This Is Not a Shoe

No, says Sruli Recht, its creator: it is the Hvalsforhúðsskór Dorks, a men's boot made of "minke dork" in "caramel sandstone" with a 2" raw leather Cuban heel.

And here is the descriptive copy:

hunter and hunted, charred end cycles of left over limits.
holes in these things less for the breathing,
chasing that whale, too late in the evening,
"It's the new dolphin - a stand in for the ozone, and that hole itself? is just the next blackman".

Also excellent for achieving the Sarkozy Effect.

Mr. Recht, who calls himself  "a European nomad," was born in Jerusalem in 1979 and eventually settled in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he now dreams up and produces his surrealistic footwear and clothing. The prose, I am willing to bet, is likewise all his own.

Take this item, described as:

The Bullet-proof Handkerchief

For the Promiscuous Idealist whom

Lives in Elegant Danger

Whom? Yes, youm.

Or Death Sequence, about which Recht writes:

This is a seal skin dress. Put away your adopted social morals and enjoy it.

Go. Read. (Especially the About page.) Send an admiring e-mail. But don't attempt to place an order. This is not a store.

(Via Jon Carroll, who paid tribute to Recht in his column last month.)

Comments

[Edwina Trout]

How do you say 'asshole' in Icelandic?

[Nick Tata]

My Icelandic is a little rusty (frozen?), but I think the word starts with the letters : con...

[Nick Tata]

Just to clarify a term, "Cuban heels", refers to closed dance shoes for men and women that can be worn to formal occasions. "Pumps" are "nondance" shoes of the same style for women. The heel itself has nothing to do with the term. Most social dance shoes have heels of one to two inches for men and two to four inches for women. If you check back with the great Manolo you will find that he mentions, "ridiculously styled" Cuban heels and shows a pair. If you check any dance shoe site you will find that, "Cuban heels" are quite classic in appearance, well styled, and nicely crafted as they are usually used in judged competitions. As far as, "elevator shoes" I checked and found that Manolo actually recommends some styles for the "vertically challenged" man. These shoes are constructed with low heels. The wedged pads are hidden inside and the shoes look normal and stylish. However, I do appreciate the image. If men started wearing high heels as women do then, "Cuban heels" might do nicely for "mens high heels." Personally, if I decided to go "latin" this summer I'd pick the the Cole Han wedges.What do you think?...... Thank you, Nancy, for all your great posts this last week and the sites mentioned. I enjoyed everyone!

[Mark Gunnion]

The romance (?) copy is a little too thick to be sure, but I think he's given that Kevlar (tm?) handkerchief the brand name "The Damned".

Wow, that's gotta be the Best New Product Name of the Week, don't you think? Woulda made a good perfume name for the right client. Pretty good punk band, too, featuring both Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies (!)

http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/music/damned.htm

[Nancy Friedman]

@Nick: "Cuban heel" refers only to the heel--broad, slighly curvy, generally no higher than 2"--and not to the style of the shoe. Cuban heels appear in all sorts of shoe styles, from boots to sandals.

I've been a ballroom dancer *and* a shoe copywriter, not to mention a compulsive shoe buyer, so I feel pretty confident about this!

[Nick Tata]

Ok! I checked Merriam- Webster, which I should have done before, and then a few sites again. I found both "Cuban Heels" with an 's' to be pairs of a type of social dance shoe ,usually for women, and "Cuban heel" to be a medium height curved at the back heel ,from Merriam Websters(the dictionary, not the store). Back at Manolo I found that he refered to "stacked heels" (straight up and down heels) used as elevators. What I originally wanted to point out was that " Cuban heels" are not really elevator shoes. By the way, did you ever meet Marge Gabbart at "Facinating Rythm" ? I took disco partner and Latin dance lessons from her in 70s. She once used me as her assistant for a Latin dance demo for beginners. At 5'2". ( me not her) it was quite a rush.