair he's still wearing after 18 years. "They just don't wear out," he said.

Today's clogs are made with a leather upper set atop a wooden or a polyurethane platform. There are clogs to wear for fun and clogs to wear for more formal occasions. All the clogs in Clog Wild for adults are Bastad brand. Two styles, the Dali and the Picasso, even have steel toes.

"One of my first customers," Eric said, "was a heart surgeon who performed all his operations while wearing clogs."

Clogs also come in pink, black, brown, flower prints and white to finish up your wardrobe, be it blue jeans or formal attire.

Eric maintains that the wooden shoes are beneficial for the body.

Improved health: Wearing clogs, he said, forces the wearer to stand up straight, keeping the spine aligned. And clogs are open in back, allowing the foot to breathe during those hot summer months, rather than sweating up a summer storm.

Clog Wild also carries clogs for kids. "There's nothing cuter than a rugrat in clogs," Eric said.

More informationGo to www.clogwild.com.

Originally appeared in Desert Sun, October 13th, 2001.

Living High on the Clog

By Mary Wellendorf Desert Post Weekly, Thursday, December 7, 2000 If you don't have a pair of clogs in your closet, then you're out of step with the latest fashion trend. That's right, those Dutch-inspired, gender-neutral wooden shoes are back in style in a big way. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, clogs were all the rage in footwear among members of the peace and love generation. The popularity of clogs continued to flourish throughout the 80s, with clogs making the "Preppie Handbook's" list of must-haves.

However, clog sales took a nosedive in the 90s, and the once-hip shoes were soon thrown into the "so five minutes ago" fashion abyss. But as with so many other discarded fashions of the past, clogs have once again risen to the top of the "what's hot in fashion" heap.

"I wear them because they feel good on my feet and they look great," explained Lindsey Brown, 25, of San Diego who was recently spotted at the Westfield Shoppingtown wearing a pair of the trendy footwear. "And they go with practically anything."

"All the stars are wearing them, like Whoopie Goldberg and Dennis Miller," said Eric, owner of Clogwild in Palm Springs. He should know, considering he worked at Sony Pictures in Los Angeles for several years. "They're extremely comfortable and unique-looking shoes. Clogs originated in Holland, and the Swedish have only improved upon the original design."

Clogs are as much a symbol of Holland as tulips and windmills are, dating back to the thirteenth century, but back then, the entire shoe was made of wood. Today, most clogs have a leather upper set atop either a wood or a polyurethane foam platform.

"The great thing about these Bastad clogs is that because they're made of out of wood, they don't give or bend, so you're forced to stand straight while wearing them, which helps align your spine."

In fact, according to Eric, clogs are big sellers among professionals who spent a lot of time on their feet, like doctors, nurses, teachers, hairstylists, and restaurant chefs.

"At my first clog store, I had this one customer, a heart surgeon, who performed all of his operations while wearing clogs," he said. Rumor has it that the tootsies of several employees at Desert Regional Medical Center and Eisenhower Medical Center are adorned with the comfy shoes.

Similar to the ever-popular Dr. Scholl's sandals, wearing clogs ensures the optimum use of foot muscles and provides excellent support for the body.

Doug Landry, 33, of Palm Desert, counts two pairs of clogs among his shoe collection, one black and one brown, and says there's nothing better as far as comfort goes. "I've never worn any other shoes that are more comfortable than my clogs."

Clogs come in all sizes and colors-white, pink, red, blue, black, brown, flowered print-and can be worn with almost anything from blue jeans to dress pants, or with a skirt or a tuxedo. However, Eric suggests wearing the all-black clog with any type of men's formalwear.

The price of a hand-made pair of Bastad clogs is between $80 and $90, which is fairly reasonable considering that a well-made pair of clogs can last for more than a decade.

"If you get them re-soled, they can last forever." Eric said as he modeled his own pair of four-year-old blue suede Bastad clogs.

"You get what you pay for."

For online shopping, check out Clog Wild's web site at www.clogwild.com.

Originally appeared in Desert Post Weekly, Thursday, December 7, 2000, page 20.

Home | Bastad | Sanita | Olsson | Dr. Scholls | Sanita Kids | Brakkies Kids | Specials
Order | Colors | Sizes | About | Press | Contact | Privacy | Legal | © 1998-2005 Clogwild