Horseshoes: Freakish Fashion Footwear 60s Teens

Large cleats and horseshoe

"Me and my friend came walking down the avenue/Just like the girls we had nothing to do/So we both whistled but they wouldn't look back/And four little heels went clickety clack... 'Four Little Heels' (Brian Hyland)".

I remember in the 60s when Beatle boots were in fashion. Nearly every Singapore band boy was buying a pair to show his worth. 

Some of these boots even had cleats (left image) which were metal on sole, supposedly to provide secure footing.  They made a clickety-clack sound to announce the arrival of the proud user who would display his footwear either on the streets  or the dance floors.

Then came the extraordinary.  Some of these boots and common leather sneakers or loafers were fitted with horseshoes, yes, horseshoes.  Youths of yesteryear had genuine horseshoes on soles to prance and gallop around with.

"See the way he walks down the street/Watch the way he shuffles his feet/My, he holds his head up high/When he goes walking by, he's my guy/When he holds my hand, I'm so proud/'Cause he's not just one of the crowd... 'He's A Rebel' (Gene Pitney)."

This freakish fashion footwear was the ultimate in the 1960s as teenagers would cock their fancy studs, some with cowboy stetson hats and flowery patterned garb to boot!  Like the young ones today, 60s kids wanted to be different. Like James Dean -  a rebel without a cause.


Horseshoe on sneakers or loafers.

I bought a pair of horseshoes myself and had them nailed to my boots for a while.  They were shiny when new and rusty when used and had holes for the iron nails to fit into.  Some boys had the horseshoes nailed loosely on the leather heels to accentuate the sound. In fact the owner could tighten or loosen the nails until they were comfortably right. They went chink, chink, chink as the owner strutted around.  Exciting it was! 

I don't remember where I bought my pair of horseshoes but they were available at the cobblers on the streets, in shoe-shops  and at some hardware places but when my father saw me one evening clickety-clacking in the middle of the night on the cement floor of our home he literary put his foot down.  I had to get rid of them sooner than I thought.

"Do anything that you want to do, but uh-uh,/Honey, lay off of my shoes/Blue, blue/'Blue Suede Shoes'... (Carl Perkins)."

"The boots look good but the chink, chink, chink sound is annoying!" remarked my father glancing at my shoes while reading his favourite Indonesian newspaper.

Rusty horseshoes and large cleats on boots.

Of course I didn't get rid of them but hid them in my cupboard and would only put them on when I was out of the house. So with slick, greasy hair, a pair of moon-glasses, a yellow shirt, tight drainpipe blue jeans and leather boots I thought I had it made. But it didn't go that way for me. Ah, but it was fun while it lasted.

"Now I’m stepping out this old brown shoe/Baby I’m in love with you/I’m so glad you came here/It won’t be the same now,/I’m telling you... 'Old Brown Shoes'. (The Beatles)."

#With the latest dance craze where Gangnam Style takes the world by storm and Korean singer Psy leading the pack of galloping horses followed by nearly one billion You Tube viewers, I am just wondering how effective the movements will be if he wears a pair of boots with cleats and horseshoes intact. 

 

These gadgets are made for the speedy trots. But there will be more noise I suppose. Someone could offer him a pair of these shoes when he comes to Singapore 's Marina Bay Sands (MBS) on Saturday, lst December, 2012. Perhaps you could do it?

Images from http://tapgrrl.wordpress.com
Gangnam: http://www.alldayjokes.com/2012/09/oppan-gangnam-style-cartoon-gif.html

Original Article: Andy Lim.