Here’s hoping that Christmas was wonderful for all of our readers. Did you get the shoe of your dreams? Or, maybe you just had some great time off with your family over the holiday.

As a grown-up who generally budgets & makes her own purchases, Christmas is definitely more about family togetherness & keeping up the Santa mystique for our kids.  Sure, I wouldn’t say ‘No’ if Santa put a pair of double-platform Louboutin’s under the tree, but I’m not disappointed when reality steps in.

So, what did I get for Christmas?

1. A very generous gift certificate to Amazon.com (Which my hubby is trying to convince me to use on actual books rather than shoes, Go Figure. I’ve gotten some of my best shoe deals at Amazon. Really.)

2. A box of Frahlinger & James salt water taffy from back East. Childhood memories in a box. Yum.

And

3. The Harajuku Lovers 5-scent gift-pack with a freebie promotional charm bracelet featuring each of the Harajuku girls (Love, Angel, Music, Baby, & G).

Yes, I am a shoe-obsessed gal who happens to be a HL fan-girl.  Sure, I loved No Doubt. Then I loved seeing Gwen using the Madonna handbook to pop-stardom. But, of her fashion lines, I seriously love those cute little Harajuku Girls & the HG branded perfumes, watches, handbags, and shoes.

Of course, I was going to get around to shoes.  Harajuku Lovers is the casual alternative to the Lux L.A.M.B. line. Given my on-going attraction to graphic-styled shoes, an interest in this brand shouldn’t really be too much of a surprise.

So, what styles are have drawn my attention? 

There’s always the Gwen-favored Rasta colors, but they really don’t match anything else I own. So, not these:

Harajuku Lovers ‘Dub’ Kogal Low-Tex $64.99

Well, this one has ‘my girls’ on it, but it’s just so …. PINK. Still not quite me.

Harajuku Lovers ‘Be Mine’ High Tex $75.00

Ok, subtle it ain’t, but I don’t own any Rainbow-colored shoes. These definitely shout out ‘Fun’.

Harajuku Lovers ‘Rainbow’ Kogal Low Tex $65.00

These little high-tops have the Varsity Juku girls and would match a snap-front sweatshirt hanging in my closet. Definitely tempting.

Harajuku ‘Harajuku High’ Kogal Hi Tex $75.00

But, I am also really liking the Harlequin diamond-patterned low-top with just ‘G’wen. A little throwback to Vans patterning from – well, let’s just say it’s been awhile.

Harajuku ‘Harlequin’ Kogal Low Tex $65.00

So tough deciding . . . I also really like the signature black and white stripes on this final pair. A common touch to the interior of L.A.M.B. shoes and handbags, it’s nice to see the stripes on the outside, for a change.

Harajuku ‘Train Stripe’ Low Tex $51.99 $64.99

I am most tempted by the final two pairs. Of course, the last one is also on sale … and that is almost like Christmas for a  bargain-lover like me.

So, how about you, was your Christmas shoe-filled and joyous? 

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Well, to be honest, they look more like FitFlop slippers to me, but it’s true.  The company that made a name for themselves with a fancy-dancy, super-duper (although as-yet-unproven-to-me) method of giving you a workout just by walking has expanded from their initial flip-flop design to the rather exclusive limited edition gladiator sandal to the current offering: booties.

Yes, folks.  Welcome the Billow.

This is an indoor-outdoor FitFlop that can either be worn as a cozy slipper (it’s shearling lined… I’m clearly craving the sweet fleeciness of shearling these days, huh?) or as a warm bootie that’ll work your leg and butt muscles while you walk outside in the snowy cold.  Roll the cuff down (as shown), or keep it up to get some ankle warmth.

The Billow comes in 4 different neutral colors.  And, if I may be frank here (and I may, because, after all, I’m sitting here writing, aren’t I?), they all of them have the same lack of style and clunkiness.

If this doesn’t bother you, though, you can pick up a pair near you with FitFlop’s where to buy page, or here’s one site that’s selling them for about $125.

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Sneakers (or trainers, as they say on my side of the Pond) get a bad rap way too often.

Think of all those giant clunky white ones that have no style and way too much substance.

Or the image of the professional woman walking to work in some great-looking suit, well-dressed head to… oh wait… not toe, because she’s wearing a truly unfortunate pair of kicks.

There’s no reason for this bad reputation, of course, because there are TONS of trainers out there that are comfy and stylish at once.

Case in point, Creative Recreation, which is an LA-based brand with a name that really couldn’t be simpler.

This is a line of sneakers that will never leave you with that blah feeling about your footwear.

Feeling like a hi-top?

There are bunches of great color and pattern combos to choose from.  Personal faves include this blue/white/gold Cesario and this pleasingly vintagey Gallow.

Low-top kinda gal?  Then there’s an adorable gingham and patent version of the Gallow or a grapey, stripey, corally version of the Cesario.

But really, they’re all funky and cool.

And there are plenty of options.  So peruse and pick the one you like, and you’ll always be that awesomely cool woman walking to or from work with your snazzy suit and equally snazzy sneaks.

(Psst… they make men’s shoes, too.)

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The Olympics are winding down, so I thought I’d give another shout-out to the golden shoes (Puma, of course) Usain Bolt, now officially The Fastest Man in the World, kissed after winning the 100 and 200 m races. The shoes were customized to bear his nickname “Ugo” and were prominently displayed by a clownish, giddy Bolt after he won in style (also setting world records in the process). Apparently, there were complains about Bolt’s unabashed displayed of his sponsor’s logo, which Puma rushed to dismiss (“We didn’t tell him to kiss the shoes!”)–oh so much drama! Truth is, with or without the shoes, he’s a phenomenon any which way.

The History part of this post comes now: the previous world record holder in 200m was Michael Johnson (at the Atlanta Olympiad) also wore gold athletic shoes. He also won the 400-meter race, setting an Olympic-record, then tossed his gold shoes into the crowd. These are those famous gold shoes (Nike this time) which helped make Michael Johnson a legend at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996:

I believe it is clear by now what you’ve got to do if you want to run just a bit faster–right?

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After packing last night for a weekend of beachy fun, I’m currently sitting here thinking recently about a phenomenon I’ve observed in myself for quite a while.

I feel pretty safe in asserting that anyone reading this blog has has a multitude of moments of coveting a shoe.

The one I’m currently coveting the most?  It’s the pewter Palladium Key Largo gladiator sandal that Shoesense posted about back here (don’t rush to buy them, though, they’re pretty much universally sold out by now).

But that’s not what I’m talking about here.  What I mean is just what the title says; I covet an entire category of shoes.  Yes, it’s true.  I covet those sporty slip-on “casual athletic” shoes that so many companies offer these days for women on the go.

There’s no rhyme or reason to this covetousness.  It’s not a type of shoe I actually wear all that often, and I’ve got two excellent and much-loved pairs of them: my Puma Mostros (mine are actually teal and brown, but they’re several seasons old, and you can find this shoe in just about any funky color combo you could dream of)

and my Tsubo Pingers, which I simply adore, and rarely leave my feet in the summertime.

 Now, like I said, I’m not really a big wearer of this kind of shoe (a bit more girly and funky with my style and less athletic), but every time I see a new offering in this category, I fall for it.  Something about how cute and comfy they all look.  Like I could walk around in them for hours without feeling a twinge.

The newest one to spark my covetous nature is the Teva Makayla.

How cute and fun is that shoe, I ask you?  Asymmetrical and flirty in a no-nonsense kind of way that I love.  I’m even more smitten by the red version.

Cole Haan always has a few of these, with a slightly girlier, more refined look that I think was designed to worm through all the non-purchasing willpower armor I have.  The one I love every season is the Bria, which comes in several variations.  It’s the Bria Ballet that makes me swoon, and in this season’s “vintage silver” color and stitched pattern… well, I’m having to restrain my purchasing fingers from running away with my mouse on me.

And the multi-metallic mary-jane version?  Oh, save me from the gods of impulse shopping!

I have to go.  I will be off, and thank my lucky stars that I didn’t sit here at the computer one minute longer, staring and lusting over shoes I surely don’t need, but want desperately nonetheless.

Happy weekending, Shoeblog readers.

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