Pitchfork

Photo by Kathryn Yu

French shoemakers Bluedy have created a line of footwear inspired by Magnetic Fields frontman (and, it should be noted, fashionable fella) Stephin Merritt. The collection is comprised of four different varieties of mid-top shoe, all of which apparently capture the je ne sais quoi of Mr. Merritt while offering the comfort and support his oft-lovelorn songs tend to lack. They look like this:



One would think the natural choice for a Merritt-inspired clothing line would tend toward the golf caps he seems to always be wearing, but I suppose having stool-bound Merritt dangle the shoes in front of crowds at shows is advertisement gold. You all did send him a pair, right? Seems like the sort of thing he would appreciate [via Drowned in Sound].

Bluedy also has a line of shoes inspired by Jimi Hendrix, and future musician-indebted designs are apparently in the works.

One can only wonder what Paul Lukas, the ESPN columnist and Merritt's fashion-minded future tourmate, will think of the Bluedy shoes. Guess we'll know soon enough when the Magnetic Fields get a move on their fall tour plans.

The Magnetic Fields:

10-10 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre *
10-11 Madison, WI - Capitol Theater at Overture Center for the Arts *
10-13 Dallas, TX - The Majestic
10-14 Austin, TX - The Paramount Theater
10-15 Boulder, CO - The Boulder Theater
10-17 Atlanta, GA - Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center
10-18 Raleigh, NC - Meymandi Concert Hall at Progress Energy Center
10-23 Jersey City, NJ - Loews Jersey Theatre ^
10-24 Columbus, OH - The Southern Theatre ^
10-25 Philadelphia, PA - The Merriam Theater ^
10-26 Washington, DC - Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University ^

* with Forewords
^ with Shugo Tokumaru