Email Campaign by Puma using two of my Instagram photos (see yellow boxes)

Over the past few months Puma has released some killer shoes for fitness. They had the Formlites. Then they introduced the BioWebs. And most recently their new Mobiums. I really wanted to try the BioWebs. Sure, I was swayed a bit by the look but they seemed like a great crosstrainer.  I do a lot of crosstraining – more so than running – so I’m always interested in the best shoe for the job. My Formlites are pretty comfy but I prefer them more for running than crosstraining just because of how the sole hits the floor.

I started using my Puma Discs for my bootcamp and I really like them. They are comfy and have a lot of cushion for the jumping I do. However, they tend to be a little wide on my foot so during certain exercises they feel like they will fall off. I twist and twist to get them snug but because they are created for men they don’t fit as snug as I would like. One day, I was twisting away and my disc broke. It won’t catch anymore so I couldn’t tighten it.  Puma, of course, did my solid and replaced the discs and also included a gift card.  I was thrilled so I went right out and bought the Mobiums. The colorways are exciting and I was really interested to see what this elastic band was all about.

When I first slipped on the Mobiums I wasn’t sure what to think. I felt like my arches were falling in and that there was pressure on the insides of my shins. They had a ton of cushion though so I figured they’d be fine.  I can’t say I was impressed after my first time out. I have a tendancy to run heel-to-toe. I know that all the running geniuses out there will tell me I’m doing it wrong and what not but that’s how I run. I don’t tend to plant with my mid-sole.  The Mobiums will help you run that way if you want to change how you run.  After my bootcamp my shins did ache a bit. I was worried I was going to have shin splints after wearing the shoes but knew that one time out wasn’t enough to decide.

I have asked around to some others who bought them Mobiums. One person reported that they hurt his feet a lot while his girlfriend reported loving them. I think how you run determines how they feel. For those of us who are old school heel-to-toe runners they will not feel that comfortable. I have found that when I plant with the mid-sole part of my foot that they feel better. I probably run better as well. They are definitely very comfortable for bootcamp and jumping and landing in them is great. My Instagram friend Cici does pole vaulting in track and she found that they are great for that.

I haven’t found a good review by a dedicated runner on these shoes. I’ve looked. A lot.  I have seen many reviews of the shoes by people who haven’t even worn them. I find that curious because it seems you would need to put in a few miles in the shoe before making a determination on the band and form of the shoe. I haven’t put in a lot of miles in them (maybe 5 – I hate running long distances) and I like them. I think that if you’re looking for a running shoe with a lot of cushion and you’re willing to break in the shoe and plant mid-sole then this is the shoe for you. Also – you’ll look good and no matter what anyone says – we all want to look good while working out.

Finally – a really big thank you to Puma (thanks Katie!!) for 1 – the replacement of the discs. Their customer service is top notch! 2 – for using two of my Instagram photos in their newest email campaign for the Mobiums. It is very cool to open an email and see your photos included.  This is one of the main reasons I like Puma as a brand. They are connected to their customers and they really try hard to make you happy. Now if they could just release the leopard print suedes here in the states I’d be so happy!

written by PumaLover \\ tags: fitness, Mobium review, Mobiums, Puma Mobium, Puma sneakers, running, running shoes, shoe review

I haven’t been around much. I haven’t been posting my shoes to Instagram. I haven’t been interacting on Twitter. I haven’t even updated this site or logged into the forum.  I’m not one to let negativity get to me but I had to walk away for a little bit. Twitter is an interesting place. You can find people that love what you love. Hate what you hate. Hate what you love and love what you hate. The key is to find people to follow (and who hopefully will follow back) that will be kind, funny, interesting, without always having to agree with you. It can take awhile to build that type of timeline. On Instagram the hate only comes out if you comment on certain accounts. I haven’t found hate there that is directed to me. People can choose to like a photo or not like a photo or unfollow me. I haven’t received hateful comments there so I’m still there.

For awhile I’d go through Twitter and find references to people who had just purchased Pumas, had questions about them, etc. I found it fun to see all the different styles people liked. I enjoyed seeing new releases and reading stories on different sites about those releases. Unfortunately, if you tweet wrong or have an opinion on other brands, the haters come out. It has been  now three or four times that I have been told my shoes are all a bunch of sh!t. I’m always told this by Nike lovers but the last one was by a true shoe collector who has a lot of Pumas. I guess that one bothered me the most. I wasn’t allowed to have an opinion on the new LeBron Corks that were just released (and now re-selling for $800-$1200). His response to me not liking them was to say all my recent shoes were sh!t. Juvenile, right? All of that on top of the egos I find elsewhere in regards to Puma shoes and other brands just left a bad taste in my mouth. Why bother?

On top of the hate directed at my shoe collection, the repeated unavailability of Puma shoes has been getting to me. The new Biowebs come out – I’d like to try them on but can’t. They aren’t sold anywhere near me. There are new Mobium shoes out. The Puma store near me has told me they won’t receive them in the store. Again – I can’t try them on so I won’t buy them online. I was told to expect some Biowebs but they never arrived.  There are new, really cool releases coming up but no sizes for women. The women get new releases in the form of wedges.  I get it – wedges are the new thing. But I don’t want all my sneakers to be wedges. I have one pair – that’s enough for me. So I’m left with styles that are nice but not really what I want. The new Munsters are out and they are kinda cool looking but they aren’t Suedes. They aren’t Clydes. I am left to search out Ebay or Amazon or 6pm for Clydes in my size. I won’t ever get a new  release because I can’t afford them once they get put on Ebay. I’m not about spending $100-200 on one pair of sneakers.

All of this combined hasn’t made me very excited about Pumas or shoes lately.  I honestly don’t care if someone hates my collection because they aren’t wearing them. I think I have some really awesome shoes and they are all pretty unique. I was on a Puma high for a few months and have come down off of it. I’ve even started going to Atmos Tokyo to search out shoes to get my high back but honestly can’t afford them at $120-$220.  I know. This is such a first world problem isn’t it?  Maybe the passion will return if I see if Puma starts marketing a little more to women and to the Washington DC area.  I’d be happy just seeing a release of something really special that includes women – not just men.  Eventually I’ll go back to Twitter too.  I’ll reduce my following list and hopefully remove some of the haters. I already blocked the fool who cursed out my shoes.  I had hoped the forum would take off a bit but it didn’t. It isn’t a big deal but I really did like the interaction.

I’ll be back soon. I’m sure of it.

written by PumaLover

One of the gems sent to me from Puma was the City Snow Boot for women. I like that Puma is slowly moving towards more shoes/boots for winter. Although the boots I have are a few years old I like that the newer styles are designed for winter not just fashion. This boot is no exception.

Many winter boots like these can look pretty boring or manly. Granted, they are for winter and the snow but there’s nothing wrong with being cute while being warm. I had originally worn these around the house a bit when I first got them. The faux fur was so inviting that I had to slip them on immediately. They are Comfy with a capital C. I have had an issue trying to find boots like these that have some comfort. The last pair I had (brand escapes me at the moment) just killed my feet. I would wear them while going sledding with the kids and wanted to just rip my feet off. A couple of years ago I picked up a pair of Merrel’s but never had a chance to wear them as we didn’t get any significant snow last winter.

Cue the snow!  It snowed enough that I needed to go out and shovel. I put on the Merrel’s because I honestly didn’t want to mess up the Pumas. I re-thought that because what good are they if I can’t wear them for their intended purposes? So I grabbed them and changed into them. I hadn’t yet protected them but wouldn’t be outside long.

My feet stayed warm. My feet stayed dry.The snow was very slushy as rain had started to fall and I figured my feet would end up wet because so many boots promise protection from the but few deliver.  I’m not sure I would wear these sledding as they don’t come up very high but for going to the store, shoveling, walking around, etc. they are a great snow shoe. I also wouldn’t worry about slipping because the sole has a lot of grip. Other features: leather upper, soft insole, cushioning, and adorable faux fur. If you’re looking for a snow boot that is also cute I would highly recommend the City Snow Boot - especially if you live somewhere that doesn’t get a lot of deep snow (Puma does sell boots that come higher so those would be better for deeper snow). The boot comes in oatmeal, black, and brown (on 6pm.com they also come in suede as Antique Bronze).

Where to buy:

Nordstroms, 6pm.com

written by PumaLover \\ tags: boots, fashion boots, Puma city snow boot, puma snow, snow boot

Back in the day Isiah Thomas was my guy. I first fell in love with basketball when I was 9 and I started watching him play when I was in Jr. High. Yeah. I’m that old.  I remember ads specifically with him in Puma shoes. I wish I still had my old Sports Illustrated magazines from when the Pistons were boss and had the Bad Boyz because I’m sure there were ads in those.   I played ball and styled myself after Isiah. I wanted to be that good. I worked all day and played ’till I couldn’t see my hoop anymore. I’d turn on the porch light and finally my dad would come out and say, “I think it is too late. You’re making too much noise in the neighborhood.”  He was always very conscious of that.

I never owned any Pumas back then. I had my pair of Nike high tops that I wore for years. Seriously, I think I played in them for 6 years. By the end I couldn’t actually stop on the court. I’d just slide because there was no tread left on them. It wasn’t like my mom could just buy me a new pair every year. I had them for years after that and finally gave them up. I don’t know why. I have mixed feelings these days about Isiah. I don’t like some of what he’s done or how he’s reacted in many situations. We all know he had a huge ego. That’s common. I guess I’ve separated his basketball legacy from the man he is now. I once slapped his hand as he ran off the court. I sat there stunned. It was an incredible moment. And that’s the memory I hold in my heart because his style on the court was what I loved.

I found some ads of Isiah in Pumas. They are pretty cool. Enjoy!

 Ad 1

Sports Illustrated – see!!

Isiah Playing in Pumas in the best uniform ever in the NBA!

written by PumaLover \\ tags: Isaiah Thomas Puma, Isiah Thomas Puma

As you may have seen from an earlier post, I won the #travelingPumas contest on Instagram a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been anxiously awaiting it to arrive and finally it did!  I tore open the box and was pretty shocked to see a heart rate monitor watch from Puma along with stickers. Of course, shoes would have been awesome, but since they hadn’t asked my size I wasn’t really expecting them. (haha)  Although I already own a very nice heart rate monitor I’m not going to pass this up.  The color is way cute and maybe I can sell my other one. Or just use this as a regular watch when running/working out. The heart rate strap that goes around my chest often makes me feel claustrophobic anyway.

So thank you Puma for treating your fans so nice! It creates brand loyalty which is what all companies should do!

written by PumaLover \\ tags: Instagram, Puma heart rate monitor, puma shoes, Puma watch, TravelingPumas

I saw the posts from Puma yesterday on Instagram with custom-designed shoes from Puma Factory. Back in the day I always wanted to create my own pair and I never could decide and then one day the customization page was gone. I almost went with custom Converse shoes but really… why would I? So I was looking up something else on Puma and the splash screen came up which allows you to choose a country. And as I clicked on the USA I noticed in the bottom-left corner ‘Factory’. I was so happy. I tried to get back to the splash page but it is hard to do without completely restarting my machine and erasing cookies, history, etc.

Anyway….. I typed factory.puma.com into my address bar and wa-la the page came up! It doesn’t open well at work where I have a lot of restrictions and only one browser choice but I could see that it is going to be amazing. I know Puma is planning to announce this today so I’m probably raining on their parade. Sorry Puma! I’m just so excited I couldn’t wait.

How will I ever decide? I have no idea. I guess I pick colors that are meaningful to me and hope they work together. My birthday is coming up at the end of October (hint hint) and this is what I’m doing for my birthday. I’ll save my money until then and figure out the best design ever!!

written by PumaLover \\ tags: create pumas, puma design, Puma factory, puma shoes, Sneakers

A few months ago  I saw that Undefeated did a collaboration with Puma with polka dots (they call them micro dots but honestly-they are still polka dots).  Now I’m not a big polka dot person but on Pumas – they were awesome. I was seriously bummed out that the polka dot shoes did not come in unisex sizes. I see people with those shoes and I’m so jealous. Last week during my daily “Let’s see what new shoes Puma has on their site” ritual, I saw these beautiful black with purple-ish stripe polka dot shoes. Better yet, I saw high tops in black and red with polka dots.

I added the lows and a pair of the black highs to my shopping cart. I do this all the time and then I wait to make sure I really want them (and to check my funds). Thankfully, that evening, Usain Bolt ran the 200M. In his usual style he killed the competition. To celebrate Bolt’s fantastic showing at the Olympics, Puma put all their shoes on sale by 19.32%. Of course I didn’t realize this until I logged in the next day and opened my shopping cart. I squealed with delight and promptly purchased the shoes.  The black highs have yet to arrive but I broke out my black lows yesterday. I love them. Sure, I love ALL of my Pumas. I tell them I love them all equally so none of them get jealous but these polka dots have crept to number 2 in my list of favorites.

I truly hope that Puma continues to release shoes like this. They are stylish and they resemble some of the styles that the men get. I think that women have proven that they want styles that aren’t just pink and look like ballerina flats. Styles that are fashion-forward, colorful, and can compete with the styles of men will sell.

written by PumaLover \\ tags: polka dots, puma clydes, puma shoes, Puma sneakers

I wear heels every day to work. Well, pretty much everyday. During the winter I have some flatter boots but generally, I wear heels. The pants I buy are usually a tad too long on me so heels help them not to drag. Plus I just look good in them. *humble* Now and then sneaker companies come out with heeled versions of their shoes. More times than not they just look like sneakers with heels on them. That really doesn’t interest me. If I want sneakers, I’ll buy sneakers. Same for heels. I really don’t want to take my Clyde’s and just stick heels on them.  You can see examples of this by Adidas (sample 2), Nike, and even Converse. If   some women like those shoes – fantastic!  I kinda think the Converse ones are cute but I wouldn’t wear them.

Sure, I’m biased where Puma is concerned but ever since they released the Sergio Rossi heels I’ve loved them. They are chic. They are fashionable. And even better, while they have Puma styling they don’t just look like a pair of suedes with heels on them. I love Mary Janes and I know that these would look amazing on me – if I could afford them. Rossi comes with a high price tag and although I found them on sale… $300 is still a high price for them.

The site also had black Sergio Rossi Clyde heels. They actually look a lot like a pair of patent leather tie up shoes I already have in my closet. These do have very clear Puma detailing on them but I could definitely wear them to work and no one would think they were sneaker heels. The heels are higher than I normally wear but I’d suffer through it for how good they look.

For a limited time you can go to 6pm.com and buy yourself a pair. Or even better – buy me a pair. I’d be forever happy if you did.

written by PumaLover \\ tags: fashion sneakers, Heels, Puma, puma shoes, sergio rossi, Shoes, Sneakerhead, Sneakers

I basically started this blog because I wanted a place to post my ridiculous love for the Puma brand. I often think people get tired of me talking about it so this is my outlet. With the blog came an increase in posting pics of my shoes to Instagram & Twitter. Because of that, I started to connect with others who not only love Puma but shoes in general. I really was clueless that Nike puts out a new style of shoe every minute (I exaggerate but it feels that way). I am able to see when Undefeated is going to collaborate with Puma (and hopefully bug them enough to design in sizes for women).  The sneaker world is really pretty awesome.

I’m hoping to have an interview on here soon with a Puma shoe collector. That excites me quite a bit. His shoes are amazing and I’m dying to know all his secrets. Or at least those he’s willing to share. In fact he mentioned this awesome Puma Sneaker Speaker (I love saying that) that I had never seen. So cool!  SneakerCon DC is happening tomorrow as well and I’m hoping to get there and see what I can see. I’m totally nervous about going by myself but what if I miss out on something awesome? It all just depends on how I feel.

I’ve mad other good connections on Twitter as well. Just last week I got asked about a style of Converse shoes that should be for sale in DC. I connected him to someone else and wa-la – he has his shoes. That felt really good. I mean I call myself the shoe whisperer for a reason. I like to track down shoes for people or suggest good styles. Once in San Francisco I found a friend’s Puma shoes that she had been dying to buy for like two years. Thanks to my keen eye she was able to get another pair.

So although I don’t post here a ton, I am glad I started this site. I’m learning a lot about the sneaker industry, about Puma and how they market, and seeing types of Pumas I never would have seen if I had just  kept to the Outlets. I know that all you spammers love leaving me ridiculous comments here but if you’re real – say hey! I’d love it!

written by PumaLover

I’m always late to the game with new releases. I guess I have too much going on in life but I do my best. One of my favorite ‘new’ releases by Puma is their new City Pack collection. It features a design for Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. If I was going to have to pick a city, I’d have to pick Atlanta. The design is very nice and they even have ‘hotlanta’ and ‘ATL” inscribed on the shoe.  I happen to have a few friends that live in Atlanta and they are very big into Cuban salsa. I say they buy these shoes for their next performance (although they most often wear red Converse shoes which look great too).

If Puma would like to really stretch themselves, I’d suggest a Detroit shoe that works with the colors of either the Tigers or the Lions. I mean – I guess I am biased being a Detroit Sports chick. I think the navy/organge of the Tigers and the Hawaiian blue/silver of the Lions would make for beautiful color combinations.

You can go to Footlocker and see the shoes in all their glory. They are all really beautiful.

written by PumaLover \\ tags: Puma, puma atlanta, puma city pack, puma la, puma new york, puma philadelphia, puma shoes, Puma sneakers