We have lots of exciting news to announce this week. I’ll get into more of it tomorrow but for now, there’s this. We’ve partnered with Star 94.1FM in San Diego to bring you Shoesday Tuesday, which starts today. Every Tuesday for the next several weeks, you can win a $100 Shoe Metro Gift Card by listening into Star 94.1FM. Of course, the big kick for us is just hearing ourselves on the radio. Tune in and check it out!

Everyone at Shoe Metro has caught the March Madness fever as we’ve seen our SDSU Aztecs reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament! Congratulations and good luck out there today against Connecticut! We’re rooting for you!

We’re sending our congratulations to UFC fighter, Cain Velasquez. Velasquez just beat Brock Lesnar on Saturday, becoming the new UFC Heavyweight Champion. Velasquez is sponsored by Lugz, which makes rugged, durable streetwear like the popular Lugz Matrix boots. Congrats on a great fight!

I forgot to mention that because our 1 Year Anniversary Sale went so well, we’re extending our Anniversary Sale until the end of the month. Get 20% OFF your purchase at our retail store. You can also check out our clearance section for shoes as low as $5.99. And don’t forget that we’re open every Saturday now. Check out the flyer below for details! =)

I just read a very interesting article about the origins of everyone’s favorite wardrobe staple, blue jeans.

Paintings from an anonymous 17th-century Italian artist have just turned up featuring a blue fabric that very much resembles classic blue jeans. This anonymous artist has been dubbed “The Master of the Blue Jeans” for his recurring use of blue jeans in his paintings. The paintings would date the existence of blue jeans as far back as 1655 when the paintings were created.

Before now, there had only been shaky evidence that jeans go back to the mid-17th century. Historians had traced the origins of jeans back to either the French city of Nimes (“de Nimes” becomes “denim”) or Genoa, Italy (“Genoa” is “Genes” in French, which becomes “jeans”). Now there is more concrete proof for the latter.

Check out the rest of this fascinating article here.

Blogger Marisa Lynch has been making a huge splash with her blog, New Dress A Day. The idea is that she would put her amazing powers of thrift-store shopping and sewing magic to use, making a new dress each day out of hideous thrift store finds.

Each post starts with a “Before” shot of Marisa in her ugly thrift apparel. She then walks us through her process of cutting, stitching, and sewing before she unveils another fabulous new dress in the “After” shot.

Already on Day 267, Marisa has thus far only spent $266 on materials. It’s a great testament to Do-It-Yourself fashion and fashionistas.

A Spanish label, Loewe, will release this bag below: basically, a leather version of what we all know as paper grocery bags from the supermarket. The idea is that handbags have become too flashy and in the climate of an economic recession, flashy doesn’t look good. This is Loewe’s attempt to strip down bags to pure simplicity and practicality. Hence this:

I don’t know. Yeah, it makes sense that we’d revert back to minimalism in the midst of a recession. But this is only reflecting the reality of our economy in style. This leather grocery bag lookalike will still go for $1,045. It seems just a little bit bizarre, right?

What do you think? Would you buy one of Loewe’s luxury leather grocery bags, if money weren’t an issue?

I just read a story the other day in the Daily Mail about how flip-flop sandals might be hazardous. It definitely makes me re-think my summer attire just a bit. But it’s a good thing we’re moving into Fall fashions soon. Here are some pertinent grabs from the article, which you can read in full here:

“More than 200,000 people visit their GP or even end up in hospital every year after suffering falls or developing long-term problems …

But experts are warning of the dangers of prolonged use, such as the risk of shin splints and joint pains.

They say flip-flops force people to change the way they walk so that when taking a stride they put pressure on the outside of their foot, rather than their heel, causing long-term damage.

And there is also the risk of serious injury from tripping over.

Frequent complaints include twisted ankles, but some have broken their arms or wrists after falling because their flip-flops caught on uneven ground.”

What do you think? Will you be wearing flip-flops less now?

I read about this in the New York Times the other day. There’s a small movement of people around the country who are going on “shopping diets.” Apparently, the current recession have made them realize how out-of-control their spending habits are. Centered around a website called Six Items or Less, they’ve committed to wearing only six pieces of clothing (not including underwear and shoes, of course) for an entire month.

So the question is: could you survive on only six items for a month?

Wow, London really loves their vending machines. This is the second vending machine we’ve heard about that sells shoes. And they’re both located in London.

The first vending machine we heard about sold running shoes and sneakers. This one, from a company called Afterheels, sells comfortable ballet flats aimed at the club-going crowd. The idea is that if a woman is out dancing all night in her fancy heels, her feet will start to hurt badly. Afterheels flats will allow that woman a chance to change into something much more comfortable. On top of that, the flats come with a small duffel bag to store her original pair of heels..

A pair of Afterheels flats goes for roughly $10 USD. Both the flats and the duffel bag are made from recyclable materials. The flats are waterproof and offer great protection from typical club hazards such as broken glass. They also come in a variety of colors.