It's finally time to cast our mind's back over the past year, and the wonderful designer footwear we've seen on our screens, shop shelves and (if we're particularly lucky) our own feet.
Picking a selection from a year when designers have fallen over each other to bring out ever more extreme and jaw-dropping styles was not an easy job, so I've focused on some of the themes that have stood out strongest over the past twelve months: studs, animal print, geometric design and big wedges. Let us know your personal favourite in the poll below!
Good old Marc Jacobs never does things by halves, and where most designers going for the nautical look would settle for an anchor motif or a bit of gold piping, our Marc has opted to make his entire shoe look like the boat. Sweet!
Finished off with a substantial heel and monogrammed bow, the shoes will ensure you sail through life in style.
Aruna Seth's 'Farfella' became an instant classic when it was launched to a bedazzled public two years ago. The sparkling butterfly and concealed platform giving just enough height and sparkle for the wearer to feel like a princess the moment she steps into her shoes.
This new variation on the shoe, which features fuchsia satin and the brand's signature Swarovski crystal butterly, is guaranteed to make the only statement your outfit will need. Also available in black satin, ivory satin, it's soon to be arriving in glam gold leather and shimmering silver leather. Wow!
Christmas is wish season really, isn't it? Even when we know with full certainty that our partners/parents/best mates are planning on buying us a pair of socks or some costume jewellery from Accessorize again this year, we all secretly harbour that hope that one of them might have had a secret windfall, and already in dialogue with our favourite designer.
Or perhaps not. But if I could ask Santa for something really special this Christmas, it would probably look a lot like the above. Givenchy's studded ankle boots are a triumph of footwear design, and the star-shaped clusters of studs give them a winter wonderland appeal that renders the price point even more ludicrous. But for that brief period when snowflake shapes and sparkles are 'the thing', how brightly they would shine...
At first glance, these decadent Nina Ricci heels appear to have been caught in an ice storm, their heels freezing over into gigantic icicles. But on closer inspection they reveal a theme even more festive and seasonal: they're decorated with two turtle doves whose wings overhang the back and sides of the heel. Wow.
Much as I love a shoe boot, I can't help feeling a little disappointed that Ms. Ricci didn't opt to plant these gorgeous statement heels on the bottom of a slightly more elegant shoe: perhaps a delicate little D'orsay or classic court. But worn against an identical black background of thick tights, I can see how these close-fitting boots will create the most incredible, gravity defying effect. For once in my life, I wish the website I found them on did model shots!
What's this...Net-a-Porter now has a toy section? Preposterous! But perhaps, deep down somewhere in your psyche, you still long for the feeling of the plastic wrap crunching beneath your fingers as you pull your newest Barbie doll out into the world...right?
A new fashion doll was always the highlight of my Christmas (much to my mother's dismay) so I've got to admit to a certain excitement at seeing these pictures of the Louboutin Barbie - an ultra limited edition doll that has a shoe rack to die for featuring some of Christian's most iconic designs...
'Cat burglar Barbie' will have you coming over all Cinderella, as you wish you could squeeze your feet into her miniature collection of just-about-recognisable Louboutins, each item carefully stored in its scaled-down box. Sadly, their (£100) flame-haired owner is currently out of stock, but we're keeping our fingers crossed for another shipment before Christmas.
Feud London is the brand to go to if you're a little partial to a pair of Irregular Choice shoes, but they don't quite fit in with your 'adult' wardrobe.
The range includes funky high heels with gorgeous patterns, and the styles are quirky without being too over the top or twee.
We've been given a bit of a sneak peak of their Spring/Summer 2010 range, and I'm already adding a few pairs, including these "Betty Boo" shoes (£120) to my wishlist. I particularly love the cut out heart detail on the toe.
It's finally time to cast our mind's back over the past year, and the wonderful designer footwear we've seen on our screens, shop shelves and (if we're particularly lucky) our own feet. 
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