Today’s shoe history corner is as much about the person as the controversial blade shoes. Featured as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People for 2008, Oscar’s story is historic and an inspirational story in the face of adversity.

…Oscar Pistorius’ lower legs were amputated at age 1, few would have banked on this South African challenging world-class sprinters. At 20, when he began to close in on an Olympic-qualifying time for the 400 m, experts posited that his times were so good, he must have been getting an un-fair advantage from his bladelike prosthetics. When he set his sights on the Olympic Games in Beijing, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled he couldn’t compete against able-bodied athletes. An IAAF-initiated study found that more energy is returned to Pistorius’ upper legs from his blades than from ankles and calf muscles and that he uses less oxygen.

Pistorius, 21, is appealing, on the basis of studies with differing results. It was only recently that living with prosthetic legs was seen as a huge impediment, but he has turned this perception upside down. He’s on the cusp of a paradigm shift in which disability becomes ability, disadvantage becomes advantage. Yet we mustn’t lose sight of what makes an athlete great. It’s too easy to credit Pistorius’ success to technology. Through birth or circumstance, some are given certain gifts, but it’s what one does with those gifts, the hours devoted to training, the desire to be the best, that is at the true heart of a champion.

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Remember these perfect Giuseppe Zanotti sandals (left) Shoesense blogged about?

Here is a case of designer shoe deja vu gone utterly and completely wrong. Structurally, the Giuseppe Zanotti and Steve Madden sandals are alike. That is where the similarities end. While the Zanotti sandals are in full bloom and a picture of grace and simplistic beauty, the Steve Madden sandals have dried out and wilted.

The king of copycat designer shoes does not stop there. He also has an inspired version of the famous Balenciaga lego shoes. Compared to the Steve Maddens, Balenciaga’s shoes are actually starting to look slightly normal.

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NY Mag recently did a street interview with a few men to get their take on spring designer shoes by Giambattista Valli (top left), Prada (top right), and Dior (bottom left and right).

Can you guess this of these shoes looked like Adidas? Frankly, I had a hard time picturing it.

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To all you shoe lovers with smelly, sweaty feet, this is your final chance to enter the Fragrant Footings giveaway. Trust us, you’ll save yourself the embarrassment of retched foot odors if you win.

If that isn’t enough to convince you to give these scents a try, your faithful shoebloggers had an opportunity to test these scented insoles out.

Jitterbugbaby: Sadly (oh, so sadly), the weather hasn’t quite gotten warm enough for me to bring out the fun summer shoes. It’s been socks galore for me recently (though some of those socks are pretty damn fun), so I haven’t gotten to the part of the year where my feet get unfortunately sweaty and yes, on occasion, stinky. But after checking out the Fragrant Footings around the apartment, I have to say that they’re making me look forward to the possibility of foot odor for the first time in… well, ever.

The scents are indeed fresh and light, not very cloying and perfume-y. I’m particularly partial to the mint, though the lemon and jasmine scents are also nice. In other impressive news, the advertising is true; it’s the rub and wear of your feet that release the scent. It’s not there constantly, so you won’t be walking around in a permanent air-freshener.

Overall, I’d say these are a great go-to idea for insoles for summertime. And even in non-summer times and climes, I’d certainly use these as insoles to snug up a pair of slightly loose shoes. Who doesn’t love fresh smelling tootsies?

Shoesense: If I could only have one word to describe this product it would be: awesome! I am of the especially foot-conscious persuasion, which is to say, I do NOT tolerate any slips in foot hygiene, which is why I almost never, ever, wore closed shoes without some kind of socks, precisely to avoid potentially embarrassing foot odor. In fact, I always wondered how other women did it so glibly (ever since I saw “Disclosure,” remember when Demi Moore sexually harasses Michael Douglas in mile-high stiletto pumps worn on bare feet? I cringed then and I cringe now). “Perhaps,” I thought to myself, “they know something I don’t! Perhaps my body chemistry is just not made to wear closed shoes on bare feet! Perhaps I can never wear my office skirts without stockings!” Such was the dire destiny I had resigned myself to until…Summer Soles! Finally, an inconspicuous and fragrant insole that cushions as it freshens and allows me to escape the tyranny of socks and stockings in the summertime. Trust me, you’ll want this for yourself. Your vocabulary will swap “foot odor” with “foot fragrance” in a heartbeat. And that’s a good thing.

Shomore: Out of the box, Fragrant Footings had a nice scent yet I remained unconvinced. Sure, a lemon fragrance was great, but combined with my chronic stinky feet what would the overall result be? I was convinced my smelly feet would conquer any feet fresheners….Well, I’m happy to report back that the insoles absorbed the smelly feet portion quite well. My feet AND my shoes actually smelled nice after a 3.0 miles jog/walk around the park. It wasn’t an overpowering scent like the cologne or perfume you smell when you are next to someone in a small elevator either. It was a refreshing, light, and clean smell.

Other features that I liked:

• The full sized trim-to-fit footings and the three quarter length footings are as thin as a credit card.   The thin nature of the insoles means they fit rather inconspicuously on sandals and also can be layered over existing insoles (inside my jogging shoes).
• The ball of feet cushions were nice mini pillows for my feet. Much better (and cheaper) than thousand dollar Sculpa foot pillows.

• Packaging was simple and relatively eco-friendly. I’m used to Dr. Scholl’s packaging, which used to come in a clear, plastic container that is absolutely child and Shomore proof. Fragrant Footings comes with a paper covering that is easily recycled.

Unknowns:

• Since I haven’t worn Fragrant Footings for very long, I do not know how long the adhesive material lasts. Initial feedback is quite positive though. On my jogging shoes, the insoles stuck well and there was no slippage during my run.
• Inevitably, the gentle fragrance must wear out. When they are replaced, I assume they won’t stick onto your shoes like super glue and will leave minimal sticky residue behind.

Overall, Fragrant Footings gets our two thumbs (or should I say toes) up. They are an inexpensive way to feel good about foot odor and offer different scents and sizes to work with different foot and body types. But as Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow always said, you don’t have to take my[our] word for it. Here are other testimonials from Daily Candy and Oprah or you can try yourself when you enter and win the Fragrant Footings giveway. Right now, with 2 lucky winners, your chances of winning are quite high.

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Shoe heels are soaring to record heights.  Naturally, they are having an impact on the balls of women’s feet.  One podiatrist’s solution? She injects Sculptra to puff up the bottom of her patients’ feet.  Frankly, I prefer to forego the injections and go with low heels. - Via NBC 11

I am woman, hear me teeter  - Via Kat Wilder’s blog

Gladiators gone wrong: Heidi Montag in Givenchy gladiators versus Aerosoles Chrome Body - Via ShoeHunting

For the man in your life, here are shoes every man must own. - Via Forbes.com

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