Shoe Specialties

Uggs in the Summer

UGG boots have come to be a staple piece for every teenage girl's closet. The fury boots are designed to keep your feet warm. They were also designed as a way for surfers, specifically to warm their feet after getting out of the water. Ugg boots have transition from a sensible invention to a fashion trend. People around the world wear UGG boots no matter the weather. At one point Uggs were only seen during the colder months, but its seems as though many wearers decided to start a fashion trend of their own. As a result, wearing UGG boots in the summer have become a popular new trend.

It is always nice to walk in an amusement park in Southern California, in 90 degree weather, in the middle of July, and see a young lady combining a pair of UGG boots with mini shorts. Being prepared is something understandable since cold weather is not a part of the vocabulary in Southern California. On the other hand, summertime in Southern California can sometime be painful so putting on a pair of furry, thick boots may end up increasing this pain. Wearing layers and covering up is a common way that people cool down. Sometimes wearing a long sleeve top is more rewarding in the heat than wearing a tube top. However, I too commonly see many people (mostly middle schoolers and high scholers) wearing UGG boots with some sort of mini skirt, dress or short.

Even though a large population of people may love UGG boots, there is also a good amount of people who would give anything to see an end to them. Therefore, wearing UGG boots in the summertime is not something that would help the case of why they are such a good idea. Do you wear UGG boots or do you opt to go a more subtle route when it comes to boots?

What Do your Shoes Say About You?

People often say to avoid letting material possessions define who you are as a person. Even though they may not define who you are they can say a lot about the person. It seems as though many celebrities live for their shoe collection. The other day Kim Kardashian (not really a celebrity) tweeted a photo of a portion of her closet.

Outlined with Louboutins of every color and Milano’s most people will never be able to afford you can't help but cringe at the image. For clarity, I feel as though people who have the money should be able to do with it as they please. On the other hand, I do feel strongly against people whose only purpose in life is appear at said parties or events just so they can afford their next pair of $5,000 shoes.

People like Kardashian allow shoes to define them, but I am also wondering about the people who allow their shoes to become a part of them, to tell a story. Not the story in the sense that my mom bought these for my birthday, but more along the lines of my mother was a diehard Beatles fan and she used to wear these boots to every concert, and now they are mine to abuse. For a short time I allowed shoes to define me entirely or that’s what I thought. Then you grow up, and see the people who have enough shoes to feed a village, those who wear shoes to protect their feet, and those who allow a nice pair of shoes to highlight a small fraction of who they are.

What do your shoes say about you? Do you let them define who you are or do they tell a story?

Donate Your Old Shoes

When you think of shoes, you probably think about the hundreds that you could buy with a little extra money, but the thought of the many that you rarely wear does not even cross your mind. Sometimes we buy shoes thinking they will go with this, that, and that outfit. Or we may guilt ourselves into buying shoes we never intend to wear. I tend to buy shoes with a purpose of wearing them until they are all out of breath. Growing up I was allowed one new pair of shoes each school year with a budget of $40.

This makes me think about donating my old shoes. I typically do this about once every two years and it helps to know that my shoes might be better served by someone else. Have you ever thought of donating, or trading in a pair of old shoes? This past couple of weeks, I have stumbled upon numerous signs asking people to trade in their old shoes or donate an old pair. One article even asks people to trade in an old pair of shoes for a cup of coffee.

You may not want a cup of coffee, but it is a way to get people to do stuff they normally would not do. If you have places like Goodwill or Salvation Army around you, then you can easily donate extra things you have lying around. There was an article dedicated to homeless men and women receiving shoes. This may sound like something so trivial and irrelevant to some, but it really puts things into perspectives. Now what would you trade in an old pair of shoes for?

Sneakerheads

"The types of shoes that sneakerheads collect include brands like Air Jordan and Nike."

You have probably passed a sneakerhead in the mall, on your way to school, or on your way to work. Sneakerheads are known as individuals who collect multiple pairs of shoes, often only wearing them once. These individuals are usually at the midnight releases for all the latest shoes. Who knew that some shoes had their own midnight releases? Right! The concept is basically the same thing that avid Harry Potter or Twilight fans would do when a new movie would come out. While Harry Potter or Twilight fans paid something like $15 a ticket to see the movie, sneakerheads often pay 10 x that or even more.

The shoes that sneakerheads are after usually cost hundreds of dollars. Just imagine buying about 5 of these shoes, that’s over one-thousand dollars already spent on shoes. Ordinary, frugal people like you, and me probably spend at most spend $75 on a shoe.

The types of shoes that sneakerheads collect include brands like Air Jordan and Nike. Some of these shoes are so valuable that people often steal them. This is what happened recently to a man in North Carolina whose home was robbed of 10k worth of Air Jordans.

A lot of celebrities like Chris Brown, Kanye West and Ciara are often sneakerheads, since they have what seems like an endless amount of discretionary income. People willing to spend loads of money on sneakers are no different than women who spend tons of money on heels, but that is a topic for another day.

The idea of having the latest sneakers and the most expensive shoes can be cool for a good 15 seconds. I just wonder what these people feel when they try and count up how much of their life savings that they have invested in sneakers.

Heels, Cowboy Boots, and Sandals Cause Back Pain

Heels are notorious for being unhealthy for your back, yet many women continue to wear sky high heels. People have a hard time sacrificing fashion for comfort, but why can’t you just do both? According to Spine Universe good shoes are meant to provide support to your entire body, something that sandals, heels and cowboy boots fail to do. They are meant to provide some kind of barrier between you and the ground. Good shoes can protect your spine, while bad shoes, like those 5 inch Louboutins or Valentinos can cause constant damage to your spine.

The idea of walking around barefoot sounds appealing to some (a lot of people in Southern California do this), however to others it is just flat out painful. The whole walking barefoot thing may be fun and cool for now, but over time it can cause a long time of pain. Wearing shoes like sandals, cowboy boots and heels is the equivalent to walking barefoot since there is no form of support in these shoes whatsoever.

Tennis shoes and insoles serve as great alternatives to these shoes. Tennis shoes are known for providing comfort for you when you are running or even walking. One of their many goals is to make walking on concrete all the more easier. Though they may not be the sexiest, or most fashionable looking shoe, but they will probably save you years of back pain. Heels may be something that is for the young, but back pain is destined for the old. So whether you swap your cowboy boots for a nice set of Nikes is completely up to you.

Tash Limited Welcomes Comfy Shoes

As Christian Louboutin once infamously told the New Yorker "The core of my work is dedicated not to pleasing women but to pleasing men." Who would think that you would make a women’s shoe, whose sole purpose is to please men? Well a new shoe line by the name of Tash Limited has done a 180 on Christian Louboutin by producing shoes that are pleasing to a woman as well as others. The shoe line combines many of Mr. Louboutin biggest fears into one shoe, including his biggest fear of women actually being comfortable wearing a shoe.

Founded in 2010 the Tash limited line carries something for every woman including flats, boots, heels and sandals. The main point of Tash Limited is the fact that it is affordable, and will not clean out your entire savings account like a pair of Louboutin’s will.

The most unique part of the Tash Limited brand is their flats that are also known as Tash Folds. These particular shoes are easy to fold up and place into your purse and slip on. The brand has a pair of flats for any type of occasion including the office, school, volunteering, a night out or just a fun lunch with friends. The thing that I like best about the Tash Folds is that they are unimaginably comfy. I know Christian Louboutin is probably rolling his eyes at the word comfy since he told the New Yorker “I HATE the whole concept of comfort!” Like me, many women out there can’t help but fall in love with a comfortable shoe, especially when you have people like Mr. Louboutin constantly telling you to wear 5 inch heels 24/7.