If you have read Shoe Blitz for a while, you probably know that I am no fan of Crocs. Nevertheless, you hate to see any shoe company (or any type of company for that matter) in financial trouble. And right now Crocs is definitely losing their footing.
Over the past seven years, over 100 million pairs of Crocs have been sold. In 2007, the company posted a profit of $168 million. But for 2008, an incredible reversal — a $185 million loss.
In the past two years, Crocs stock have gone from $70 a share to just about $3.
With a declining demand, …read more

Fall shoes are all about texture. Beautiful velvet. Plush suede. Croc-embossed leather. But sometimes, texture goes all wrong. I get it that some shoes are created just for shock value, while others are practical for the runway but not the city streets. But these designer shoes for fall are really “too much.” And by too much, I mean too much texture.
Christian Louboutin Rollerball Loafers ($995)
Oh no, Christian Louboutin! What is this monstrosity? Were you intending to make a slipper and it fell into a vat of metal studs? Saks describes this loafer as “rocker-cool.” It’s not any kind of cool …read more

With a name like “Crust,” I didn’t expect this shoe to be cute. This BCBGirls shoe features a suede upper and a small peep-toe. Usually those are good qualities in footwear, but not this time. This wedge turned out just plain ugly.
When shoes get stuck somewhere between a sandal and a boot or shoe, that’s when things usually go wrong. This one is just plain confusing. If it didn’t have the giant “tongue” making up the majority of the shoe, the rest of the components are pretty cute.
If you like these shoes for some reason, you can get the BCBGirls …read more

With linked leather straps and a big platform, these sandals are just hideous. I generally like platform sandals but they should have at least a hint of femininity to them.
I’m not a fan of any of the sandals by Star Ling, but this pair is the worst in my opinion. Talk about clunky! Priced at $89.95, I guess their only redeeming quality is they aren’t expensive.
These sky-high shoes will definitely give you some height if you need it. The Star Ling Cortez Wedge Sandal has a 4 1/2 inch wedge heel and a 1 inch platform.
So what do you think? …read more

I’m a big fan of Max Azria, but what the heck is this? I’m not fond of gladiator sandals in the first place but these shoes take things to whole other level of ugly.
The gladiator trend is hot again this season, and so are studded details. Throw them together, add a zipper up the front and you get one ugly pair of BCBGMAXAZRIA sandals.
Featuring brown pebbled leather and a mini wedge heel, I think these shoes are an atrocity. But if you love them, you can get them now at Saks Fifth Avenue for $225.
In case you can’t get enough …read more

In this week’s edition of “Ugly Shoes of the Week,” we have the Sigerson Morrison Huarache boot. Can you even call these things boots? Or are they just a bunch of straps that go all the way up to your knee?
These black leather boots feature an open toe and allover straps. I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to start making boots with open toes and cut-out details to make them wearable in warm weather. To me, boots should be boots. Save them for fall and winter. And when spring rolls around, break out the sandals.
If you …read more

Every once in a while I see some shoes on the red carpet and think to myself, “What the ….?” Today was one of those times.

Though the shape of silhouette of these shoes isn’t horrible and the heel isn’t too skinny, they just look extremely painful with all that metal.
Actress Tilda Swinton wore these cage shoes at the I Skoni Tou Chronou premiere during 59th Berlinale Film Festival 2009. I’m not sure of the maker of these shoes, but I can’t imagine they are going to hit the mainstream stores.
What do you think about Tilda Swinton’s shoes?
Photo credit: Newscom

I have never really been a fan of the sandals with the thick cuff around the ankle. However, I find this one from Loeffler Randall to be especially ugly.

These shoes feature black perforated leather and a zip in the back. They sit atop a wooden platform and 4 1/2-inch heel. To me, there’s nothing attractive about these shoes but maybe I’m missing it.
These platform sandals are my pick for Ugly Shoe of the Week. Do you think these sandals have any redeeming qualities? Leave your comments here and let us know.
And if you want to buy them, you can …read more

I have always thought that boots should be boots and sandals should be sandals. So when these things collide, like in the the Steve Madden Triumphh pump, I’m not a big fan.
These suede shoes have an open toe and are open across the forefoot, but they have a boot-like shaft. What do you think about these pumps?

{democracy:34}
If you love them, you can get these Steve Madden shoes now in black or taupe suede for $109.95 at Nordstrom.
Photo credit: Nordstrom

These shoes look like they crammed an ugly canvas sneaker inside what would have been a nice black patent sandal.
I’m not sure what kind of look the designer is going for with these shoes. But if they were aiming for ugly, mission accomplished.
I keep imagining what these shoes would have been like without the boot portion, and I really like them. The ankle strap, cutout sides and open toe are very nice.
Maybe I just don’t get it. However, if you want these Jean Paul Gaultier Ankle Sneaker Boots, they are available at eLuxury.com for $825.