Rocket Talk: Can Sunday Subway Service Start Sooner?
Newsstand: November 19, 2009
Gender Studies Coming to a High School Near You
Please Insert Station and Try Again
The Art of Not Knowing
Go ahead. Add "post-almost-bike crash traumatic disorder" to the list of things for which we are suing the manufacturers of Crocs (you know, the molded rubber-substitute monstrosities reluctantly categorized as "shoes"). That's after, of course, "severe aesthetic distress," "acute depression in regards to the future, as in, what could possibly be the next craze? Styrofoam sneaker-pumps?" and "recurring nightmares caused by the sight of a pylon-orange, perforated pair on the feet of the hitherto respected Julian Schnabel."
The bike crash in question nearly—near-fatally—occurred on Queen Street West, just east of Spadina, at that post-sunset, pre-nightfall hour during which sleepy eyes are prone to play cruel tricks. In fact, that's what we thought those five little white letters were: an optical illusion of sorts. Surely they spelled "Docs," as in Martens, the shoe we actually want to wear this fall. But no. We did a double take. And promptly missed the back of a taxi cab by about, oh, one and a half centimetres.
Because, see, if you had told us six months ago that a Crocs store would be opening in Toronto, we would have shrugged smugly and said "Umm, Etobicoke doesn't count as Toronto. Sorry."
And if you had told us that, actually, said invasion would be occurring in the very heart of our city, at the precise intersection of downtown cool and post-Starbucks gentrification, we would have laughed in your face.
And then, Crocs showed up in ours, and we couldn't look away. A black hole of taste opening up between French Connection and the Stem Diner (soon to be turned into a Dairy Queen, no doubt), the new store is being constructed at a relentless pace. We close our eyes when we cycle past, thinking that perhaps, after all, it would be better to die by bike crash than to live on a street trod by such hideous heels.
Look, we're not judging you for wearing the things. We totally get that not all of you can look good all the time. Like, some of you Crocs-wearers are apparently stay-at-home parents? Awesome. As long as you actually stay at home in your thirty dollar atrocities. Nurses? We'd frankly rather see you smoking outside the hospital doors than stepping foot through them in purple poly-whatever-they're-made-of, but sure, whatever.
What we're saying is, if these crimes against fashion (nay, humanity) have to be bought, must they be bought on the city's busiest shopping street? Can't they be sold like drugs, out of the puffy pockets of Brampton-dwelling dealers? Or like cigarettes these days, in white cupboards with labels in squint-inducingly tiny type? Must we publicly acknowledge the middle class' sick fixation on comfort over style? Openly face the horror, the horror of this darkest imaginable place of the sole?
You see it. Believe it. Now please, do something about it. A little class action, if you will, for what little class Queen Street has left.
Photo by Miles Storey/Torontoist.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Brutal. Bruuuuutal.
As much as Crocs don't make much sense to me, this move to Queen West makes perfect sense from a demographic and urban placement angle.
It's high profile because they see benefit in having a location where most Torontonians know. They know that today's Queen West shoppers may be their best customers in a few years once they settle down into careers and families and find utility in whatever Crocs selling points are. They see the return on investment as only a matter of time, which then can be plugged into amortization costs of running an outlet on some pretty expensive retail real estate space. They already have a customer base, and they apparently expect to see that expand into new target markets.
In other words, just be glad you didn't hit the taxi and try to move on with things. Queen West isn't in its halcyon days of the 1980s anymore, just as Yorkville stopped being its 1960s boho self when Richard Wookey mowed down a bunch of old Victorian houses to erect the Four Seasons and Hazelton Lanes.
Crocs aren't the first fashion faux pas to do something like this, and they will certainly not be the last. It's no worse or different than watching working clothier Dickies opening boutique shops in the 1990s to appeal to new emerging markets beyond factory, refinery, and transport industry workers. Done with calculated forethought, today's fashion disaster can morph into tomorrow's vogue.
Sadly this Crocs store is about the 50th store that had opened on Qwest thats is an abomination...every generation has had theirs...from Le Chateau to Mcd's to the Gap...they are simply continuing a trend that isnt that abnormal really after all...
Having said that - those shoes are Fugly but also very fucking comfortable...Fomptorable?
Can we protest it's opening on the basis of fashion disaster?
And isn't the chosen location a little bit odd? Sure, the majority of Queen West shoppers these days are 905ers or tourists (locals knowing to head more west), but the attraction to the area is it's dated status as a destination site for local fashions and art. Family-oriented neighbourhoods would be a better fit.
Also, a slight change to the second 'c' would spell "craps"......
Nevermind. Wishful thinking.
I own a pair of these to wear on our boat. Good traction and soft so they don't scratch the gelcoat surface, but off the boat I agree that I would not be caught in public with them.
I disagree on this being the "ideal" location. Yonge & Eglington is the ideal location. A mall is the ideal location. Say what you will about Queen West gentrification, but it'll still not catering to the Croc demographic--once I see more strollers, Sam's Clubs and SUVs I'll be (maybe) convinced.
West Queen West and Queen/Broadview will follow Queen West in a decade or two. Just wait.
And by then, Queen West will evolve as Yorkville's little sibling as a super-gentrified district, hosting high-order brands found only in a select number of primary cities around the world (you know, the kind which appear in a double-truck magazine fashion advert with the list of five or seven cities in which it opened a boutique).
Gentrification in these districts ignited a long time ago. The part of gentrification which people come to loathe is when the big-name brands roll in (example: Starbucks on Queen/Dovercourt, aka, "Drake you ho, this is all your fault" classic graffiti), but that's usually toward the end of a gentry take-away/claiming of a neighbourhood.
The first phase of gentrification is a phase which few people who benefit from it during those stages will cop to own as their doing.
EW. I feel so sorry for French Connection.
Pfff...fcuk French connection...
@paigesix [8]:
I think you just seconded my thesis without meaning to. :)
Yonge/Eg is yesterday and now, not tomorrow. Crocs are looking at tomorrow to open a location today.
When you build it in the right neighbourhood, the ______ will come. With Dickies, it was hipsters. With Crocs, it'll be educated, professional new families striding hesitantly and slowly into their domesticity -- be it at home or on the boat. These educated, urbane and professional target buyers really won't have to move spatially: they're already there. But the temporal migration is certain to follow, and Crocs appear to be hedging on that.
You're a terrible writer. I'm going to avoid your articles whenever possible.
I have never seen anybody on queen street wear Crocs.Come to think of it I have never seen anybody in the downtown core have them on.
oh dear god...help us all.
I always thought Crocs were just for kids, I've never seen an adult wearing them and suspect they would indeed look silly.
I have seen adults wearing them, and silly is one of many, many words to describe how they look.
@CORRY20:
Get out in the core more.
I see Crocs on people's feet when I'm making courier runs around the city. I tend to only notice them, though (and ironically), when on an escalator. The other places I've seen them appear are at and around both St. Mike's and the University strip of hospitals ("Sick Row") -- both in the hospitals and outdoors on the sidewalks.
That said, I've definitely seen them at least a couple of times in the financial core, much to my delayed surprise. Actually, if you have time to head down to the core and sit at a coffee joint, you'll begin to notice the subtle, but often absurd in what people wear to the office. It's either painful or subtle schadenfreude, depending on your mood.
Great, I was looking to buy a pair. Now I know where to go to find them. Thanks!
Crocs and Docs! Living together!
I saw dress Crocs last weekend—like, black strappy ones. I didn't even know they were Crocs.
Another little store between Spadina and University makes little difference, especially if the only complaint against is that you don't like the appearance of the shoes.
The real shame was when Urban Outfitters opened West of Spadina, blighting a portion of Queen that is still awesome (what with the Cameron House and Queen Video).
@Ben:
But do consider that Urban Outfitters built an aesthetically appealing and structurally sound building in an area that hasn't really had a great track record of late for maintaining the safety/structure of existing buildings.
phlegmatic wrote:
"You're a terrible writer. I'm going to avoid your articles whenever possible."
actually, she's probably the best Torontoist writer. i love her sarcasm and misanthropy and wish she didn't submit articles so sparingly. do you hate the fact that she points out how horrible Crocamania is? Make you sad to have neon pink and green Crocs that you wear to Harbourfront Centre on the weekends? ah, i thought so.
i kid not when i say that Sarah Nicole Prickett is the #1 candidate to write my obituary. i'd have it no other way.
lord, are they ugly. so, docs this fall...how many holes, sarah?
I was at Ka Chi in Koreatown the other day and saw a mother and daughter wearing matching purple Crocs...
If we're lucky the torrent of people clamouring for Crocs will force the city to widen the sidewalks on Queen West so they're reasonably capable of handling more than two pedestrians at a time.
I don't think Prickett is a great writer, Torontoist sometimes suffers too from whiny bitchiness, but this is an alright article. I saw the Crocs shop on Saturday and was also a bit taken aback. It does make sense as a strategic location though.
I can't believe there's a whole store of this hot mess.
Can there possibly be enough different kinds of Crocs to warrant a store? Isn't it basically a question of blue vs. pink?
I was happier when I could choose to ignore the sale of Crocs by avoiding the Wal-Mart website. Now I'm reminded of that ugly reality whenever I walk on Queen St.
I thought these hideous things were going out of business!
Post 29: I was thinking the same thing but just today I was out at Tim Horton's and saw an old woman wearing these horrible Crocs that weren't like their flagship shoe but horrible strappy sandles but made out of that plastic crap. UGH.
I'm in the "Crocs don't fit on Queen St." camp. I live near the area and the only people I see wearing them anywhere in Toronto are little kids and old people...neither of which is particularly drawn to Queen St. Sure there are families living in the area but the newer, younger population are mostly condo owners...they don't have a garden to wear Crocs in.
I'm not going to bitch about the mallification of Queen/Spadina (hey, I shop at H&M and the Gap sometimes), but Crocs? Just don't get it.
My mom lives in a small town 1.5 hours away and I swear, half the population wears Crocs and every other store sells them. Then I get here and who wears them? Hardly anyone in comparison.
I realize there are other styles of Crocs, including flip flops and hideous high heels (no joke) but with fall/winter coming, are people really going to buy more? Surely fake Crocs can be found in Chinatown for a third of the price.
Also I thought the company wasn't doing that well so I'm surprised. Surely people who want Crocs have them already.
yes @phlegmatic, this was written horribly. It took me a while to even figure out what this article was about. Maybe an attempt at creating suspense, but it shouldn't be that painful to get to the point.
I work in Markham, and I see the occational person wearing knock-off crocs (gators), visors which can come down and look like a wielding mask, and these white gloves. If I ever see someone like that downtown, I'd probibly expect to see them walking in an out of the CAMH building.
CAMH firebrand FTW.
If nobody on Queen West wears crocs, that may be the perfect market for the store, nay? On the other hand, I thought crocs are yesterday's "fashion" anyway
...and the ubiquitous skinny jeans in that hood are the ultimate in fashion? Give me a break. Queen West is downtown Yorkdale.
Count me among those who don't give a shit what store moves in on Queen St. It's a retail district. It's like being insulted that some cocky new upstart is moving into your local mall - it betrays a weird sociocultural identification with something that will never foster similarly romantic notions about you. Perhaps it's because I'm not much of a shopper, but I don't see what difference it makes. It's like people who bash Mac branding while dressed head-to-toe in Urban Outfitters or Lululemon or Dickies. The aesthetic differences don't outdo the economic similarities for me.
crocs nearly took off my niece's toe when she was on an escalator.
ps. the smell that's emanating from the store...is that what they call off-gasing?
pps. great title