Custom made shoes for women bring orthopedic issues to mind. I obsess over Louboutin and Manolo heels, not specially made footwear. That’s all changing now. For years, bespoke items for men have been well publicized and crave-worthy, but the idea of personalized shoes hasn’t quite made it to the ladies’ realm. Why this is, who knows? Women love shoes more than anything. Finally the bespoke idea is taking hold, and women have the chance to become their own footwear creators. (Hey, if Dina Lohan can do it, anyone can.) But an interesting fact to note is that the term “bespoke” might be switched up for women, leaning towards “footwear couture” to give off a brand new feel.

There’s a superstition in Caribbean culture that says you should never buy your boyfriend or girlfriend shoes because he/she will use them to walk right out of your life. The one time I accepted shoes from a boyfriend (he wasn’t Caribbean), I hadn’t asked for them, and I broke up with him about a month later—all of this is more than a coincidence in my mind. So, shoe shopping has always been one of the ways I get over a breakup, because it’s easier to walk away from Mr. Wrong when I’m wearing super hot heels. And when I really think about it, quality shoes are more supportive and uplifting than a no-good man any day.

Depending on when you were born, you may remember when clogs, those wooden-soled shoes originally worn by fair-skinned milkmaids in Holland, were resurrected as favorable footwear for the fashion-forward in the ‘70s and then again in the early ‘90s. For those of you who may have missed the earlier waves (or just miss the earlier waves), you’re in luck (?). Clogs are cycling back into fashion, as seen on the catwalk at Chanel and Louis Vuitton, not to mention the feet of everyone’s favorite fashionista, Sarah Jessica Parker. This time around, the clogs are high-heeled, making the already-difficult-to-walk-in shoes a virtual death trap on the streets. Usually, when function is sacrificed for style, the pay-off is a hot look. Do you think that’s the case with these clogs? [via Daily Mail]

The second round of Jane Aldridge (the teenage Texan behind the blog Sea of Shoes) for Urban Outfitters footwear is out and we’re still, sadly, underwhelmed. The holiday collection is a step up from her last collaboration effort which, if you recall, was painfully unoriginal. This time around, at least, we’d actually be vaguely interested in wearing two of the three pairs and the general level of copycatting has fallen down a few notches. Let’s take a closer look, after the jump!

My roommate swears by FitFlops, those fugs sneakers/sandals that give you a workout while you walk, claiming she’s seen changes in her calves and rear. But I’m not convinced and would rather spend more time at the gym than wear those curved clunkers. Though I might be persuaded to try them now, as Anna Sui has designed a pair to look like warm, cozy moccasins, which are just in time for winter and conveniently hide the curvature. The boots, named Shakoha, come in three colors—brown, black, and blue—and are made with double-faced shearling, suede, metal studs, and hand stitching. When there are inches of snow on the ground, who doesn’t want to be bundled in perfect snow boots? What’ya think? [FitFlop]

Not only is this dude wearing some blinged-out gladiator mandals, he’s also rocking the socks-and-sandals. A brave warrior? Or a lost soul? [Jak & Jil Blog]

“Style-conscious women are worse than smokers,” declares the Sydney Morning Herald. Why? We sacrifice our comfort and health for high heels and continue to buy them like addicts. (Way to stereotype.) The Herald claims that what’s worse is that we don’t even know the half of it: Not only are sexy pumps wreaking havoc on your feet, but they’re also potential culprits for infertility and schizophrenia. That’s right people—your Jimmy Choos (well, in our case, Nine West!) are silent baby killers and mind effers! Explains one expert, the wearing of high heels distorts your pelvic alignment and supposedly messes with your menstrual cycle, in turn having a negative effect on fertility. As for mental side effects, some researchers in Sweden have explained that the alignment of the feet in high heels could possibly manipulate the transmission of dopamine (the chemical that makes you happy): “After heeled shoes are introduced into a population, the first cases of schizophrenia appear and then the increase in prevalence of schizophrenia follows the increase in use of heeled shoes.”

Make you want to run away? Just don’t do it in your five-inch stilettos. [Sydney Morning Herald]

There are two types of people who wear Dr. Scholl’s—old ladies seeking orthopedic comfort and Jessica Simpson. Now the brand is doing something a bit more versatile with a new line of boots. Designed by Diego Dolcini, who has previously worked with Pucci, D&G and Tom Ford, the collection includes classic leather mid- and high-heeled platform boots, riding styles done in rubber, and cute-colored Wellingtons with corduroy patches. Comfy and stylish rain gear? We’re always a fan. Plus, these look a little chicer than, say, a pair of Easy Spirits. [My-Wardrobe.com]

Class, please observe:

Up top: Opening Ceremony’s limited-edition “Where The Wild Things Are” Keds, featuring zebra stripes or leopard prints on pony hair. They run for $125 a pair. [Style.com]

Down below: Some pre-existing Keds that are awfully similar (no fancy pony hair or anything) and will only set you back $60. [Zebra print, Zazzle; Leopard print, Zazzle]

So, students, is this a total rip-off? Please discuss. And yes, this will be on the final (receipt, that is).

Today’s forecast? More muffin top. Jess talked yesterday about how people shouldn’t assume pregnancy is responsible for that little extra pudge around the middle and just keep their mouths shut when it comes to muffin top. But here’s a new brand of ‘top for you: thigh-high muffin top. Thanks to all those fashionable folks sporting over-the-knee boots this season, we are caught in a veritable muffin top s**tstorm, of sorts. What more should you know about the thigh high muffin top? Let me explain…

Pipeline has an excellent round-up of the craziest shoes seen on the catwalks this season. We’ve profiled several here previously, including Alexander McQueen’s 10-inch armadillos and Prada’s plastic Cinderella slippers. Also featured are the Marc Jacobs furry flats (ugh), the Givenchy zebra-striped platforms (wild), and the Galliano stacked-balls heels (love, on right). The other day, NYTimes.com asked several fashion and foot “experts” a simple question: Why do women love shoes that hurt them? Because they’re so friggin’ awesome. [Pipeline]

Last month, a storm in the Philippines tragically killed nearly 300 people in the city of Marikina. But don’t worry, just 100 pairs of Imelda Marcos’ shoes were harmed!

The Marikina Shoe Museum in Marikina, the capital of the show industry, houses more than 800 pairs once owned by the country’s former first lady, some made in the city, and others from fancy brands like Gucci and Ferragamo. When Imelda’s husband, dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was ousted in a 1986, Imelda left more than a thousand pairs of shoes in the presidential palace, including one pair fitted with batteries and sparkled in the dark.

I’m starting to think it was a fluke that Lindsay Lohan‘s line of leggings did so well, especially after the failure of the Emanuel Ungaro runway show she influenced and her well-documented, epic fashion disasters. I mean you can’t really mess up a pair of leggings, can you? Now, mom Dina has caught the design bug because, you know, she’s so fashionable. Dina is creating a line of “designer” shoes called Shoe-Han. Can you even design designer shoes if you’re not a designer? Anyway, if you’re seriously interested, then the shoes should be released around Mother’s Day 2010 and will be sold at LoveMyShoes.com, a “popular” retailer on Long Island where the Lohans are from.

Before I started ninth grade, I carefully selected a few new pieces of clothing that I thought would help me make the transition from awkward junior high student to stylish high schooler. Among these items were a pair of Gap jeans, a brown silk-blend knit Banana Republic top, and suede J.Crew clogs. Man, I loved those shoes. They made me feel so chic—and tall!—as I clomped around my high school’s hallways.

Leave Alexander McQueen alone! Sheesh, can’t the guy get a break? First Lady Gaga had to mess up his Fashion Week glory; now Steve Madden is all up in his face. The reason? McQueen is suing the affordable shoe company for copying the design for his “Faithful” bootie, a sexy open-toed number with leather snap-flaps and a stiletto heel. According to WWD, “the complaint alleges that the Steven Madden model is a ‘studied imitation’ that reproduces all those elements in the same manner.” OK, we get it: Madden made a knockoff, but isn’t that what their business is about? If they’ve been copying trends for so long, should it really matter now?

We do get the moral principle of copyright infringement (clearly); however, we do have to wonder how much of McQueen’s sales were really impacted by Madden’s cheaper model. Are Steve Madden customers really the type who would, or even could (uh, we can’t), buy the high-end version? [WWD]

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. At least that’s how the saying goes, right?

Jimmy Choo once attempted to launch a fragrance, to no avail. But they’re back at it. The brand just signed a 12-year agreement with Inter Parfums SA, the company responsible for the fragrances from design houses like Burberry, Lanvin, and Paul Smith. Goes to show, you can’t keep a good Choo down. But from shoes to perfume: it’s somewhat of a leap, no? And what exactly will it smell like? Not shoes or, um, feet we hope.

Don’t get us wrong! We love each and every thing about Choo, especially their new line with H&M. But will you buy a fragrance from a shoe company? Then again, guess it’s better than another Paris Hilton perfume. [Pop Crunch]

One of the many insanely sky-high shoes—supposedly, the heel is 10 inches—at Alexander McQueen‘s aqua-themed runway show. [10/6/09, Paris]

“I recently bought a pair of boyfriend jeans that I love, but I have no idea what shoes to wear with them. Booties? Stilettos? Keep in mind that I live in Wisconsin, so flip flops, sandals or anything similar will not be a possibility in the freezing winter months!” —Meghan

Hey Meghan, boyfriend jeans are super cute but you definitely don’t wanna go and ruin a good thing with a pair of Uggs, ya know? (No offense to them—we wear Uggs all the time. In our house.) A couple ideas for you, after the jump!