Women With A Fetish For Footwear

If there was ever any doubt that British women love their shoes, then it's been blown away by results from a new survey.

A staggering 40 per cent of women own a pair of footwear they have never worn, while on average a woman will own 10 pairs of smarts shoes at any one time.

A third of young women who took part in the study admitted being "in love" with stylish shoes.

A spokeswoman for Kiwi Smiling Feet, who commissioned the study, said: "Ask any dedicated follower of fashion and she’ll tell you that the right shoes complete an outfit.

"But behind every pair of stylish heels hides a painful story."

The research also found that almost half (48 per cent) of women surveyed, admitted having walked home barefoot because their shoes hurt their feet so much.

Even after putting up with the pain and humiliation women suffer from wearing their favourite heels, 60 per cent still agree that stylish, smart shoes are a necessity.

The spokeswoman added: "Do we perhaps quietly suffer the pain of wearing high fashion shoes as rightful punishment for our excessive spending on our obsession?

"Or, do we simply find a way to wear our favourite stylish shoes every day without compromising comfort?"

The spokeswoman added that Kiwi Smiling Feet, which has four transparent gel cushions specially designed to fit the main pressure points on your feet, allows women style and comfort.

Source: National News, 8/27/07

Fall Trends 2007

Even though I'm still wearing flip-flops, the shoe stores tell me it's already time to start thinking about autumn -- and I know all of you are dying to know what footwear is in store for the 2007 fall season. Here's a preview of things to come.

Platform Soles and Extreme Heels

Platform shoes are the hottest footwear trend for fall, but the also making news are the extreme heels that are being paired with platform soles. Chunky, high, angular, wide, and even cone-shaped, this fall, the heels will be more extreme and sexier than ever.

Boots and Booties

Of course, the big footwear news any time the weather cools down is what's happening with boots, and this season. This fall, heeled boots and booties will be out in abundance, though for casual wear, you'll still be able to find plenty of flats.

Skins

This is a smart idea that Treehugger spotted: a shoe system that offers an inner-shoe that lasts forever and replaceable ’skins’ to keep your feet looking fresh. TH says:

Mark Klein… came up with an interesting idea: separate a well fitted, orthopaedic core (the bone) from the stylish “skin” that can be changed in seconds. Result: Instant customization, comfort and style, without the waste of shoe structure that sits in the closet. The bones can last almost forever, while the skins can be replaced as they wear out.

…New York designer Dror Benshetrit… set out to create a simple yet iconic shape that he believed could stand the test of time.

Skins Footwear Site
Shoes that Separate Style and Structure (TreeHugger)

Basically Barefoot?

These shoes kind of scare us......

According to the company web-site:

Vibram FiveFingers is different than any other footwear on the planet. Not only does it bring you closer to nature, it delivers a number of positive health benefits—by leveraging all of the body’s biomechanics so you can move as nature intended.

• When you walk, run, or climb in FiveFingers, you experience a sense of touch and feel that is simply not possible in conventional performance footwear. We call this a haptic response, and it describes your body’s sensibility to the world around you.
  
• A patent-pending design and Vibram outsole mirrors the flex points and silhouette of your foot and toes to propel your body forward and promote a more natural gait.
  
• By stimulating the muscles of your lower legs and feet, you add strength, improve balance, and increase agility.
  
• A lower heel position leads to stronger legs and feet, straightens your spine, improves posture, and reduces back pain.
  
• Individual toe compartments gently spread your toes to strengthen foot muscles, increase range of motion and improve foot health.

Sensitive Shoes

Reflexology as you walk? That’s the idea behind the Sensitive Shoes, created to give "emotional wellbeing" through stimulating pressure points on the soles of your feet so that the act of walking becomes "healing". If these prototypes go into production, designer Steve McIntyre may well become every woman’s best friend- taking the pain out of wearing heels and even replacing it with pleasure!

via Trendhunter

Don't get lost in your feet

GPS has been a lifesaver for many lost drivers, so why has it taken so long for someone to create a wearable option? Embedded with Quantum Satellite Technology, Isaac Daniel trainers will make sure you can always find your way. The company sells a range of technologically advanced GPS-enabled athletic footwear that not only give the safety assurance of a satellite tracking system, but also include monitoring
capabilities that can measure the wearer’s heart rate, speed and body
temperature. The shoes even come equipped with bluetooth technology and
an internal microphone and speaker so that the wearer can call for help should
it be needed.

An incredibly useful, potentially life-saving device for
children, military personnel and active outdoor types, the newly-launched trainers offer
‘ultimate performance, comfort and unmatched safety’, delivered through the company’s 24-hour monitoring service which, for $19.95 per month, will track the wearer and locate them anywhere in the world.

USA Today has an interesting article with the founder Isaac Daniel who came up with the idea after being told (incorrectly) that his 8-year old son had gone missing. Read the full article here or get yourself a pair at fele online

Custom ready feet

From the streets of New York to the streets of London, graffiti ‘wear’ is new, it’s hot, and it’s certainly not cheap. Since the 1970’s graffiti art has been present along our streets and any outdoor space, but it’s now finding its way into street fashion, and nowhere is it more popular than on trainers. Ok, with contributions by artists such as Jor1, America and Japan have seen this for a few months but only now is London starting to see its first graffiti trainers hit the non-specialised footwear shelves. Once a sports accessory, trainers are now one of the most essential items of fashion today - and most recently - being customised by a new generation of graffiti artists.

A graffiti artist Dru Startup explains: “I’m walking around with a gallery on my feet. There’s no one else in the world with my trainers. It’s also about making yourself attractive to the ladies….that’s what it’s all about - just being different and setting standards.”

Street value for a custom pair of these trainers is set between £200 - £300. If you can’t afford that, PSFK suggest you go grab some permanent markers, a pair of your old trainers and give them a new lease of life!

High Street brands such as Converse have now taken the customisation of footwear one step further. You too can now work with the magic of Chuck Taylor by creating your very own personalised Converse All Stars. You design, they deliver!