The Los Angeles-based designer Rozae Nichols — known for her fabrics, layering and visual design language derived from her time working in Hong Kong and Paris — is heading to the Ugg Australia Company to design a small capsule collection of outwear. The design match is perfect, as she showed a deft, advant gard hand with shearling in her own Fall 2008 collection. The Ugg collection will consist of 14 pieces ranging in price from approximately $595 for a suede pullover to $2,300 for a full-length shearling coat. The collection has been described as a utilitarian chic point of view, keeping the authentic feel of the brand but bringing a true fashion prospective to a traditional shoe company. There is talk of the brand expanding to accessories. We can only hope, no?

But until then you can check our Zappos.com's large selection of all this Uggs and shop to you drop.

A big issue when buying women’s shoes is comfort. Women who love heels but cry when the day’s over know what I’m talking about – blisters, cuts and aching feet are no fun.

Thankfully, lots of designers are thinking more and more about comfort when designers. Not Marc Jacobs (I don’t even want to try to walk in those reverse high heels), but, for example, Donald J. Pliner. At the WSA in Las Vegas this past weekend, I got to preview his collection for spring 2008. He used flexible materials such as mesh elastic along with regularly used materials, like leather or patent leather, to help make shoes more comfortable to walk in and prevent cuts. He also employed a great technology in some of his shoes – liquid resistance! I’ll have to pick up a metallic pair in a liquid-resistant fabric for going to the clubs. Great idea! Look for these shoes to be sold on Zappos.com this spring.