Mules vs Clogs

[lauren]

I have to show my ignorance here but can anybody explain to me the fundamental differences between mules and clogs. I have been looking for something that I can just jam my feet into when I have to make a quick trip out to the mailbox or wherever. Some of the online catalogs I have been scanning through aren't very specific. Lauren

[BobHH]

Sounds like you want clogs. They tend to be more casual/less dressy in general. Clogs usually have a thicker sole and are more rugged than the typical mule styles.

[Polly]

Hi i love the dr scholls sandals,they are made of wood and are in the style of a mule , i've herd them called mules and clogs................so i guess i'm not sure what they should be described as,i still love to wear them in male mode or sometimes femme love polly

[Heelfan]

I hope this sums it up: MULE Any shoe that is backless (although in the US it is strictly only a mule if the toe is closed-in, because if the toe is peep/open then they often call it a 'Slide'). CLOG Usually also backless, but with a thick wooden or psuedo-wooden sole, ranging from genuine all-wooden Dutch clogs to debased clogs with only the sole in wood or simulated plastic etc. PS for my taste, to look at, I think thin-soled mules (especially with stiletto heels) are infinitely more sexy that clunky clogs!!!! Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[JeffM]

I agree with you on this Heelfan

CLOG Usually also backless, but with a thick wooden or psuedo-wooden sole, ranging from genuine all-wooden Dutch clogs to debased clogs with only the sole in wood or simulated plastic etc.

But for mules and slides, my definition is as follows.

Slides have a strap across the toe hence slide your toes into the shoe.

Mules have a strap across the middle of the foot, like a saddle or back pack, hence they are like a mule.

When there is both they are called sandals, when the toe is enclosed with a heel piece they are D'Orsays and when fully enclosed they are courts or pumps and if they cover the ankle they are boots.

Any thing I havent mentioned is because I have not been able to define them as yet.

How does that sound to every one?

Jeff

[Bubba136]

These styles are called "clogs" in the catalogs:

These styles are called "slides" in the catalogs:

These styles are called "mules" in the catalogs:

as are these styles (called "mules"):

Now, for the confusing part. Any of the styles above can (and have been) be labeled mules, clogs or slides. So, your definition of which style is which is as good as anyone elses

[JeffM]

Then I guess the catalogues must be wrong Coz it couldnt be me could it? Jeff

[asdf174]

Thats cool. Once again I've learned something on this forum

[Dr. Shoe]

Technically, a mule is any backless shoe. In the industry if the shoe is open toed it is called a sandal regardless of whether the back is open or not (sometimes you get a mule-sandal). Then you have court shoes or pumps. Pumps with a cut-out in the side breaking the topline is a D'Orsay. The definition of a court is a shoe with no adjustment that relies on a taut topline for security. As soon as a strap is added it becomes a shoe. Lace-up shoes come in two styles, Derby and Oxford. A derby has separate side pieces. An Oxford has lacing faces that go into a V shaped point. A boot is an item of footwear that extends above the ankle. Hope this helps to clear things up!

[Fog]

I'd take issue with Heelfan. Clogs with leather uppers and wooden soles were the everyday footwear of people in nineteenth century northern England and certainly not a debased version of the footwear. Mrs F. dances North West morris in the very same clogs. In fact the reaason why I didn't get to the Bristol Heel Meet. My dad had a pair for gardening, they had a buckle instead of the lace up and certainly were the genuine article. They were very old when I saw them back in the 1960's. Here's the website of the person Mrs. F regards as the best clog maker in England.

http://www.apriori.net/paz/st.html

Ok, there's a lot of people with minority interests posting on this site. I just play the music.

[Fog]

There's something I should have mentioned when I was posting. Actually I was thinking about it today. Is there any difference between a court and a pump, or is it an example of the common language that divides us. I tried on a nice pair of courts (or were they pumps) today in a shop called Zucchi. I had charming service, the two assistants were all over me like a rash, probably weren't used to male customers. Shame they pinched a bit.

[Aly]

... Shame they pinched a bit.

The shoes or the assistants? :rofl:

[bigj3650]

the assistants we hope...but its no dout the shoes

[jim]

Heres a mule/clog that Gene had his eye on.Something like this may be just the ticket for a quick trip to the letter-box but are still dressy enough for a week-end jaunt to the mall.

jim

[lauren]

My goodness, this is more complicated than I thought! Thanks to everyone who posted a reply to my original query. I guess I am talking about clogs for that walk to the mailbox; I just don't want to have to lace, tie, buckle, or slap velcro to put them on. So I'm looking for clogs! Now, for those dressier, but not too fussy occasions it looks like mules with 2-1/2 to 3" heels might just do the job quite nicely. Is there anything special that anyone might recommend when dancing might be in the plan? My partner is nearly my height so we don't want to tower over him. Lauren

[Dr. Shoe]

Heres a mule/clog that Gene had his eye on.Something like this may be just the ticket for a quick trip to the letter-box but are still dressy enough for a week-end jaunt to the mall.

jim

These are mulles, clogs have wooden soles by definition. Nice shoes though.

To answer a previous question: There is no difference between court shoes and pumps.

They got the name court shoes because courtiers first wore them as an alternative to boots. No one really knows where the term pumps came from though it could be a corruption of a foriegn word.

[Fog]

Until I started looking at this site I thought pumps were another name for daps, what kids in the north of England did their PT in before trainers were invented.

[onyourtoes]

There are a lot of mis-named shoes. If clogs are suddenly hot, then anything with an open back or thick sole is a clog. The next year slides come into focus and anything that can be just stepped into becomes a slide. (I always thought the term slide came from the resemblance to a children's playground slide.) When spike heels are in vogue you'll see any heel narrower than 1 inch called that -- I've even seen heels called spike or stiletto heels just because they're 3 or 4 inches high. I've seen shoes that cover the entire foot, perhaps with a zip or elastic closure, called a boot, bootine, bootie, or an ad-makers cross between a shoe and bootie = shootie -- look at Payless.com for endless examples. Then we get to the outright lack of checking anything and find ads for Dorsey Pumps, Patten Leather, and Sandles.

[Heelfan]

Yes, admittedly the distinctions are a bit blurred, but all the more reason for us to try and answer the main question and define these main shoe types to help Lauren (and each other!). Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

[raccoon]

Maybe you can't tell from a picture if the sole is inflexible. Clog soles are. As for the other features, why not let the pictures speak for themselves?

[highheellover]

I like mules better.

[Bubba136]

raccoon is correct, according to my dictionary. Def: Clogs: A heavy, usually wooden-soled shoe.

[Dr. Shoe]

Yes, admittedly the distinctions are a bit blurred, but all the more reason for us to try and answer the main question and define these main shoe types to help Lauren (and each other!).

Cheerfully yours, Heelfan

Actually, the definitions aren't vague, it's the common misuse and abuse of terms that cause the confusion. It is particularly annoying when you go on a certain online auction site where they advertise a "clog" and you look and it turns out to be a bedroom slipper! They say "fetish" when it turns out to be something my Mum would wear and not even in a large enough size to cater for the cross-dresser.

Mule: Any backless shoe.

Sandal: Any open toed footwear (strappy or otherwise).

Clog: Footwear with a solid inflexible sole. Sandal, boot, mule or shoe- technically you could have a thigh length clog!

Pump or Court shoe: Donned and doffed without the aid of opening or elastic. usually in the form of a shoe but could be a "sandal".

Slingback: A shoe that has a strap around the rear of the ankle to prevent slippage from the foot. This could be elasticated or an opening, by definition you cannot have a slingback pump or mule but you can have a clog or sandal.

Shoe: Footwear that relies on some kind of device that has to be opened or stretched to allow donning or doffing. This will never come above the ankle.

Boot: Any footwear that comes above the ankle except for sandals that tie up the leg, though boots can have an open front or back with straps etc or open toes or both. I have even seen toe-post boots!

There are no such things as booties, shooties, boes or clogs with thin leather soles. Moreover, shoes have stacked leather heels not wooden ones (though they may have wooden cores).