illustration from the *crowd-sourced* t-shirt line, Threadless
but who made this illustration?
[via CoolHunting]

I love this idea. I want them. Somebody make these into sneakers.

Puma Venus Runner Sneaker, $65 on endless.com
These sneakers have all the key colors I love. Black. Silver. And a little
bit of girly pink. Yup. I like pink.

Okay Saucony's, you've had your day in the sun. I have been loyal to you ever since I moved to NYC. Yes, you have been cushion-y and sponge-y soft. Especially (but sadly only) during the first week of wear, I feel like I am walking on bouncey clouds, instead of on the punishing New York pavement. But let's face it, you wear out too quickly. I am going back to my old school standby for a little while. We'll see how it goes.

Why don't they make these for women? Or do they? I rather like these Lo Pop Art Sneakers by Puma. Very Roy Lichtenstein-ian.

***
Wait a minute. There seems to be another version of these sneakers out there. I think I like these better. And correction, they are called, "Pop Art 917 Lo." I can't figure out, though, if Roy Lichtenstein had anything (actively) to do with this design. I'll keep looking.

***
Found it. No, he didn't. They are by designer, Eba Akamatsu. See yet another version here.

***
And the full story from Puma, and another version in red/black/white here.

Puma's current "Retrieve-Retain-Revive" window

Now that Hussein Chalayan has become Puma's new creative director, as announced in WWD on February 29, it will be curious to see how the brand and stores evolve. Chalayan, avant garde fashion designer known for pushing the envelope (and also known for the envelope jacket Bjork wore (Post, 1995)), will design "all product categories -- footwear, apparel and accessories -- for Puma's Sport Fashion and lifestyle categories ... to be sold in select Puma stores, key concept stores, and shop-in-shops worldwide."

I paid a visit to the Puma store in Union Square, and had some fun speculating about what fixtures would be retained and what would be revived.



Retain: These display shelves, although a little bland, are similar in shape to the microchip elements on this dress from Chalayan's Spring 2007 Collection. The shelves just hang there doing nothing, however, unlike the dress, which morphs into different shapes ever so slowly.

Revive: In addition to the morphing, which is a really nice effect, we would like to see the shelves shoot lasers, like these dresses appear to. (The secret is Swarovski technology!)



Retain: Micro-stadium seating in the back of the store. The chalkboard wall is not really high-tech enough for Chalayan's tastes though.

Revive: Convert the space into a stadium-seat skirt like the one pictured here, and have models paint over the chalkboard in a performance piece that would ultimately be converted into a video loop and projected on the wall as a hologram.



Retain: The register area is all wrong, no matter how you slice it.

Revive: Change the imposing and uninviting corrugated steel to a material that is translucent and light-emitting, like the dress shown here from Chalayan's Spring 2007 Collection. Get rid of the boxiness, and opt for more inspiring organic forms, like circles. This dress could be used as the model for the new register area. Wouldn't you rather ring up your purchases in this environment?

[image from sneaker blog, Nice Kicks]

Who knew there were so many sneaker blogs?

It is not surprising that Reebok should create a sneaker honoring the Chinese New Year with a tribute to the Year of the Rat. After all, these sneakers were made in China.

The sole of the shoe includes a repeat of the Chinese character for 'rat,' as well as painting of the auspicious critter, which symbolizes prosperity and opportunity.

Now that is a funny thing to type into a Google search, yet someone did type in "cutest pumas" and came to my blog. I do write a lot about Pumas, and all sneakers for that matter. Because I am obsessed with comfort, but stylish comfort. I think that is what my whole line is about. Well, I must ask you blog readers, wouldn't the "cutest Pumas" be in the eye of the beholder? Or was that person hoping to find the "cutest Pumas" by consensus?

I could never dress by consensus. I do not understand why people require so much validation from others.

Dear "cutest pumas" seeker:

Try searching "pumas" and then choose the ones you think are the cutest. Do not ask your best friend for her opinion. Her opinion reflects her taste. Your opinion should reflect your taste. Should you come back and read this, please comment in the comments section as to your motivations for [what it seems to me to be] seeking the cutest by a consensus of strangers.

Sincerely,
A concerned fashion designer
who wants people to cultivate
their own personal style

The new Fall season means my thoughts have turned to new sneakers. It used to mean new shoe shopping, but with the walking I do, shoes aren't really working out for me at the moment. Sneakers are my new friend for covering ground and seeing all there is to see in New York.

Pictured below* are some that I am liking of late (and that I have tried on and like. There is a difference you know. Like it on the rack. Like it not so much on your feet. It is amazing how some colors can look so good on the rack and so bad on your feet. And vice versa, believe it or not.) After much trying-on, I have found these styles to be comfortable and colorful; and some even look good with skirts.

SAUCONY Jazz are super comfortable!

the purples and navy would be good with denim

SAUCONY Jazz
all the grey tones look good with skirts
I chose a pair that is grey, light grey and turquoise
for my very own. I am also liking a navy/light blue combo
but that would be just too many sneakers. Or would it?ASICS Onitsuka Tiger
this color combo is kind of like my SAUCONY's
but the pair I want in this particular brand are navy & copper.
really nice! but too many wants.
ah, shopping

*all photos courtesy of the World Wide Web. I need to take my camera with me today, so I can show you the color combos I really like. But these are good for now.

Did I not tell you that these would make great combo with the phone? I love these sneakers. Everything about them. The name is great, for one. Onitsuka Tiger: Tai-Chi Tigress Nishijin by Asics. I wear Asics for cardio kickboxing (strictly air kicking and punching, do not fear me) and they have amazing support. And the color and style are great, for two and three. So unique. Did you see the little frog closure? Just like a cheongsam! If these sneakers don't have my name all over them! I never knew Asics was a Kobe-based company. You must check out their website. There are some interesting features.

Behold the beauty of this phone! Believe it or not, I found a pair of sneakers online yesterday that would match quite nicely. That would be a strange outfit. A sneaker and phone ensemble. Here is the shopping information for this Nokia phone from the "L'Amour Collection." I will show you the sneakers next!

I figured I would check out the Puma website and see if any of the sneakers I designed in my dream actually do exist. There are lots of cool sneaks on this site. I haven't seen these at David Z...

Look at these cool golf shoe sneakers. I am beginning to like this style. Is it me? Probably not. But I like the details. Very amusing.

Couldn't they be me in black? I really like them. What do you think? They could be cute in a sporty walking-around-town way with this outfit.

I dreamed last night that Puma was giving away 10 pairs of their latest sneakers to customers. And all you had to do was show up. I walked away with some great new designs. One was a subtle dark dark red hologram fabric that changed to chartreuse! I chose at least 4 new Pumas that I have never seen before. What a great dream. Free sneakers!

The Executive Vice President of Royal Elastics is a super nice guy. He sent me a bag and a t-shirt just for writing about his company on my blog! That is just so nice and unexpected. I can't wait to check out Lounge on Broadway in SoHo and contemplate which Royal Elastics I want. Oooh, these are coming soon! (photos below taken from royalelastics.com)

L.A.M.B. seems to be contracting with my favorite sneaker company, Royal Elastics. (see inset at left) Drat. Now my well-kept secret will be overrun by teeny-boppers. Well here is one and another one I currently love, neither a L.A.M.B issue. No, no thanks. You know, the more I think about this, the more I don't like it. I saw this brand in 1998 when I was doing a trade show, and it seemed to be a nice small company that not many knew about. I loved their fleur de lis tiny logo and stretchy elastic slip-on easy fit. I still have a hard time finding it in stores, which is not necessarily a good thing. It just means more for me when I find it. (hee) I want R.E. to be a lovely but indie boutique brand, with a few styles sold at Saks. (Hey, that's what I want to be!) But alas, mass market here they come? We'll see. Here is more of the story. Under-the-radar, I'll say. Oh well, I'm off to figure out where in NYC I can buy me some anyway. Anyone have store tips? Please let me know by adding your comments to this post. This style for men is kind of nice too.

If I can't find them anywhere, there is always Tsubo... Cute, not-too- sneakery styles.

Oooh, or how about Medium? I like this style. I think I will bookmark this company and start watching what they make.