Hot to trot this summer

The words of the Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw highlight the important place shoes have in the lives of women: "Love may be gone, but shoes will stay." Creative combinations of leather and wood, straw plaiting, wedge soles, crystal decorations on the heels, rivets and colors both flamboyant and gouache, have become the most eye-catching features of this summer's trends, according to Chen Si, a fashion editor of Cosmopolitan. In addition, sandals that incorporate rock and sports elements or suggest a Lolita look continue to be popular. Chen recommends five summer shoes.