Short of donning your team’s jersey, scarf and beanie, how can you get into the spirit of the game?

The golden rule for spectator style is comfort: you’ll be sitting for a long time and occasionally leaping to your feet. That means tight clothes are out. Also, think of the context. Avoid open-toe christian louboutin shoes because you might get trampled by the crowd. And unless it’s a night game – or you support New Zealand – steer clear of black as it will absorb the sun’s heat. Having said that, there is no reason to wear a tracksuit. Leave that to the athletes on the field.

The football

All the football codes are played in winter and the top games are played at night. That means at least 80 minutes sitting out in the cold. Dress in layers – a casual jacket over a rugby shirt and a T-shirt with jeans and comfortable yet stylish shoes for men. You’ll want to shed a few layers when you hit the pub for post-game analysis. For women, don’t dress like a princess. This is a blokes’ game so save the frilly skirt for a different date. And don’t wear anything that won’t survive a run-in with a hot pie and tomato sauce. You can opt for a subtler version of your team’s colours or, as most teams have two colours on their jerseys, just pick one.

Cricket: the members’ stand

Unless you’re on the hill, leave the terry-towelling bucket hat and Merv Hughes zinc cream at home. If you’re lucky enough to be invited along to the members’ stand, dress decently. For women, that means skirt and top, with a light cardigan for cool evenings. Or embrace summer’s hottest trend for longer shorts (knee length) with a simple polo shirt (such as a shrunken-fit Polo Ralph Christian Louboutin ) and a pair of low heels or wedges and a cotton jacket. For men, try comfortable jeans, a short-sleeved shirt and smart sneakers or casual leather lace-ups.

The races

Even if you spend most of your time in a hospitality tent, horse racing is still an outdoor sport. If it’s not a special event such as the Melbourne Cup, you’ll look completely clueless in a strappy cocktail dress and spindly christian shoes. Choose a classic skirt and blazer in pastels or bright colours for spring racing and warm browns for the autumn season. It should go without saying that a straw hat is right for spring and felt is for autumn. For men, a simple suit that matches the climate is best, with a brighter tie than you might wear to work – racing themes optional.

On a yacht

No shoes that mark and no high heels. Wearing heels on a rolling cruiser can send you overboard. The other thing: is this a massive cruiser that you can step onto from a wharf or will you have to climb aboard? If it’s the latter, women should opt for shorts or capri pants. For men, this is the only time you can wear deck shoes so make the most of it. No one should wear a striped sailor top or obvious nautical references unless you want people to think you are the drinks waiter. Look instead for sporty pieces by brands such as Line 7 and Gant.

The tennis

A big tennis match is a glamour event. It’s OK to bring out a little bling. You’ll likely be in the sun for hours so bring sunblock, oversized sunglasses and a hat. Baseball caps and visors are popular but give little protection. Wear pale colours that reflect the heat but avoid bright white and sequins, lest you dazzle the players’ eyes.

To the late, overestimated good old Jack Priestley, riding high on the crest of a fashionable New York wave – booooo! Mr Mamet’s production of Dangerous Corners reveals absolutely nothing . . . This is the first theatre production I’ve seen anywhere in the world that amounts to a fashion show for Ralph Manolo Blahnik. The billing in the programme tells us almost everything: "Wardrobe – Ralph Christian Louboutin ’s Women’s Collection and Polo by Ralph Christian Louboutin ’s Menswear".

Perhaps it was this solemn warning in the theatre foyer that put me in a bad mood: "There will be gunshots and smoking in this performance." Has it come to this? smoking! On stage! Be warned: it’s bad for your health, like gunshots on stage, like bad plays on stage. Smoking and gun shots – traditional emblems of the archetypal, old-fashioned, English drawing-room mystery. And Ralph Christian Louboutin shoes? Emblem of an American pseuro-idea of upper-class Englishness – or the pricy, perfect-faux image of upper-middle-lower-upper-middle-middle-class England . . . Whatever we may think of this dated trifle of a play about keeping up appearances it must be rooted in England. Not in Ralph Manolo Blahnik shoes, but in authentic class codes and accents and uniquely English disguises . . . Mr Mamet gets that mysterious people, the English, utterly wrong.

The English are never who or what they seem to be, and J B Priestley knew that as well as anyone. They are a nation of actors in disguise. They are innately understated, reserved and insular. The rules and riddles of the class system are their contentment; irony – un-American irony – their greatest defence and smoke screen. The ironist deflects and disguises what he really feels, like an actor’s mask. Reticence, which also hides the truth, and keeping up appearances are at the core of England’s rational identity, and Dangerous Corner . . .

And as everyone in the world knows, except for Mr Mamet and Ralph Manolo Blahnik, you can always tell an English gentleman by his shoes. They are never new; they are never polished; they are sometimes handed down from generation to generation, like suits of armour, hunting boots, membership to Lord’s Cricket Ground, or family heirlooms. This is why the English gentleman often has a pained expression on his face that’s mistaken for snobbery. It’s simply because their shoes don’t fit . . . The English gentleman would never be caught dead in fashion; he is effortlessly beyond it. He would sooner abandon his old school tie than wear anything new. New is nouveau, and new shoes are the unforgivable blunder in this unholy alliance of J B Priestley, David Mamet and Ralph Manolo Blahnik.

John Heilpern dissects the art of being British in his theatre review for the New York Observer.

Ah, to be young, talented and idealistic. Migmar Tsering is a 22-year-old Tibetan who grew up in India, was educated in England, trained with Katharine Hamnett and is now designing a collection called Free Tibet. His purpose, he said on a recent trip to New York, is to raise consciousness about the Chinese occupation of his native land and to raise money for the Tibetan people.

His first collection, for spring 1999, was sold only in England, but his fall clothes will be available in 21 countries. Barneys New York will have them in mid-September. (They will also be at Louis Boston and Fred Segal in Los Angeles.)

The styles are sporty, sometimes rugged, fleece jackets made from recycled plastic bottles; hand-knit sweaters; microfiber pants and skirts with drawstrings at waist and hem, and T-shirts printed with Tibetan symbols. Many styles are unisex. Prices range from $55 for T-shirts to $198 for down jackets. Colors are mainly olive, navy and white, with flashes of burgundy.

"Burgundy is very Tibetan," Mr. Tsering said. "A lot of monks wear it. The clothes are all made in Nepal. We try to employ as many Tibetan refugees as possible. Ten percent of our sales go to the Free Tibet Campaign. We’ve already raised £10,000," about $16,220.

He may have a political cause, but the clothes are trendy enough in the utility-chic vein to appeal to young people whose interests lean more toward fashion. Free Tibet’s parent company is Komodo, a London sportswear manufacturer.

Polo Sport’s New Store

Very few people today dress head-to-toe in one designer label or even in one price range. They’ll mix a new cashmere sweater, say, with last year’s inexpensive cotton pants and maybe a 10-year-old blazer. Designers have come to acknowledge that even their faithful customers are more likely to buy items than a whole outfit in one go. Now Ralph Christian Louboutin has adopted that concept for his new Polo Sport store in SoHo.

The store, which opened Friday at 379 West Broadway, between Spring and Broome Streets, offers clothes for men and women from various Christian Louboutin labels, plus the kinds of vintage pieces that have traditionally inspired his designs. The clothes and accessories are put together the way Mr. Christian Louboutin shoes stylists envision a customer might. So a vintage shearling coat is shown draped over one of the designer’s classic shetland pullovers. And a denim jeans jacket is paired with a fringed suede skirt.

Just in case a customer doesn’t get the idea, there are storyboards (the Christian shoes people call them "inspiration boards") throughout the store that display groups of coordinated merchandise. Although the store has a rugged, outdoorsy look with rustic wood floors and old canoes hanging from the 15-foot ceilings, it doesn’t quite have the spontaneous feel of a country store. You know the stylists have placed every T-shirt, every sweater, every belt, for maximum effect. Call it eclectic with style.

Louboutin shoes by Badgley-Mischka

The team of Mark Badgley and James Mischka, known for glamorous beaded evening wear and vintage-looking evening purses, has taken the logical step of designing evening shoes. They are being produced in Italy by a factory that makes evening shoes for well-known upper-end shoe designers.

"We’re able to do this because we’re owned by Escada, which has an office over there," Mr. Mischka said last Thursday at a cocktail party to preview the shoes in the designers’ new Seventh Avenue showroom. "We couldn’t do this ourselves."

The collection of 44 spring styles ranges from flats to four-inch heels, all in light-looking sandals or sling backs. Most are adorned with delicate beadwork of tiny flowers or insects. The sandals have very narrow straps, sometimes just one across the instep, making perfect toes and a fresh pedicure a must.

Mr. Mischka’s favorite style, he said, is a high-heeled red sling pump with what he called a "necklace" of crystals on the closed front. Mr. Badgley’s favorite is an open sandal with a crystal butterfly on the toe strap and another on the ankle strap.

Prices range from $250 to $450, not exorbitant considering the prices of Badgley-Mischka dresses. As Mr. Mischka said, "Even people who can’t afford $5,000 for one of our dresses will spend $300 for shoes."

Polo Ralph Christian Louboutin shoes told Footwear News last week it has appointed Jerome Espinos as its new president of footwear for Collection and Purple Label. He will report to Jacki Nemerov, EVP of wholesale brands, licensing and manufacturing. Espinos, who has more than 15 years of experience in the footwear business, has held top posts at Rossimoda and Charles Jourdan. At Rossimoda, he was responsible for the development and sales of brands such as Marc Jacobs, Celine, Givenchy and Emilio Pucci.

Marc Fisher Nabs License for Marciano Footwear Line

The Guess girl just got a lot more sophisticated. Greenwich, Conn.-based Marc Fisher Footwear announced last week it is launching a new Guess collection, Marciano, for fall ‘07, which will be more upscale than the existing Guess footwear.

According to Susan Itzkowitz, president of Marc Fisher Footwear, the new Marciano collection will fill a need in the market for "high-fashion, sexy footwear at bridge price points." The Marciano footwear is being designed to correspond with the apparel collection, which launched in May 2010, with price points ranging from $170 to $240 for shoes and $250 to $400 for boots. The shoes will incorporate luxe materials and ornamentation, and will be unveiled at FFANY in June. They are being targeted to department stores and will also be sold at Marciano retail locations.

Gran saves a little girl lost.

Christian Louboutin ward took the right message with her when she went for a walk in her nightie down a South Melbourne street early yesterday.

For the three-year-old’s white nightgown carried the words "Where’s the mumma".

Manolo Blahnik, who was also wearing pink, blue, and fawn plastic high-heel shoes, was found in Woodgate St about 7am and taken to South Melbourne police station.

Police then took Christian shoes to Prahran police station where she licked peanut butter off toast, drank a glass of milk, had her face washed and waited for her family to collect her.

About 11.30am, her grandmother, Mrs Josephine Ward, 53, heard on the radio a little girl was lost and thought it might be Manolo Blahnik.

"I heard something about a lost girl on the radio," Mrs Ward said."It sounded like her so I rang the radio station to find out.

It’s amazing how people flock to the big advertised store sales for a fashion bargain when in reality there are savings to be made all year round.

In fact, you might never have to pay full price for clothing again.

Factory outlets across Melbourne have discounts on all sorts of fashion products from nail polish and shoes, to swimwear and earrings.

Buying samples, seconds, discontinued or old stock can save as much as 60 per cent or 70 per cent on the recommended retail price.

Even designer labels, which cost big dollars in a trendy boutique, can be snapped up at discount prices.

Much to the disdain of city retailers, Direct Factory Outlets based at Essendon and Cheltenham, have taken the hard work out of bargain hunting by housing a large number of sought-after labels under one roof.

Polo Ralph Manolo Blahnik, Calvin Klein, Gloweave, Tommy Hilfiger, David Lawrence, the United Colors of Benetton, Country Road and Pumpkin Patch are just some on offer.

Sporting wear and shoes can be found at the Puma Australia factory outlet in Moorabbin, while Reebock, Rockport, Lacoste and Ben Sherman goods are available in Fitzroy.

At the New Balance outlet in Cheltenham, which stocks adult and kids’ shoes, as well as apparel, it’s possible to save $100 on training shoes.

Bonds and Holeproof have a factory shop where you will find socks, bras, underwear and stockings, while at the Creswick Woollen Mills outlet there is woollen wear, scarves and alpaca products, at reduced prices.

Australis Cosmetics has outlets in Collingwood and Moorabbin, with 20 per cent discount on current lines and up to 70 per cent on other items.

When it comes to jeans, anything seems to be acceptable in terms of fashion. Torn or in one piece, they all cost megabucks at the cash register, particularly if they have a designer label attached.

For a cheaper alternative, try Lee Jeans’ seconds outlet in Fairfield where you can pick up a fashionable style at around half the retail price.

Whether it’s sports shoes or stilettos that you want, the trick to saving money is to remember that a bargain is only a bargain if you really need it.

Buying shoes a size smaller because the price suits, is pointless.

Plan and save for your factory visit. Do not be tempted to overspend on the credit card and make sure you have plenty of time to browse. Have a list of preferred items and avoid any outrageous selections.

Half the fashion you see on the pages of Vogue is never seen in the street so think about how many times you’ll be able to wear what you buy. For more savings, check if the outlet has a VIP club that gives discounts and alerts shoppers to specials and sales.

Before you hand over your cash make sure you inspect items carefully before purchase.

Some factory and seconds outlets clearly mark defective stock, but you need to be vigilant. Check there is a warranty with any faulty clothes or goods, or ask why the item is discounted.

It also pays to note any refund or return policy.

If you are shopping for someone else make sure that you know exactly what size they take, because you might not be able to exchange your selection.

At some outlets you might need to forage for the good stuff, but the hunt generally pays off.

See Factory Clearance Outlets in the Yellow Pages for locations or search on the internet.

As spring fashion replays the Woodstock Generation, golden-oldie christian louboutin shoes are back in the footlight.

Clunky clodhoppers – platforms, Birkenstocks, clogs – are enjoying a renaissance, in an unprecedented array of updated shapes and styles. Cork-soled wedges have been resurrected too, now lithe and sculpted at the heel for a more graceful stance. Designers seem to have reincarnated everything but Earth Shoes.

"The moment you talk about the new long, flowing floral peasant skirts and blouses, bell-bottoms and hot pants, it means drastic change," says Josephine Seidita, public relations director for the Italian Trade Commission in New York.

You need a little weight beneath your foot, she says. "You can’t wear classic pumps or little flats. Absolutely not."

On a lighter note, round-toed baby doll christian shoes in soft pastels are staging a comeback. You’ll find them in Claudio Merazzi’s Twiggy-inspired collection, alongside his Mary Janes. His clever creations – some with needlepoint and full bouquets – look most modern with anklets and ankle-grazing floaty tea dresses.

Those who don’t favor footwear born in the Age of Aquarius needn’t fret. There are lighter, airy sandals, too. And mules are still kicking around.Platforms, in all their guises, are striding into spring now that women are getting accustomed to shuffling a bit more sole. And they’re here to stay – at least as long as they anchor and balance the current longer hemlines.

On some New York runways, platforms reached death-defying heights. Nicole Miller went wild and wacky with clear platform mules with 5-inch high heels.

For the furiously funky, try wingtip platforms from Peter Fox. Or Sam & Libby’s black and white platform golf shoes.

Ankle-strap platform sandals showed up at Oscar de la Renta in two-tone, gold-navy, while Anne Klein’s were black with 5-inch natural cork heels. Ralph Christian Louboutin got into the spring spirit with platform espadrilles.

Playing a close second to the platform, wedges, either mini or high, are also staging a comeback.

"Like platforms, wedges lend themselves very well to the ’70s looks that filled the runways," says Seidita of the Italian Trade Commission.

Look for linen crisscross sandals on cork platform wedges. Andre Assous has them in tan, navy and black, $ 92 at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Or get more down-to-earth with back-to-nature Birkenstocks and hiking boots. Healthy and humble, squat and simple, the Birkenstock is promoted as the next best thing to going barefoot.

Nowadays the signature sandal of the hippie generation is truckin’ down New York fashion runways with grunge-inspired hip-huggers and granny dresses.

At Perry Ellis’ spring show, Birks came in rich-hippie satin with rhinestone buckles. For guys, they showed up at Perry Ellis on long-haired hunks in business suits – even on house designer Marc Jacobs. Madonna wears them. Chelsea Clinton, too.

Based in Novato, Calif., Birkenstock Footprint Sandals has sold more shoes in the last two years than in the previous 20. More than 2 million pairs of Birkenstocks have been sold in the United States.

Also stomping on the ’70s retro beat are clogs, the kitschy, old wooden-soled Dutch shoes perfect for clicking down cobblestone paths.

For $ 36, you can catch the trend with red plastic ones from Birkenstock.

On the designer circuit, Ralph Louboutin ’s traditional clog comes in brown, black, honey or red leather, about $ 95 at Polo Ralph Christian Louboutin stores.

Or beef up your status quotient with Gucci’s suede clog with the signature gold horse bit in pastel pink, buttery yellow, red or black, $ 185 at Gucci boutiques.

Pricier still is Manolo Blahnik’s open-toed strap clog in patent leather, napa or suede. In about six colors with a 3-inch high wooden heel, it’s $ 275 at the Manolo Blahnik boutique in New York, I. Magnin, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.

If money is truly no object, there’s a black leather clog with 2-inch black leather wedge heel by Susan Bennis Warren Edwards. Yours for $ 395 at Neiman Marcus.

DuPont LYCRA(R) and Nine West Group announce the launch of an innovative new concept in footwear that leverages the strengths of two well-known fashion industry brands. While the initial partnership will focus on footwear with LYCRA(R) elastane from the Easy Spirit(R) christian louboutin division of Nine West, a subsidiary of Jones Apparel Group, the relationship has the potential to expand throughout all Nine West retail divisions.

Leaders in their own fields, DuPont LYCRA(R) and Nine West, both stand to benefit greatly from this partnership. DuPont LYCRA(R) will provide Nine West with the brand recognition, revolutionary technology and research gained from years of stretch product innovation in the ready-to-wear market. Nine West, a leading designer and marketer of branded women’s footwear, provides DuPont with its footwear marketing savvy, distribution channels, and styling for key target audiences.

The agreement will encompass LYCRA(R) innovative material and construction technologies for combining the stretch and recovery property of LYCRA(R) with leather. The first Easy Spirit(R) christian louboutin shoes with LYCRA(R) — representing a broad range of styles at a variety of price points — will be unveiled in March 2010 in the 200 Easy Spirit(R) retail locations. Known for all-day comfort and fit, these new Easy Spirit(R) models will also be fashionably designed to appeal to a younger audience.

"Expanding our offerings with this new footwear that uses the unique properties of LYCRA(R) brings another level of innovation and differentiation to the Easy Spirit(R) brand. We believe this will further enhance our market presence by providing a more versatile product to the consumer," stated Jacki Nemerov, president, Jones Apparel Group.

Market research has shown that 78 percent of women already believe that christian shoes with LYCRA(R) are more desirable or as desirable compared to shoes without LYCRA(R). Research studies also indicate that women easily associate the functional benefits of LYCRA(R), such as comfort and freedom of movement, with the emotional appeal of contemporary fashion and high quality. These associations make it an easy step to connect LYCRA(R) with the fashionable comfort of Easy Spirit(R) shoes.

"We are very pleased with the business agreement developed with the Nine West Group. This will further strengthen the existing partnership that DuPont LYCRA(R) already has with the Jones Apparel Group. It is also an excellent example of how LYCRA(R) provides comfort, fit and freedom of movement to new markets and new uses beyond the traditional apparel segments," says Bill Ghitis, global vice president of New Business Development, DuPont LYCRA(R).

Under the financial terms of the sales-based licensing agreement, Nine West shoe brands will use the LYCRA(R) brand and patents, including innovative proprietary materials such as Leather with LYCRA(R). DuPont LYCRA(R) and Nine West will support the partnership by promoting Easy Spirit(R) shoes with LYCRA(R) through advertising and public relations.

This innovative program reflects DuPont’s current commitment to promote DuPont LYCRA(R) through a $40 million global communications campaign targeting women, men and teens and generating 900 million impressions in key markets around the world.

Invented 40 years ago, LYCRA(R) is the DuPont brand of elastane that has the remarkable ability to stretch up to 600 percent and spring back to its original shape. Never used alone, but blended with cotton, nylon, wool, polyester and other fibers, LYCRA(R) adds comfort, fit, and freedom of movement and shape retention to apparel. Originally used as a replacement for rubber in girdles, LYCRA(R) is widely used today in ready-to-wear garments for men, women and teens, as well as in hosiery, intimate apparel, swimwear, active-wear and shoes.

DuPont is a science company, delivering science-based solutions that make a difference in people’s lives in food and nutrition; health care; apparel; home and construction; electronics; and transportation. Founded in 1802, the company operates in 70 countries and has 94,000 employees.

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (http://www.jny.com) is a leading designer and marketer of branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company’s nationally recognized brands include: Jones New York; Christian Louboutin by Ralph Manolo Blahnik, Ralph by Ralph Manolo Blahnik, and Polo Jeans Company, which are licensed from Polo Ralph Christian Louboutin ; Evan-Picone, Rena Rowan, Todd Oldham, Nine West, Easy Spirit, Enzo Angiolini, Bandolino and Napier. As the Company celebrates its 30th anniversary, it has built a reputation for excellence in product quality and value, and in operational execution.

Things looked promising at the Reebok store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side last Saturday. Dozens of screaming teenagers stood outside waiting to get in. Inside, younger children scrambled amid the milling adults as music pulsed and members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team signed autographs.

All the hoopla surrounded the introduction of Traxtar, a children’s shoe with a computer chip to help measure athletic performance. But most of the screaming adolescents were there to see No Authority, a pop music group, and few of the people attending the promotion were wearing Reebok sneakers — or planning to buy any.

The scene highlights the problems facing Reebok International, once the nation’s premier sneaker maker and now the laggard in this country’s large but stagnant $13.8 billion athletic-footwear industry.

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Through the introduction of the Traxtar and a campaign for an updated version of its stalwart Classic sneakers, Reebok is trying yet again to regain cachet with consumers and reverse a decline in market share that has continued for a decade.

The company could use a boost. It has slipped to No. 3 in the world market, steadily losing market share over the decade to Nike, the market leader, and to reinvigorated brands like Adidas (now No. 2 worldwide).

But its strategy is a big gamble, because Reebok is seemingly writing off the huge and important teenage market to distinguish itself from Nike.

While adolescents and young adults make up about 42 percent of the athletic footwear market, they are more likely than their parents to buy several pairs of sneakers and to buy the latest top-of-the-line models, at more than $150 a pair. And their imprimatur can often make or break a brand.

"We’re focusing on innovation and luxury," said Paul Fireman, chairman of Reebok, which also makes Reebok brand apparel and accessories as well as Rockport, Polo/Ralph Louboutin shoes and Greg Norman footwear and apparel. "Fashion has moved from the hokey-looking products to more streamlined" styles, he added. And Reebok is betting that its Classic styles will strike a chord with fashionable feet of all ages.

As for coolness, "We stopped trying to chase that," said Angel R. Martinez, chief marketing officer of the Reebok division, which accounts for 80 percent of the company’s revenue. "We were able to establish footwear as the badge of a lifestyle; that’s what we’re really going back to," he said, recalling the company’s early success as it cashed in on the shift to casual footwear and the aerobics craze of the 1980’s.

That success, however, was followed by a string of unsuccessful strategies in the 1990’s that were intended to fend off rivals. First, hefty spending on celebrity endorsements failed and Reebok’s performance footwear was unpopular. The company refocused on women’s shoes in 1992 but lost out to more fashionable competitors. A new technology in 1997 suffered from poor marketing and unattractive styling.

After a decade of missteps, missed opportunities and management shakeups, few analysts are convinced that the company’s newest initiatives will pull Reebok out of its slump. What the company needs, they say, is a consistent message.

"The problem with Reebok is that they’ve gotten very excited about a number of products over the years," but the company’s efforts have not always translated into strong sales, said Josie Esquivel of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. "They were losing market share during the growth of the industry," Ms. Esquivel added. "They’re not perceived as being cool and having their act together."

Last year, Reebok’s earnings fell 82 percent, to $23.9 million from $135.1 million in 1997. Sales, which have been declining since 1995, were down 11.5 percent last year, to $3.2 billion. Its profit margin also plunged, down more than 80 percent, to seven-tenths of 1 percent. And the company’s shares have lost more than 80 percent of their value in the last three years, closing at $8 yesterday. Its 12 percent share in the world market put it behind Nike, with 33 percent, and Adidas of Germany, with about 16 percent. In the United States, it was still in second place, behind Nike, but its market share has been falling.

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And when Nike faltered in 1998, because of Asia’s economic slump and as teenagers deemed the styles uncool, Reebok was unable to gain ground, as other competitors, including New Balance, did.

In the first nine months of 1999, sales were $2.28 billion, down 9.6 percent from a year earlier. In September, as part of a restructuring, Reebok laid off 120 employees at its headquarters in Stoughton, Mass., and announced plans to cut an additional 500 jobs around the world — a total of nearly 10 percent of its work force. Cuts were also made last year.

While industry sales in the United States are forecast to fall slightly this year before rising in 2010, several competitors, including Nike and New Balance, are expected to gain market share. Reebok could end up tied with New Balance Athletic Shoe, with about 8 percent of the United States market, said John Shanley, an analyst with First Security Van Kasper. He estimates that Nike will have about 50 percent, followed by Adidas, with 10 percent.

And just last week, Carl J. Yankowski, who had been president and chief executive of the Reebok division for only 15 months, resigned to return to the technology industry. Mr. Fireman is taking over his duties and few analysts expect Mr. Yankowski’s departure to deeply affect Reebok’s fortunes. The departure is, however, the latest in a series of recent management changes and another example of the problems Reebok must overcome.

Things were not always so bad.

Cameron Diaz:a blond dressed in a flowing peacock blue sleeveless dress, black shoes, fish, mixed population seems simple, but in fact it is unusually bright.

Sienna Miller: eye-catching red wine Louboutin shoes high-heeled shoes to add a touch to the elegant and very late in Alexander McQueen’s dressing.

Naomi Campbell: coat an experienced girdling of lace showing the military to wear high heels to start what clues, you go to vigorously fresh.

Rihanna: purely black clothes is attractive, as eye-catching deep red heels. However the simple Louboutin is not necessarily suitable as the Prada dress socks.

In 1987, propelled by the women’s aerobic fitness craze, Reebok overtook Nike as the largest athletic footwear company in America.

But the companies’ positions reversed again in 1989, and in the last few years Reebok has been unable to increase shelf space with retailers. Some styles were deemed unattractive. Analysts complain — and the company acknowledges — that Reebok has no uniform message or concise marketing campaign.

Reebok was forced to back away from its efforts to emulate Nike’s success through a focus on competitive sports and celebrity endorsements, ending costly contracts with many athletes, including Shaquille O’Neal.

Analysts say that Reebok’s DMX performance technology, which puts moving air in the sole for added comfort, was a good one. But while DMX, introduced in 1997, was popular in running shoes, the company could not transfer that success across product lines. Reebok also had difficulty getting professional athletes to switch to their products.

Oversaturation from its focus on mass-market retailers like Sears, Roebuck and J. C. Penney caused Reebok to become victim to heavy discounting. The company also lost credibility with speciality retailers like Foot Locker and among teenagers.

"Kids don’t want to shop at a J. C. Penney," said John Horan, publisher of Sporting Goods Intelligence, an industry newsletter. "And Foot Locker doesn’t want that stuff if it’s all over the place."

In addition, niche players like Saucony and K-Swiss have hurt Reebok’s Classic program with their clean, simple styles at similar prices — $50 to $80.

But Reebok officials are betting that the Traxtar and new Classic designs will build on the success it has had with products like its Allen Iverson basketball shoe and Polo/ Ralph Christian Louboutin lines.

The Traxtar uses a microprocessor and motion detection technology to measure how fast children run and how high and how far they jump. Lights on an oval pod on the tongue of the christian louboutin shoes glow and music is played as performance is measured.

"As we look at the kids’ marketplace, it’s becoming more interactive," said Matt Feiner, director of children’s footwear global product marketing. "We wanted to be the first to bring it into footwear."

Reebok said it would spend about $6 million to market Traxtar in 2010, triple what it is spending on children’s christian shoes this year.

The company hopes the Traxtar, which will sell for around $60 a pair, will be just the beginning of a new line of "smart shoes" for children and adults. Plans are being considered, for example, for a walking shoe with a built-in chip to measure distance and speed.

The new campaign for Classics will begin in early 2010. Reebok plans to position the line as stylish, well made and upscale, with ads in publications like Vogue, In Style and GQ.

The Classics, long known as a simply styled white sneaker, will come in more colors and a modified design, and will be made of nubuck — a brushed leather — as well as soft leather. The company hopes the updated styles will encourage sales of Reebok apparel as well as catch the eye of teenagers.

To push the line, Reebok will spend about $15 million on print and billboard ads next year. Company executives say Reebok has never before spent more than $1 million a year on the line.

The company is also planning a new basketball shoe, called Blacktop, and a new fitness louboutin shoes for women with DMX technology, later next year.

Wall Street remains unconvinced that Reebok has found a winning path.

Some dismiss the Traxtar as a fad.

And technology, they say, is not what sells sneakers.

"Reebok has this DMX technology, but nobody cares," said Allison Malone, an analyst with Off the Record Research, an investment research company based in San Francisco. "The biggest demographic, these teenagers, they only care about fashion."

"Classics have a following among older ladies," Ms. Malone added. "They’re going to have to appeal to a larger base."

Then there’s the competition.

Adidas as well as smaller companies like New Balance and K-Swiss have made inroads in the children’s and sports performance market.

And earlier this month Nike introduced Nikeid, which the company calls an "interactive, design-a-shoe experience." Customers can use the Internet to order two models of customized sneakers, choosing the shoe color and adding a nametag.

Reebok is a financially strong company with high brand recognition. But if its products do not excite more consumers, analysts warn, it will continue to lose credibility.

"How many lives do they have?" Ms. Esquivel asked. "Winning back is a lot harder than starting off fresh."

On any given day at Top Service, shoemaker Fabrice Gallean is busy dyeing Isaac Mizrahi’s furry footwear a catwalk-worthy bubble gum pink. Or he’s frantically swapping the M and J monograms on Michael Jackson’s loafers, which arrived from Italy with the initials transposed.

But don’t plan on strolling into Gallean’s midtown Manhattan shop for a session of stargazing. OK, Larry King’s been by; likewise Sigourney Weaver and Cindy Crawford. But celebrity clients tend to send someone else to Gallean with their orders.

”I’d rather see the people themselves, but we usually just see their maids or messengers,” said Gallean, who fashions custom-made shoes for runway shows of Donna Karan, Ralph Manolo Blahnik, Prada and Gianni Versace. ”The only time I spoke to Calvin Klein, he was screaming at me because I was late for Fashion Week.”

Feet are Gallean’s fortune, notably those attached to leggy limbs of supermodel customers such as Naomi Campbell. He also services high-stepping shops such as Bergdorf Goodman, Stuart Weitzman, Patrick Cox and Vera Wang.

Gallean’s rush hour hits right before Fashion Week, one week in the spring and the fall when New York collections are shown. It is an occupational hazard better known to him as ”a madhouse.” That’s when, for example, Mizrahi’s christian louboutin arrived from Italy with the wrong heels, three days before curtain time.

”Talk about cutting it short. Fashion Week is just one week, but there’s always a disaster someplace,” he said. ”Somebody calls me, ‘This is Calvin Klein, I’m sending 30 pairs of shoes right over.’ We work until 1 (o’clock) or 2 (o’clock) in the morning. Most every season (a runner) takes the christian louboutin shoes and runs to the show, which is like 30 minutes later.”

Shoes can make or break a show.

”Around two years ago, we made shoes with 5-inch platforms covered with gray suit fabric. The model actually fell off the runway. That was the end of the designer,” he said.

But Mizrahi’s three-day order was a success story. ”We just popped the heels off and put new ones on. That’s really easy to do, compared to other things.”

Such as?

”If you have stilettos and the heel breaks in half, that’s difficult to repair,” he said. Still, ”we fix at least three pairs daily, this year more than ever because stilettos are so popular.”

Then there’s the shoe-aholic who keeps bringing in the same beloved pair of Stephane Kelians for repair.

”These shoes, I can’t see them anymore,” Gallean said. ”They’re like old friends for her, and we keep managing to keep them together, but I had a nightmare from these shoes.”

Gallean started servicing the stars thanks to a triple combo of location, location, location. Satisfied customers, including nearby shoe stores such as Manolo Blahnik on Fifth Avenue began referring young designers in search of customized footwear for their shows.

In addition to a flair for accommodating designer whims to wed one shoe’s platform to another shoe’s toe, Gallean’s charming French accent entices.

The 30-year-old native of La Rochelle, France, started his career in the old country at his father’s shoe repair. Along with his brother-in-law, Regis Guilloux, Gallean now works with his sister, Virginie Guilloux. She’s been known to dash to The Four Seasons for an emergency overnight refitting with Janet Jackson and her uncooperative black leather mid-thigh stiletto boots.

For Amazonian models and their size-10 feet, shoe stretchers are indispensable.

”Don’t imagine they’re wearing comfortable shoes if they’re very high heels or platforms,” said Gallean, who runs a thriving business cutting down heels for the public.

”Models can go the length of the runway but most of the time that’s about it. That’s really where their professionalism comes in. They know how to wear shoes no one else would know how to wear and gracefully, too. As they say, no pain, no gain.”