So you just found out that your brother's getting married. Congratulations! Isn't that wonderful? Aren't you excited? And your daughter's going to be the flower girl? Wonderful!

You don't have to stress over this recent development. Yeah, your daughter might only be five years old and known to pick her nose in front of your in-laws. Who cares? That's what kids are famous for! You may have every reason to think that as she's walking down the aisle with her cute little bouquet of flowers that she'll inexplicably sit down and start bawling her eyes out. Or maybe she'll erupt into total chaos and run amok. What better thing to happen at the wedding of that scoundrel who used to give you wet willies when you were kids? Don't freak out about your cute little girl's up-coming task. She'll be able to handle it.

You have her dress picked out already, right? Well then that's half the difficulty right there. Everything will be fine. Now all that's left for you to do is to find your little flower girl a nice pair of shoes to wear to the wedding.

Shoes for flower girls come in all sorts of styles. Being that they're made for young children, you're not going to find any with high heels, but other than that you'll find just as many different shoes for flower girls as you would expect to find for adult women. Choosing the style will, of course, depend on the season, what the bride wants, and what you can get your little girl to wear. You can pick between open toed shoes and closed toe shoes. There are ones which resemble cute little slippers for a fairy princess, and there are shoes with delicate straps and cute miniature buckles and lots of other tiny details. Maybe Mary Janes are the way to go. Those are readily available, too. If your flower girl is just a toddler then there are plenty of pretty formal shoes for them, as well.

Shoes for flower girls are almost always white. This is because it's a popular color and it can be dyed to match any color scheme. Such shoes range in price from around $20 to $40, so you're not going to empty your wallet for your sweet angel's endeavor. Plain shoes are less expensive, whereas hand-trimmed shoes add to the cost. Many wedding stores will dye your shoes for free. The few that do charge for dying the shoes don't charge that much.

Mary Jane shoes are among the most popular styles of shoes for girls and women. They're traditionally viewed as shoes for children, but modern buyers know better.

Mary Jane shoes are an American invention. Actually, it's more accurate to say that the label "Mary Jane" is an American one applied to a style of shoe which had already been around for quite some time. This style of shoe has a low heel, closed rounded toe, a strap, and a buckle. The name Mary Jane comes from the name of a character invented by Brown Shoe Company in the early 20th century to accompany their boys brand, Buster Brown. The original Mary Jane was Buster Brown's friend, and the type of shoes she wore came to be known as Mary Janes. Because of this origin in America, Mary Janes came to be identified with children, though there is nothing inherently childish about their design.

Mary Janes are a terrific, youthful shoe. They make a great choice for young girls. They can be worn with dresses and pants. Parents will appreciate their versatile nature.

For grown-ups, the versatility of Mary Janes also makes them an excellent addition to your shoe collection. Because they can be worn with a variety of a fashions, they make a great all-around shoe. Mary Janes made specially for adults often feature taller, clunkier heels. Some are as big as 3". That's quite a change from the low heels you remember from your childhood.

Another contemporary update of the old classic are Mary Jane mules. Yes, now you can get the style of the Mary Jane without that irritating back. The mule adds a more squarish toe which may be more suitable for the professional environment. If you're looking for a Mary Jane with an even more contemporary look, you have to check out Josef Seibel's "Maddie". This unique take on the Mary Jane fuses the classic style with a look reminiscent of casual athletic shoes.

It's hard to do these shoes justice with mere words. You have to check them out online or at your favorite Josef Seibel retailer. I guarantee you'll get all sorts of comments on them if you decide to get a pair.

One of the scenes encouraging the popularity of Mary Janes is the rockabilly music scene. Some other fashion subcultures are perpetuating their popularity as well. They're popular with punk fans and people in the Lolita fashion underground.

Mary Jane shoes are not just for little girls anymore. While Brown Shoe Company may have popularized them for girls in the early 20th century, modern adult female shoe buyers(and some guys, too) have claimed them as their own. As with so many other popular fashion trends, the resurgence of the Mary Jane was catalyzed by lesser known fashion subcultures.

For every fashion and every season, men have been choosing leather as their favorite shoe material. Leather has been a favored material of shoemakers for about as long as there have been shoemakers. Leather is an ideal material for shoes because it is pliable, durable, comfortable, and fashionable.

There are a variety of leathers used for shoes. Most leather today comes from cows but this is by no means the only animal skin being tanned and turned into leather. Ostrich skin has recently become a popular source for leather. Alligator and crocodile skins are another popular choice for the fashion conscious. Even snake skins are used for shoes. Ever seen a pair of rattlesnake skin cowboy boots? Talk about a fashion statement! For those who prefer their fashions from Down Under, there are shoes made from kangaroo skin. Kangaroo leather is, in fact, known to be more resistant to abrasions than cow leather.

Not only does leather come from a variety of animals, there are also a number of forms of leather. The most common form of leather employed for shoemaking is full-grain leather. Full-grain leather has a natural grain and good breathability. It wears better than any other form of leather. This form of leather actually improves with age. Because it hasn't been overly sanded or treated, full-grain leather is the most durable form of leather and the top choice for distinguishing shoe buyers.

Another popular form of leather is suede. Suede starts out similar to full-grain leather, but the upper layers of the material are brushed away, which is what give suede its characteristic appearance. Suede is much softer than most other forms of leather, and for this reason it is also not nearly as durable. Suede is not washable, either. Despite these drawbacks, suede shoes are widely available and always fashionable.

Top-grain leather is somewhat similar to full-grain, except on one side, much of the grain has been sanded away. This is a very common form of leather used in shoes. If you have a pair of leather shoes which feel very rough on the inside and very smooth on the outside, it's probable that they are made with top-grain leather. Top-grain is usually made from a lesser quality leather and is therefore used for less expensive shoes.

A less common, but well-known form of leather is patent leather. This is not as popular in men's shoes as it is in women's but some men prefer it. Patent leather has an extremely glossy feel and appearance. Leather shoes require care that shoes made from other materials do not.

Leather shoes should be cleaned and polished on a regular basis with a natural-based product. These products all the leather to breathe and keep it from drying out and cracking. Also, it's a good idea to waterproof your leather shoes with a leather waterproofing product. Finally, use a leather conditioning product to keep your shoes soft, supple, and comfortable. With proper care, leather shoes will less a long time and gain character with age.

In the wide wild world of women's footwear, the vast variety of options can easily induce vertigo in the uninitiated. Who can keep track of the ever-changing array of shoes for females? It's almost impossible, but somehow many women manage this seemingly mind-boggling feat. This protean plethora of possibilities retains some semblance of stability despite the ever-swirling winds of fashion. One of these staple styles of shoes has been given the inelegant title of mule. Mule shoes come in a wide range of styles, but the one constant is that they are backless and slip-on. Some mules have open toes. Some have closed toes. Mules can have high heels or no heels at all. The ones that have closed toes may be pointy or they may be square. As you can see, mules are a huge category of shoes with unending options.

First of all, let's elucidate the origin of the word "mule" in this context. It has nothing to do with the animal which results from crossing a female horse with a male donkey. The name "mule" when applied to a style of shoe comes from the Latin word "mulleus" which referred to a type of ceremonial shoe.

Mule shoes are popular with women for an assortment of reasons. For one, they're convenient. What can be easier than sliding a shoe on and off? In a world where women's shoes often have all sorts of straps and buckles and confusing ways to put them on, it's a comfort to know that there's a type of shoe you can just slide into.

Another reason mules are so popular is that they can be worn with almost any outfit. Because they are made in countless styles, mules can go with jeans, a sexy mini-skirt, or a lovely evening gown. The versatility of mules is legendary and is a major reason why so many women have at least one pair, if not many pairs, of mules in their wardrobe. Shoemakers manufacture mules with thick, clunky soles to fit in with those trendier, more punk rock fashions. Other designers fashion mules with pointy toes and medium height narrow heels to match perfectly with a more professional woman's suit. Mules can be worn to work, to the mall, and to a rock concert.

For fall's fashion, it's pretty much about retro-style fashion. Dress yourself up in chunky shoes and wide belts, and you're a fashion diva this season. Hollywood stars are lucky to have their own personal stylists. You don't have to be in Hollywood just to look hot and in trend. If you want to look fashionable this season, here's the top ten fashion trends for fall. You cannot go wrong with these looks.

1. Wide Belts - From Fendi, Alexander Mcqueen to Stella Mccartney, retro big belts are still in for this season. Pair them up with flowy tops or dresses, and you're an angel.

2. Cuffed Shorts - From Bottega Veneta, Carolina Herrera to J Mendel, the cuffed shorts in white and earth tones are so hot. Pair your shorts up with a great cardigan in a cool color of fall, and you're ready to hit the town for a cup of coffee.

3. Tiny Handbags - From Chanel, Celine, Fendi, Hermes to Dolce & Gabbana, tiny handbags in leather are super trendy. If you already have tiny little bags tucked away in your closet, now it's time to show them off.

4. Nude Color Dresses - From Calvin Klein, Alessandro Dell'acqua, Christian Dior, Costello Tagliapietra, Burberry to J Mendel, flowy dresses in barely-there nude color are incredibly sexy this season. Flashy or colorful dresses are out.

5. Wedge Heels - From Chloe, Donna Karen, Dries Van Noten, Prada to Dolce & Gabbana, chunky wedge heels are in trend this season. Do not wear sexy stilettos this fall; they're out.

6. 60's Style Baby Doll Dresses - From Miu Miu, Jill Stuart, Thakoon, Emilio Pucci, cute little baby doll dresses as in the sixties are back and cuter than ever.

7. Tailored Slim Pants - From Narciso Rodriguez, Balenciaga, Costume National, Gucci, to Versace, slim tailored pants. As for the length, make sure you pick the ones that are cut just above the ankles because they are incredibly stylish this fall.

8. Extra Large Totes - From Louis Vuitton, Chloe, Dries Van Noten, Prada, Zac Posen, totes in XL sizes are trendy. It seems that big bags are always in. At least, it's still in this season.

9. Sailor Stripes - From Peter Som, Emporio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kenzo, Luella, the navy fashion is totally hot. Navy, white, gold and red in stripes cannot go wrong this season.

It used to be that if you were searching for a specific color of shoe you might have to travel to the ends of the earth to find them. One store would have the style you were looking for, but they wouldn't have the color you needed. So then you went across town to another store that had the color you wanted, but in totally the wrong style. Often if you needed a specific color in a specific style you'd have to have them specially ordered, which took extra time and, of course, costs extra money.

Say goodbye to such hassles. This is the 21st Century where all your dreams can come true! OK, maybe that's a bit of a hyperbole, but modern times have brought modern conveniences, and one of those modern conveniences are dyeable shoes. Now you can walk into a store and find the right style of shoe and have them dyed any color you wish. True 21st Century convenience has brought us the Internet and the World Wide Web which allows you to find the perfect shoes with the perfect color from the comfort of your home and have your perfectly dyed shoes delivered promptly to your doorstep.

You may not have known this, but dyeable shoes have been around since the 1960's. However, it wasn't until the late 1980's that they became widely available. Even though they'd been around for a good twenty years or so, when you went into a bridal shop to purchase dyeable shoes for that important day, you were often only able to buy pumps. Apparently there just wasn't enough demand to warrant retailers maintaining an inventory of a variety of dyeable shoes.

Advances in dyeing techniques and a lowering of the costs of individual retailers doing their own shoe dyeing helped change things. For a long time it just wasn't cost effective for stores to do a lot of their own shoe dyeing. It was easier and more profitable for them to farm out the work or special order the shoes. But once these advances came about, the availability of dyeable shoes bloomed. Whether it was the advances which fueled the demand, or the demand which made dyeing shoes more profitable, suddenly bridal shops and shoe stores in even the smallest of towns offered custom dyeing. Now you can get dyeable shoes in a variety of styles. It's not just pumps anywhere. You can get dyeable Mary Janes, sandals, and even platform shoes. In addition to having many style options, dyeable shoes are now available in different fabrics. Satin, ultra-satin, silk satin, peau de soie, and others are now widely available.

There are basically two types of dyeable shoes: factory and custom. Both are "custom" in the sense that you can get almost any color you want, but factory dyed shoes are more color-fast then custom ones. Custom dyeable shoes are done in the store or at home. This kind of dye will bleed and stain if they get wet. The big advantage to custom dying is that you can re-dye these shoes. That's right: they can be red for your brother's wedding and white for your neighbor's baby shower

Sandals are that footwear that expose a good part of foot especially the toes and this is true for both sexes and kid's sandals. Actually, sandals have a simple sole and straps to hold feet to sole. But if you look for variety within this setup, you have soles made in leather, rubber and any material having durability; and straps in their simplicity pass over the feet starting from between the big toe and the second one.

The entry of big brands like Nike Sandals, Keen Sandals and Merrell Sandals has brought in some style to the quintessential sandals looking at the ever changing fashion. You can have them with or without heels or high heels, wide straps/thongs passing over the arch of the foot again with or without the heel straps. Just there is no limitation but for their simplicity, when it comes to style.

Where do you wear sandals to? You can choose to wear sandals during summers or warm springs, for their attractiveness in parties and because they keep feet cool and dry, wearing them avoid fungal infection and when you already got infected. Some people choose it for their economy. The simplest flip-flop types are worn by the poolside or bathrooms. Did you know American slang for men's sandals with twin parallel Velcro straps are called as mandals?

Of all, women's sandals have more style to offer alongside kid's sandals. You have multicolored woven leather straps, soft cushioned, fast drying insoles and straps which reveal toes stylishly and so on. The no-heel cousins are used more for comfort than for fashion. The embossed footbed in leather or polyurethane; soles made in light weight rubber and polyurethane etc for good grip offer non-slip comfort.