Tuesday, September 22, 2009

CLOWN SHOES


per⋅vert

[v. per-vurt; n. pur-vert]
–verb (used with object)
1. to affect with perversion.
2. to lead astray morally.
3. to turn away from the right course.
4. to lead into mental error or false judgment.
5. to turn to an improper use; misapply.
6. to misconstrue or misinterpret, esp. deliberately; distort: to pervert someone's statement.
7. to bring to a less excellent state; vitiate; debase.
8. Pathology. to change to what is unnatural or abnormal.
9. to convert or persuade to a religious belief regarded as false or wrong.
–noun
10. a person who practices sexual perversion.
11. Pathology. a person affected with perversion.
12. a person who has been perverted, esp. to a religious belief regarded as erroneous.

Origin:
1300–50; (v.) ME perverten < class="ital-inline">pervertere to overturn, subvert, equiv. to per- per- + vertere to turn; (n.) n. use of obs. pervert perverted


per⋅vert⋅er, noun
per⋅vert⋅i⋅ble, adjective
per⋅vert⋅i⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
per⋅vert⋅i⋅bly, adverb


2. seduce, corrupt, demoralize. 3. divert. 4. mislead, misguide. 7. pollute, defile; impair, degrade.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.

Wow!
That was descriptive. I always live for the synonym list. I especially like the idea that perversion is diverting, misleading, polluting, defiling, impairing, and degrading. I feel that the sexual connotations are well established and publicized. Let us look at less "safe-word" perversion.
One of my all time favorite artifacts.
The humble shoe.
More specifically- The Clown Shoe.
What makes it a clown shoe? An exaggeration of shape or size that takes it beyond actual human proportions. There are innumerable variations on the theme. Round toe, extra long toe, prow(long upward curving) toe, square or rectangular toes etc.! I'll show you some of my favorites. My problem is I could conceivably find a time and a place to wear any of them.


Here are some offerings from Spears Shoes.



GOLD FOIL PROW TOE LACE UP

YELLOW PROW TOE LACE UP WITH GOLD FOIL KILT-NO TASSLE


Here is Clown So Port


POLKA DOT MARY JANE WITH BOW DETAIL


ROLLER BOOT



DUCK FEET




THE FOLLOWING ARE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES



SUPERFLY PLAID LOAFER


CHECKERBOARD LACE UP


COLLARED BOOT


SPECTATOR BROGUE BOOT


CHARACTER BOOT/SMILEY FACE MOTIF


BEAK TOE MARY JANE

VINTAGE PROW TOE JESTER BOOT-LEATHER PETAL DETAIL




This is a photo of a flower arrangement sent by the folks at Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for the memorial service of Wayne Scott, a former circus clown who for years made clown shoes.

2 comments:

  1. james - i love the clown shoe/perversion post. what's more, i was imagining being at a bar with you wearing those shoes... i feel like i know the way you walk in shoes like that! love - sam kim

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just a quick thanks for the clown shoes...now I am off searching the web for places to buy them.
    The part that sux is I will have to wait out shipping in order to wear them to work..and I have very little patience.

    ReplyDelete