Daft shoes

Okay, a little break from seriousness today. I want to talk about daft shoes. And ask ... what are the daftest shoes you ever owned? I'm not really talking about fads for daft stuff like trainers that light up at the back - I'm more talking about shoes or boots that seemed fashionable/ stylish at the time, but now make you chortle at the very idea of wearing them.

So, did you rock a a particularly egregious cuban heel? Did you sport a laughable cowboy boot? Or did you ever wear platforms so high that you got a touch of vertigo...?

Ok before y'all email me with your funny stories here's my fess-up. Winklepickers. When I was in my mid teens. It was a pair of these, black skintight jeans and a Meteors t-shirt, thank you very much.

Air Wair

Let's hear it for Docs.

I haven't actually worn a pair since I was about 12, but I think the time has returned for wearing this iconic Germany-originated classic.

Don't think there'll be many wearing these boots with tie-dyed Levi jeans and MA-1 bomber jackets this time round though. Could be time for a return of the snorkel jacket and maybe Levi's brown cords though? ... watch this space!

The only thing that's kind of holding me back a little bit is the price. £110 seems a bit steep, but then in my experience these boots do last a long time. And they are classics, so it's case of buy them anyway, I think ;-)

Top 10 Womens Shoes for Christmas

We are pretty wary of bringing this up, but in the end we thought that it was the right thing to do - Christmas is just under Five Weeks away. All the men out there are probably panicking like no-ones business at the thought of Christmas shopping, especially if your other half has tasked you with purchasing some new footwear.

But fear not, Shoes Rule has got its act together and consulted some top female fashion experts (the girls in our offics, ahem) to come up with ten great pairs of womens shoes for Christmas. Whatever your budget or fashion requirements, we hope that there will be something in this list which will make a great gift. So without further ado, here our ten of our picks for Xmas 2009.....................

Peacocks - A great budget option with a degree of style, we would go for a pair of Knee High Boots



Next - A little predictable from Next but they still have some nice stuff, like these boots



TopShop - So many great shoes to choose from at TopShop this season, like this High Slouches



River Island - Perhaps lacking the vitality of previous years, there are still some great shoes in the River Island range -we especially like these anke boots



Jigsaw - Have been an understated and stylish option for many years, check out their platforms....



M&S - Gold old Marks and Sparks, their Christmas ad may be slightly annoying but they still come up with the goods - like these Leopard Skins



AllSaints - One of the best ranges available this year, AllSaints have a cutting-edge footwear option for your needs - including these great boots



Burberry - For those looking for something a little bit special, Burberry have some great footwear, we love these particularly



Paul Smith - Again, the prices are not for the faint hearted, but if you are looking to treat someone then who would'nt fall in love with these signature Paul Smith heels?




Prada - Some sleek and sporty options from Prada this year, guaranteed fashion cred with a pair of these beauties



Thanks for reading our suggestions, if you have seen some other great xmas options out there don't hesitate to let us know

Celebrating Converse Chucks

Converse Chuck Taylors are an incredible phenomenon, in my 30 odd years on Planet Earth i can't recall a time when they have dipped out of fashion, they have always been cool and remain so (even though my boss turned up in a pair this week!).

The Converse company was founded in 1908 (Converse rubber co.) and produced its first shoe in 1917, an all black (thick soled) sneaker called the All Star. It wasn't until the arrival of Arkon Firestones basketball player Charles "Chuck" H. Taylor that the shoe began to grow in popularity. Taylor joined Converse in 1921 and took it upon himself to promote the shoe throughout the game of basketball. You could say that 'Chuck' was rather successful as in 1923 they stuck his name on the shoe!

The Chuck Taylor All Stars are probably the biggest selling trainers (shoes?) of all time, i have seen the figure 500,000,000 to 750,000,00 pairs sold banded about the web, that seems difficult to get my head around!

Although now owned by Nike, Converse still retain an aura of coolness - we hope that they are still around in another 90 years time!

Do you own a pair of Chucks?