Need Some Tightrope Shoes
April 14, 2010 8:52 PM Subscribe
Where can I find the banded tuxedo shoes everyone is wearing in this video? I want to have a pair of these by the end of next week. If it helps I live in New York City, but online is fine. Ready, set, GO!
Here's a link to a more recent Vogue article. A choice excerpt:
She shops only for what she doesn’t have custom-made: crisp cotton shirts (Anne Fontaine, J.Crew, and her favorite, Ralph Lauren, whom she refers to by her nickname for him, “That Guy”); riding boots from That Guy; and George Esquivel shoes, buying five or six pairs at a time because “I panic I’ll miss out. He makes only about 100 pairs of each style.”posted by mhum at 9:36 PM on April 14, 2010
Response by poster: Hmm. While it may be that Monae's are custom Esquivels, a friend I just showed the video to swears that he wore an identical pair to his senior prom about ten years ago, rented from a local tuxedo shop in Boston. So the diagonal stripe thing doesn't seem to be a unique Esquivel thing -- which is great, because I can only afford the cheapo ones anyway.
posted by hermitosis at 9:37 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by hermitosis at 9:37 PM on April 14, 2010
If all else fails, that would be a relatively simple pattern to paint or have painted on a traditional pair of tuxedo shoes. Google yields a a number of relevant results: "paint leather shoes"
posted by biggity at 9:37 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by biggity at 9:37 PM on April 14, 2010
For better identification purposes, here are screencaps of the shoes: one, two, three. To me, they look like dance shoes.
Also: I have a new favorite video. Yay!
posted by ocherdraco at 9:44 PM on April 14, 2010
Also: I have a new favorite video. Yay!
posted by ocherdraco at 9:44 PM on April 14, 2010
Response by poster: Also, if he only makes about a hundred pairs in each style, what are the odds that they'd be able to buy up dozens of pairs for all the backup dancers? Surely there must be some knockoffs out there.
posted by hermitosis at 9:46 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by hermitosis at 9:46 PM on April 14, 2010
a friend I just showed the video to swears that he wore an identical pair to his senior prom about ten years ago, rented from a local tuxedo shop in Boston
That's very interesting. Far be it from me to question your friend's memory, but ten years can be a long time. Could it be possible that he's misremembering? There are a number of styles of two-tone (aka spectator) shoes formal shoes that, with the fog of time, could be conflated with the Esquivel pattern.
Note also that the diagonal stripe is not symmetric across the two shoes. You can see it more clearly in the exemplar photo on this blog post. I'm by no means an expert in the cobbling arts, but it seems that the non-standard construction technique required for this kind of pattern would put it outside the realm of a common tuxedo shop rental.
posted by mhum at 9:50 PM on April 14, 2010
That's very interesting. Far be it from me to question your friend's memory, but ten years can be a long time. Could it be possible that he's misremembering? There are a number of styles of two-tone (aka spectator) shoes formal shoes that, with the fog of time, could be conflated with the Esquivel pattern.
Note also that the diagonal stripe is not symmetric across the two shoes. You can see it more clearly in the exemplar photo on this blog post. I'm by no means an expert in the cobbling arts, but it seems that the non-standard construction technique required for this kind of pattern would put it outside the realm of a common tuxedo shop rental.
posted by mhum at 9:50 PM on April 14, 2010
Also, if he only makes about a hundred pairs in each style, what are the odds that they'd be able to buy up dozens of pairs for all the backup dancers?
That's a very good point. This blog post gives the impression that there's some kind of collaborative relationship between Monae and Esquivel, but I've been unable to corroborate that. Also, in 2009 George Esquivel was nominated to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund which was established for "emerging fashion designers", indicating that he's still relatively new to the scene (and possibly in need of exposure by aligning himself with a super awesome musician?).
posted by mhum at 10:03 PM on April 14, 2010
That's a very good point. This blog post gives the impression that there's some kind of collaborative relationship between Monae and Esquivel, but I've been unable to corroborate that. Also, in 2009 George Esquivel was nominated to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund which was established for "emerging fashion designers", indicating that he's still relatively new to the scene (and possibly in need of exposure by aligning himself with a super awesome musician?).
posted by mhum at 10:03 PM on April 14, 2010
Well, if those are Esquivels, I think you could get a very similar look by modifying a pair of dance shoes like these or these.
posted by ocherdraco at 10:14 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by ocherdraco at 10:14 PM on April 14, 2010
Is the diagonal stripe key? These have a horizontal one.
posted by MsMolly at 11:40 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by MsMolly at 11:40 PM on April 14, 2010
Response by poster: The diagonal stripe, asymmetric across both shoes, is key.
Also, I just double-checked with my friend (who must think I'm totally crazy now) and he swears that the shoes he rented had this key feature. "The old Italian guy at the store tried convince me NOT to rent them," he says.
I may have to mod something but I would really prefer not to.
posted by hermitosis at 6:41 AM on April 15, 2010
Also, I just double-checked with my friend (who must think I'm totally crazy now) and he swears that the shoes he rented had this key feature. "The old Italian guy at the store tried convince me NOT to rent them," he says.
I may have to mod something but I would really prefer not to.
posted by hermitosis at 6:41 AM on April 15, 2010
The asymmetric stripe made me wonder if the shoes were Camper Twins. But I can't find any style by that maker that looks like that, nor do I think the Twins come in mens sizes. I really want you to find them!
posted by pinky at 6:56 AM on April 15, 2010
posted by pinky at 6:56 AM on April 15, 2010
I was doing this exact search yesterday, and came to the conclusion that they're probably either Esquivel or custom-made for the video by a stylist to look like Esquivel.
As I understand it, it wouldn't be at all unusual for a designer to make a bunch of shoes especially for a music video. As mhum points out, it's great exposure.
posted by doift at 8:32 AM on April 15, 2010
As I understand it, it wouldn't be at all unusual for a designer to make a bunch of shoes especially for a music video. As mhum points out, it's great exposure.
posted by doift at 8:32 AM on April 15, 2010
Response by poster: custom-made for the video by a stylist to look like Esquivel.
This is the option that has my vote. If you look at the first picture ocherdraco links to, and zoom all the way in, it's pretty obvious that these are standard soft leather dance shoes (as opposed to the pretty sturdy-looking Esquivals) that have probably been custom modified.
Which I guess means I should start looking at my own mod options, but I am still going to hit up a few low-rent tuxedo shops and ask if I can look through their catalogs.
posted by hermitosis at 8:58 AM on April 15, 2010
This is the option that has my vote. If you look at the first picture ocherdraco links to, and zoom all the way in, it's pretty obvious that these are standard soft leather dance shoes (as opposed to the pretty sturdy-looking Esquivals) that have probably been custom modified.
Which I guess means I should start looking at my own mod options, but I am still going to hit up a few low-rent tuxedo shops and ask if I can look through their catalogs.
posted by hermitosis at 8:58 AM on April 15, 2010
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At first, I thought they were a reversed version of her usual saddle shoes. But, if you look carefully, you can see that the white stripe is diagonal across the shoe (as in the Esquivel pattern), not in a saddle shape.
posted by mhum at 9:27 PM on April 14, 2010