Wet Wednesday in NYC

London girls responded to last weekend's cooler temperatures with slouchy summer boots, but when I arrived in NYC on Wednesday to hot New York August rain I found that Manhattan ladies had taken the boots trend a step further – wellingtons.

They were in every colour, pattern and label. Who knew the sexy lingerie label Victoria's Secret also make pink rubber boots (above)?

Hunter Boot Ltd have been manufacturing wellies for 150 years. They provided boots for the British Army, notably for soldiers to wear in the flooded trenches of World War I, and have Royal Warrants from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Now Hunters come in rainbow hues, including magenta (above). I particularly like the space age silver ones below.

More designer labels: these very chic green wellies by Marc Jacobs (above) and the ever-popular Burberry check (below).

There were also plenty of classic black wellies. The girl below said hers were actually kids' size.

These shiny rubber boots (above) are from Strawberry – and brand new. I like the cowboy shape below (''I forget where I bought them, it was online.'')

Sitting out the damp in Union Square: Air Wair Doc Martens.

Cool summer

It's still August, but summer in London is already blowing hot and cold, and on Saturday afternoon in Chelsea it was definitely more – well, if not exactly cold, then certainly rather cool. The coolest girls on the Kings Road had ditched the flipflops and gladiators in favour of summer boots. When I asked the American twins above where they got their funky footgear, they replied, "Follow us!" – destination All Saints. The girl outside the Saatchi Gallery (below) was rocking "last season's Massimo Dutti", in beautiful black ponyskin.

Below: these lace-up platform ankle boots are from Urban Outfitters. I love the combination of bold shapes and colours and the flash of (a single) ankle.

A cool summer is not limited to London, mind you. I was in Dublin recently and spotted these gorgeous tan leather ankle boots with cut-out patterns (below). Their owner was from Barcelona, so sadly these won't be available in my high street any time soon.

One more pic from Dublin earlier in the summer: the trend for distressed boots hasn't been front-page fashion news, but there's a lot of it on the streets. I think these (below) were River Island. A (very) early homage to Tom Hardy in Mad Max IV? Or preview of recession-dressing to come? We shall have to wait and see...

Between Spain and SW1

There comes a time of the year when my thoughts turn to loafers – driving shoes, docksiders, topsiders, deck shoes, whatever. Moccasins. The weather is getting a tad cool for full-foot exposure but sneakers are too much and ballerinas just don't have the arch support. With a couple of transatlantic trips lined up and autumn approaching, I anticipate chilly economy-class cabins, long delays in Immigration, and lots of standing around waiting for flights to be called. I crave comfort- (as opposed to just comfortable) footwear. Moccasins. My favourite place to buy moccasins is in the Saturday morning market at Puerto Banus on the Costa del Sol (above). They're made in light leather, come in dozens of unexpected colours, and cost about ten euro a pop. Recently I found myself loafer-less, thanks to a series of unfortunate events (two pairs succumbed to a bad storage decision and mildew: a third pair were eaten by a puppy named Lola). And thanks to the unreasonable demands of the day job I haven't been able to fit in a flit to Andalucia. So it was time to pay a visit to London's slip-on shoe centre: Blue Velvet on the King's Road.

Blue Velvet (above) stocks smart flat shoes and boots. I am sure there are a few heels in there, but they're not front and centre. Fashion-forward this place aint, but what it is is insanely popular with the Sloane Square ladies who lunch and their daughters who (quite clearly) don't – witness the crowds there this particular August Saturday afternoon.

A few weeks ago I had earmarked a pair of moccasins in teal-blue patent leather. So, it transpired, had the lady trying on next to me. And we wanted the same size. Things could have got a bit unseemly but luckily Blue Velvet knows its clientele very well. It actually lists on the website how many of any particular pair of shoes are in stock. This evening there is one less of the blue leather moccasins number CM24. My feet are feeling very loved-up.

Introducing ShoeHorn

People have asked why gentlemen's shoes have not so far had a look-in on ShoeClub. The answer is very simple: they tend, unfortunately, to be boring. However, being an equal opportunity shoe-lover, I am happy to finally remedy this situation. As it happens, Mr ShoeBlogger (or as his mother calls him, ShoeHorn) has a bit of a rep for fancy footwear. This morning, heading off for a day watching the Test Match at the Oval, he unveiled these rather splendid box-fresh patchwork camouflage Converse All Stars. They are way cool. Sadly they don't seem to come in girls' sizes – now that's definitely not cricket.

Peachfrog finds

One more Williamsburg discovery to share from my visit to Brooklyn: Peachfrog is a designer discount boutique at 136 North 10th Street, between Bedford and Berry. A cool but welcoming space in a former spring-roll factory, Peachfrog stocks designer names at 70 to 90% off retail prices (the name comes from a Chinese talisman for financial good luck). The staff are friendly, and their selection of fashion and homeware is great. I restricted myself to one pair of blue leather high-heeled Harajuku Lovers Kasi platform espadrilles, originally $90 but less than half that here. They're perfect for lounging on a Chinese lily-pad, preferably sipping a peach martini...

Second-hand score

I'm not always a second-hand shoes fan, but once in a while you do come across something very special (and clean). Combing through the racks at Beacon's Closet in Booklyn on Friday I found them: black patent platform slingbacks by Tara Subkoff for Easy Spirit. For the uninitiated, here's Wikipedia: ''Tara Subkoff was co-founder of the clothing line Imitation Of Christ, which remade old clothes into new works of fashion. Chloë Sevigny was creative director and Scarlett Johansson walked the runway in Subkoff's designs. Subkoff also collaborated with shoe company Easy Spirit. In the spring 2003 IOC show, topless models in very abbreviated shorts pranced around while pushing shiny vacuum cleaners: very David LaChapelle meets Vanessa Beecroft. In 2009, Subkoff was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor that threatened to become fatal within two years. The tumor was successfully removed, and Subkoff recovered.'' She is launching a new label, called Imitation. And these slingbacks are a delight. Not least because of the price: originally $430, at Beacon's Closet they set me back $29.95.