The high street seems to kick their January sales off earlier and earlier each year. Which gives you a couple of days to pick up a last minute bargain pair for a Christmas present.
Ever since SJP was spotted wearing a pair of comfy Swedish Hasbeens on the set of Sex & the City 2, there's been a bit of a buzz about these super-healthy shoes.
My toes are currently turning numb with cold, and the thought of relaxing in the arid heat of a sauna right now is particularly attractive. If you're lucky enough to have regular access to a hot-box, footwear is generally limited to flip-flops, but these wooden slatted shoes that mimic the style of the sauna itself are super-stylish.
If walking in the winter wonderland is on your agenda this festive season, then I can't imagine finer footwear for the job than these snuggly and ever-so-chic wedge knee high boots by Marc Jacobs. Classic and shapely, they have the season's hottest heel, and an attractive trim to bring colour and cheer to your warmest threads.
It's almost time to climb down from those vertiginous heels and slip into something more comfortable in time for the season of good will, bad TV and hours of endless sofa-surfing. Are your toes beginning to unclench at the thought already?
We're seeing quite a few designer styles with the 'gilted cork' look at the moment, and I'm wondering if this is a trend that will last into the summer months, when cork - and all those other lovely porous materials that are no-nos in winter - is a perennial fixture. It adds a certain delicacy to these very elegant open-toe shoe boots, which would definitely be overpowered by a really shiny, metal stem.
Here's a nice little pre-Christmas treat if you're still on the hunt for a shoe to really wow 'em this New Year's Eve and beyond: Kurt Geiger has put its 'Dolly' style - our number one choice for the party season - on sale well before the January reductions kick in. Could this be the 'kick' you need to buy a pair of these wonderfully classic 'Dorothy shoes'?
Look...it's a heart! We *heart* hearts on shoes. Hearts have quietly been one of the biggest footwear 'trends' during the past year, up there with studs, nautical styling and outré heels - and they're guaranteed to make any shoe or boots look instantly cuter and more girly.
There was a time, not so very long ago, when we all felt there was something a bit 'wrong' about heeled trainers. The two concepts simply didn't mix, like (let us not tempt fate) the bright idea of putting a peep-toe in a wellington boot.
The snow is coming down once again here in London, and I've donned my wellies in the hope of succeeding in crossing the River for some festive fun this evening. But if you really want to be comfortable in a blizzard there's really only one solution to your plight: giant, puffy moon boots.
We're all quite comfortable decking our halls (and living rooms, and kitchens) with gratuitously bright and lively colours at this time of year, so why let your feet feel left out? Irregular Choice has long been the first port of call for those whose footwear tastes stray beyond the usual black, beige and tan remit, and boy have they lived up to their reputation with the neon version of 'Electronica Love'; an ankle boots for the 80s revival generation.
I selected this style for Mary Jane Monday, but it could equally have been featured tomorrow on Bargain Tuesday as it's a steal at just £27.50 - almost unheard-of for well-heeled label Nine West.
All labels have their moments (and non-moments) and DKNY is a name whose star seems to be in ascendant at the moment. We're certainly seeing some great things on the footwear front, with these super chic colour block wedges taking on where this season's much coveted two-tone pumps left off.
Michael Kors really shines at making sleek yet solid looking shoes and these towering platforms are no exception. The cork heel and sole, which are painted gold, makes for a nice variation on the usual solid metallics we're seeing on a lot of shoes at the moment and I like the subtle roundedness of both.
There are an awful lot of Louboutin-inspired ruffle front shoes out there, and there have been for some time. But I do like this style by Redherring, which has a real solidity to it that's all the more impressive when you consider they're on sale for just £24.50.
I just spotted these super chic wedge ankle boots over at Yoox, where they've made the interesting decision to slash the price of these Pompili boots from £89 to £59, which seems odd considering how hot the look is right now. They're available in three different colours: deep jade (pictured), brown and military green and I am seriously tempted.
I could go on all day about Converse and their versatility, their endless capacity for and openness to new designs, but in this case it's not Converse themselves to be congratulated: it's the work of Pretty Sneaky, who takes old Converse shoes to bits then builds them up again using her own unique, knitted designs. Seen above are her 'Fairisle Converse' but there are plenty more in the making and lots of fun styles already up on her site: The snowflake knit Converse are perfect for a frosty day, and absolutely adorable. I don't know quite how they'd cope in the sort of miserable wet weather we're having at the moment, but they certainly look warm!
The wedged ankle boots is enjoying massive popularity at the moment and despite their slightly odd look when seen in isolation, these babies can work wonders for your outfits, be they jeans, leggings or a skirt-and-tights combo.