It's fairly common these days to make shopping excursions to other cities in Europe or further abroad and Florence certainly is no exception. With bargain flights and great value Florence apartments to first be snapped up, the budget is then left open to splash out. Florence, being the shoe capital of the world thanks to hundreds of years perfecting the skill, is the best bet for those on a shoe mission. So here's the shortlist for where to put your feet first in Florence.

Renowned American painter Arshile Gorky (1904-1948) was an innovative artist who added new dimensions to the conventional art scene. His creative career can be divided into various phases and styles. Arshile sequentially adopted 'Impressionism,' 'Post-impressionism,' and 'Cubism,' before eventually venturing into 'Surrealism.' His adroit creativity and fertile imagination made his art the most consequential inspiration for 'Abstract Expressionism.' Gorky's masterwork, "The Artist and His Mother" is considered one of the most powerfully emotional works ever produced.

By the end of World War II fashionable women all over the globe were hungering for a touch of romance, and whimsy in couture. The Great Depression and the war years had seriously crimped the ability of clothing designers to produce clothes that were much more than functional. Look at any Hollywood movie of the period and you will notice that the suits and dresses that actresses wore were almost masculine in cut and style. After World War II, and the deprivations that populations had been forced to endure, women wanted a more feminine, flattering style of dressing. This gave rise to the great age of French designers and the ascent of haute couture houses.

Spring is almost here and that means that the latest lines in skate shoes and clothing will soon be available in the shops. This season should be a very interesting time as many fashion labels have been forced to limit the number of different lines and products they are producing to cut back on costs. DC skate shoes are one of my favourite skate clothes brands so I will soon be heading down to my local shoe shop to try on some of the new Spring range which looks set to be a hit.

Designer Rick London's hip Keds "Champion" funky shoes series allow you to proclaim your love by jumping in feet first. His savvy and yes sexy famous love quotes shoes for woman are the perfect romantic gift for any occasion. Rick carefully chooses from the great romantic poets and writers for the most powerful declarations of love. From Rumi to Emerson and Dickinson to Buddha every woman will be walking on cloud 9 in any of the over 100 unique design styles. They are the only footwear featuring famous love quotations made by any designer.

The Air Jordan shoe is an iconic brand and arguably more famous than Nike, within certain aspects. This is of course due to several factors. One is its endorsement by its namesake Michael Jordan. The other is that it is shoe brand that constantly improves upon its design to make an amazing shoe even more fantastic. This makes this the shoe for many professional and college level basketball teams. The final factor is that they are the only shoe line that is treated as the recognized source of collector's items.