Instagram has been the most fantastic place for meeting and getting to know fellow lovers of the Puma brand. There are those who collect only suedes. Some focus on the Clydes. When I first found Imran’s Instagram page I felt happy to find someone who wasn’t the average Puma collector. He had shoes no one else had and I liked that. Imran lives in the UK (outside of London) and owns his own business. It involves fast cars which makes me jealous. Lately he’s been adding the best shoes to his collection – read about which ones those are and learn more about my Puma friend.

Of course I always want to know, “Why Puma?” Here in the United States we are bombarded by Nike so finding a fellow Puma lover is always exciting. I imagine over in the UK and Europe it is probably a little easier. Imran replied, “Many people ask me this question. Normally collectors of other brands don’t get why you would collect/buy sometime else! I guess I just find the designs aesthetically pleasing – that’s the main thing. As a teenager I was into Nike’s but I think they lost their way with the air model after the Air Max 97. At that time I had only owned Puma football boots [soccer cleats for you Americans] and a pair of OG Puma Discs. I was looking around for sometime different and found some Puma Sprints and then Mostros – both of which I owned multiple colorways of.” As a co-owner of Evolve Automotive he added, “Puma also has a strong association with motorsport and as I am also a petrolhead it suits me!” As you follow Imran’s Instagram feed you’ll also see he is quite the fashionista and puts together very nice outfits. About his clothes he commented, “Apart from the Puma sneakers I also have a lot of Puma clothing/accessories and especially love the collab pieces from Hussein Chalayan and Fake London Genius.”

At the moment Imran has 25 pairs of Pumas. I’d say that about half of those are Puma Discs. I asked him why the Discs? He said, “I like a lot of the colourways (not all!) and they are ultra comfortable. I like the fact that they are bit different and not many non-sneaker fans know what they are. As they become more popular that will change but until then I will enjoy them fully.” I like to think I turned him onto the red and yellow discs that are in his collection. I remember his first response being something about them being bright. Well they look terrific.

In addition to the liking Discs Imran says this about the styles he seeks: “I like a wide range of them but I do like to hunt out collabs (Beams, Millerain, Ronnie Fieg), Japan only releases, limited editions or Puma Black Label sneakers (Alexander McQueen/Hussein Chalayan). Part of the enjoyment for me is finding hard to find sneakers. I do have more discs than anything at the moment. I loved my first pair in the 90′s – I guess they were too advanced at the time but seem to be getting more popular this time around.”

Some upcoming releases that has Imran excited are “the all white discs with red accents that were previewed in Project Las Vegas”. He added, “Also I have heard that Puma are releasing a Disc Bubble Tech Pack. If that is true then I can’t wait to see what they look like and if the colourways are good for me I’ll be copping for sure.” I think we’ll all be excited to see that shoe and how it will look/function. Whatever Pumas he picks up you can be sure that he will be wearing them. Some collectors like to put shoes away and keep them safe. Imran says, “I buy to wear not store and collect although there is nothing wrong with that. Everything gets worn eventually! I obviously wear the limited edition less and when its dry. I have the normal Pumas to wear as beaters.”

If you’re ever visiting UK/London you should be sure to check out the following spots recommended by Imran: In the UK we are lucky to have the Pumatwentyone store which has some limited releases – they are not online though which makes it a bit difficult for me as I have to take half a day out to go to London to visit. Stores like Footpatrol, End, Hanon Shop and The Business Fashion have carried limited release Pumas. Of course the Puma official online store is a good place to pick up some pieces. I visit Las Vegas every year for business and always take time out to go to the Outlet Store there.

A big Thank You to Imran for sharing his love of Pumas with me. Please be sure to check him out on Instgram and give him a ton of Likes.

written by PumaLover \\ tags: Hussein Chalayan, puma brand, Puma collection, puma discs, Puma Japan, puma shoes, Puma sneakers, Puma style, Puma UK

So spring has finally decided to show up. After a March that gave my state more snowfall than the rest of the winter, I am happy to say that the sun is out, the temperature is warm, and I can finally put away the heavy clothes and see what summer clothes fit.  Of course, this means fresh shoes for spring. I haven’t bought many shoes lately as I’ve been trying to save money.  I have a one-day trip to Boston planned and I plan on doing some shopping while there.

Some of the latest releases from Puma include the BioWeb and the Mobium. These are both athletic / training shoes. The BioWebs initially sold out quickly. I know that a guy at my gym said he desperately wanted some and couldn’t find any (I hooked him up with where to shop – of course).  I purchased the Mobiums myself and have been training in them (review to come).  Puma also continued their release of wedges for women. I don’t know that I would have ever bought the wedges if I hadn’t received some to review for Puma. I love the new colors they have out though. This pink/cream/peach colorway is super cute and would match a ton of my outfits. I just don’t have the $100 to drop on them. They are also introducing these wedge sandals (The Madeira’s).  At first glance I didn’t care for them but I honestly think they’d be really cute with the right outfit. I’m not sure if I’d like the mesh but if someone wanted to gift these to me I wouldn’t complain.

I was also the recipient of a great pair of First Rounds from AWOL. They had a pair that had been in their store for quite awhile. On Instagram they offered the pair for free to whoever could come and pick it up.  I couldn’t exactly get to Boston for that pick up but thankfully they were kind enough to ship them to me. They are a 1/2 size to big for me but since my daughter’s foot grew they fit her perfectly.  Thanks again AWOL – I’ll be visiting in Boston and hope you’ll have some Pumas in my size.

One of my constant complaints is that there aren’t sizes for women in the shoes I really want.  I was told recently to just be quiet about that complaint (in a much harsher way).  I guess it is easy for someone to tell me to shut it when they can find the special releases in their size. I desperately want some Discs in my own size.  The men’s size 5 fits me but runs wide (normal for the shoes I buy in men’s sizes).  There aren’t Clyde’s for women very often. And the Future Suede Lites that were just released didn’t come in smaller sizes.  I’m being patient though as I saw snapshots of some suede colorways for women that are great. *twiddling thumbs*  I’ve honestly decided that I just need to focus on other styles from Puma because I’ll never be able to purchase the shoes I want in my size.

I have picked up some Puma tanks for working out as well as a Puma soccer shirt.  The soccer shirt was for men but thankfully a size small fit me perfectly.  I may need more workout pants as well.  I’m waiting for the next great sale at the Outlet store so I can be set for summer workouts. 

Finally, one of the latest shoes I bought were for my daughter. She had seen the Rudolf Dassler ballerina flats in the main Puma store. I broke down and purchased them at the Outlet when she got A+’s on her math tests. I have never owned a pair of Puma flats or ballerinas before. They really aren’t my style but when I slipped those shoes on to test them out – wow. Total comfort.  The padding is amazing and the front part of the shoe doesn’t cut off at my toes.  Well done Dassler/Puma – well done.

For the summer I’m looking forward to saving up for another pair of Discs, suedes, and buying a special pair from Japan. The leapord print came and went from Japan and it made me sad. I keep wishing I could find a pair but I’ve looked online numerous times and they just aren’t available.

What are you looking to purchase this summer?  Any special styles?

written by PumaLover \\ tags: first round, fitness, mobium, puma shoes, rudolf dassler, running shoes, running sneakers, Shoes

A couple of years ago I opened this big box and what to my wondering eyes did appear?  Black fuzzy Puma boots! I didn’t even know at that time that Puma made boots. Now they are pretty common and Puma is always releasing new styles. I’ve seen a few at the Outlets but they haven’t interested me that much. They were shorter and shorter boots on me make me look stumpy. These boots are pretty! The fuzziness is terribly cute and they look fantastic. I almost always get compliments on them when I wear them.

There are a few downsides to these boots. 

•  The calf opening is small. When I first tried them on I was sure I was going to have to return them. I have thick calves. Thankfully they are lace up boots (my usual choice) and I can unlace them enough to get them zipped up! It is tough over some jeans though. It takes work. I often break a sweat (no lie!). But I shove my calves in there and they look ok.
•  They aren’t warm. They look warm. They feel like they will be but they really aren’t.  At least not in super cold weather. I can wear them for my winters though because it truly doesn’t get that cold here in Virginia. I think some of their newer styles are created more for warmth than just style.
•  The comfort level is somewhat low. Again, it could be that I have to shove these on my legs but my feet do hurt after wearing these for a couple of hours. I don’t wear them that often so it isn’t like they are worn out. They don’t have the orth-lite soles. I suppose I could replace the insoles and maybe that would help but it isn’t a big deal considering I’m never wearing them all day long.

Overall these are great boots.  I feel like they won’t ever go out of style and will always look cute! Plus my daughter’s legs are so skinny that she can’t even borrow them so no worries there. I would like to get another pair of Puma boots. Perhaps next year I’ll look for boots instead of using my cash on sneakers. Maybe.

written by PumaLover \\ tags: Puma boots, puma shoes, Pumas

Yesterday I had the day off of work so I decided to spend some time in Harper’s Ferry, WV. Harper’s Ferry is a landmark of the Civil War and much of the city is original. There are trails for  hiking all over the place and even the Appalachian Trail runs right by it. I parked and proceeded to walk over to the town but saw a sign for the Maryland Heights trail. I figured I would just  go ahead and do that trail even though I hadn’t researched it. That’s probably a good thing as I probably wouldn’t have hiked it. Once I start down a path I tend to finish that path regardless of what lays ahead. I kept climbing higher and higher and realized I was not in ‘hiking’ shape. I’m tough though and kept going.

I had put on my Faas 550s mostly because they matched my Puma capri’s and my 1/4 Zip-up Running Hoodie. They are super comfortable but have had a lot of miles put on them. They don’t grip rocks anymore so I had to be careful not to slip in some areas. When I left my house it was sunny and promised to be a beautiful day but by the time I reached the trail it had grown cloudy and windy. I was worried about being cold as I only had a tank top on under my hoodie. I bought the hoodie in Puerto Rico last November and it is not a warm piece of clothing. It is not designed to keep you warm – unless – you happen to be out moving. The material is not thick but it does shield you from the wind. Also, as you move, it warms you up. It was actually the perfect piece of clothing for the hike. I think a traditional sweatshirt would have just made me sweat and something heavier would have been too hot.

So up I climbed. At one point I had to make a decision if I’d go on the longer hike or the shorter one. I did pick the shorter one because I was hiking alone. I didn’t want to chance being 3 miles out and having a problem. It was a good choice. The end of this trail leads to the Cliffs as they are called. The rocks jut out from the mountain and you have a perfect view of Harper’s Ferry. The trees were still in full color and although it was overcast the town still looked amazing. I was lucky someone offered to take my photo.

I can honestly say that this morning as I write this, my feet do not hurt. My knees ached last night but feel good today. The Faas 550s came through for me once again. They are great shoes and really keep my feet from hurting. I worked up a sweat and wasn’t overly cold due to the hoodie. I have to say that although it sounds cheesy this is why I like Pumas gear. I can look cute (really – don’t I look cute?), be comfortable, and still have high-tech gear that works for me while I’m hiking. Thanks Puma!!

written by PumaLover \\ tags: Harpers Ferry, Hiking, Maryland Heights, Puma gear, puma shoes, Sneakers, Trails, West Virginia

Happy Birthday to me!

Turning 41 isn’t exactly my idea of a fantastic birthday. I don’t like to think of myself as 41. I don’t feel 41. I don’t really think I look 41. But I’ve come to accept it. Kind of.

Anyway…. I decided to buy myself some Pumas. Big surprise, right? I had found these Pearls on Amazon.com a long time ago. I saw them and wanted them. I love the color, the design on in the insole, and thought they were unique. It wasn’t too long ago though that Puma had announced their Puma Factory. I really want to design my own and order those so I was debating on which direction I should take. Some Puma friends said make my own. Others said to order the Pearls. I finally, obviously, decided on the Pearls. I’ll make my own Pumas soon. Now I just need to find the right shirt/clothes to wear with this mint green color.

written by PumaLover \\ tags: fashion, Forever Fresh, Puma Clyde, Puma Pearl, puma shoes, Shoes, Sneakerhead, Sneakers

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

Recently Puma announced a ‘Traveling Pumas’ contest on Instagram. You post your photos of yourself in Pumas and mark the location and Puma picks a winner each week. I’m pleased to say I won last week. I had taken my kids to the Big Apple Circus – which is my favorite circus – and I chose to wear my Skylaa Hi’s I love these shoes. LOVE THEM. I think they are unique and different than what most women are wearing for sneakers. I was a little worried because it had rained most of the day but I was careful to avoid the puddles and dirt. As soon as we got there, I told my kids to wait up because I needed a photo. I showed my daughter the finished picture and told her, “This is so going to win!” I guess I was right.

I really appreciate Puma picking my photo. I actually had planned on bringing Pumas to work and going to DC to take some photos on the mall. I never got the opportunity because I had been sick and then in pain since I’m suffering from iliotibial band syndrome (yes that’s a thing). So I’m pleased as punch that Puma liked this photo. Funny enough the people at Puma thought they were the Undefeated Microdots. I had wanted those shoes. A lot. However, they weren’t made for women nor did they start at a Unisex size that fit me. That’s why I snatched these Hi’s up as soon as I saw them on Puma’s site.

Thank you to Puma for choosing me. I told about a hundred people (3) Friday evening when I saw the notification. I hope I always do a good job of representing the brand I love and wear.

See the rest of my Instagram shots that include a lot of Pumas.

written by PumaLover \\ tags: puma shoes, puma snea, Puma sneakers, skylaa, sneaker collections, Traveling Pumas

Couples who collect Pumas together – stay together! That is a new one, right? Well Kenny & Cici are testing that theory and aim to make it happen.

I never thought that Instagram would be where I found my community of Puma collectors. Sure, I have found a few enthusiasts on Twitter, but, it seems that the main collectors love sharing their photos on Instagram and it has been so fun connecting with them (like Mr. Jones who I featured last month). I “met” Kenny and Cici via Instagram and have so enjoyed getting to know their style. In fact, their wedding is coming up in March of ’13 and Puma will be featured prominently!

Clearly, I wanted to know – what came first? The love of Pumas or relationship? Cici answered, “When we started hanging out I (Cici) noticed that Kenny had a pair of beat up red suedes. I was taken back because Suedes were always my favorite sneakers and I hadn’t seen a pair in a long time, since they were always difficult to find. I, at the time, had a pair of really beat up light blue ones. As we started dating seriously are search for Suedes also became more serious. So I would say the Puma connection and the love came simultaneously.”  

But why Pumas? Why the Suedes?

Cici: First off, they are mad comfortable. Also, with the Suedes, I like the classic, old-school style to them; they remind me of my youth. When I was in high school I had a navy pair, and then a forest green pair in college. Looking back, I wish I still had them.
Kenny: First off, why not Puma. When I was younger I was always a fan of Jordans and shell toe Adidas. Then I got my first pair of navy Suedes and I fell in love. I then had to get the black, red and green. Those were the simple days when I only owned one at a time. They are extremely comfortable and like Cici said, they remind me of my youth, my love for sneakers and hip hop.

If you flip through the slideshow at the top of the page, you will see that the Suedes are Cici & Kenny’s choice of Puma. While they are “exploring the Ligas and Clydes” they say that they always return to the Suedes.  As I found out about how they collect their Suedes I was touched by their story of sacrifice. Ok, so sacrifice might be a strong word choice but you’ll see what I mean as you read their rule of collecting.  Their rule: “We own 60 each. We have a rule that one of us cannot have a pair that the other does not have. With this rule it makes it harder to collect older pairs because sometimes we can’t find both of our sizes. We have this rule to keep away jealousy. Because of this rule we were unable to buy the Made In Japan Suedes that we both really wanted, or the Yo! MTV Rap suedes on Ebay.”  Sometimes in relationships you do need to give something up for the person you love and in this case, the sacrafice might be the coolest looking Pumas ever like the Eco Tonal Pack. 

Kenny and Cici of course have favorites and shoes they would like to own.

Kenny: “There are many. Yo! MTV Raps, the Made in Japan, a couple of the Crooked Tongue, Ron English. I like a lot of the collaborations. I also really want the all blue pair from the Eco Tonal Pack; we have every color but that one, but I can’t find my size. Because of our rule, we have difficulty finding these shoes and sometimes we can find one size but not the other. For example we just ordered what we thought were the all blue pair. When it was delivered they had Cici’s size, but they sent the wrong sneaker in my size. Turns out they didn’t have my size, so we sent both sneakers back. Cici gave up a pair just because I couldn’t get it. If that ain’t love I don’t know what is. I would do the same for her.
Cici: I want all of them - every suede ever made. (So does Kenny). My dream pair, however, is the Jamaica suedes. I’ve seen them, but could never find them.

In searching for their Suedes, they said “We usually buy on the Puma site, or go to the Puma stores in NYC, or the outlets out here in Long Island. We recently discovered Zappos has a pretty decent selection. Actually through the Instagram Puma community we are slowly discovering more and more websites for shopping which has been pretty awesome. Even through your purapuma website we discovered one or two more sites (yes!).”

As I mentioned above, Kenny and Cici will be having a Puma-themed wedding. The main photo is their Save the Date card (so cute!) and they will be featuring Puma sneakers on their wedding cake. In fact, Cici says they have special ones just for the wedding. She continued, “I won’t let Kenny wear them before that day and I won’t wear mine either. It’s a pair of Medieval Grey/Vivid Blue Suedes. I want them to be nice and clean for our wedding day. We bought the bridal party brown suedes to wear after the ceremony (it’s a beach wedding in Key West, so we want them to be barefoot for the ceremony). And I got the bridesmaids Puma Track jackets and Puma gym sacks as gifts.”  The wedding will truly be a celebration of love and Pumas.

I wanted to get their opinion on the availability of Pumas in the United States.  Being a part of Instagram means we get to see styles and designs from all over the world and sometimes those are difficult to find here.  They said, “We don’t understand why they are so difficult to find here. I remember a time when you could go to a couple of stores and find Suedes without a problem. Journey’s and Athlete’s Foot were the go-to stores back in the day. Now all they have are the “fancier, newer” Pumas. Not that there is anything wrong with those, we just like the classic Suedes and wish they were easier to find. We talk all the time about going to Europe for the sole purpose of shopping for sneakers; we dream of visiting the factory in Germany. We’re hoping that with the growth of the Instagram community and with sites like yours, that Puma will start to realize that there is a pretty solid following here in the US and they will continue to grow their brand here as well. Maybe start getting as big as Nike and Adidas.” I see we have the same shopping dream and, I, like them, also hope that there will be an expansion of styles that are available to the consumer without special ordering or trying to track them down. I do have to admit that I feel a bit of jealousy towards Cici. I had asked her if it was difficult to find Suedes to fit but because she wears a man’s size that is above a size 7 she doesn’t have the same issue as me. Lucky gal!

I wish Cici and Kenny the best in their up-coming wedding and definitely cannot wait to see photos of the cakes, bridal party in Suedes, and more! Be sure to check them out on Instagram - they do post more than shoes and their photos are always creative and fun!

@Cici13 and @Kenny31313

written by PumaLover \\ tags: Clydes, Instagram, puma fashion, Puma ligas, puma shoes, Puma sneakers, Puma suedes

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

We all have those one pair of sneakers that stay in our closet. They might be dirty, worn out, and just aren’t a pair of shoes you’d pick to wear. They aren’t fresh looking nor pretty anymore. But there they are. The pair pictured here are old. I purchased them from Nordstroms in 2005 when I was pregnant with my son. I was HUGE with him and honestly, bending over to tie shoes wasn’t easy. I was in the store, saw these, and was hooked. I could slip them on and off and they were comfortable.

These shoes have more hours and miles in them than any other pair of shoe I’ve ever owned. Why? They were perfect for dancing. After wearing them for about a year, the sole had worn down just enough to be perfect for dance floors. Puma may not realize it but many dancers wear their shoes. Shoes like this style seem to have the perfect combination of grip and slide. You won’t get stuck while doing a 3-turn spin yet you won’t slide either. I wore these for practice, nights out, performances, etc. When they were dirty, I threw them in the washer and let them air dry. They would turn white again. Eventually, though, the Velcro ceased to stick. I would constantly have to re-attach them. The padding was the next to go. And eventually, they stopped turning white even though I’d wash them.

I have retired the shoes. They sit in my closet under the bottom shelf. I’ll never throw them away. Probably. They hold a lot of memories from a time in my life when dance was incredibly important to me. In fact, you can enjoy the shoes in action in this video from way back.

written by PumaLover \\ tags: dancing in pumas, dancing sneakers, puma shoes, Puma sneakers, salsa casino, salsa dancing, salsa rueda, salsa shoes, shoes for dancing, team puma, velcro sneakers