This summer has been a roller-coaster ride for the Croc-hater. Earlier, the Boulder-based company rolled out a new, unfortunate style that looks like Espadrilles mated with ballet slippers. We thought that, yes, finally, this was surely to be the shoe's death-spiral, and perhaps the final summer of the Croc. Well, good news and bad.

Alexander McQueen’s partnership with Puma is unleashing a wild (and wildly priced) shoe slated for sale in late August. The Puma AMQ line has most recently created a chocolate-brown crocodile leather kick that manages to combine urban style (note the high-top build) with high fashion -- plus a little bit of a jungle vibe mixed in. "There is a part of me that is very couture, and a part of me that is very street," the designer explains. A street sneaker that doubles as a dress shoe made from gator hide. Why didn't I think of that? Although the three-grand price tag may seem hard to swallow, the shoes come in a handmade wooden shoebox with a complimentary pair of crocodile leather flip-flops. If you plan on getting your claws on a pair of these, act fast, as only 28 pairs will be distributed in the United States.

Lazy? Can't be bothered with laces? Creaky back? Have we got the sneaker for you. Right as Vans rolls out its new line, Converse counters with a new slip-on. It looks exactly like the classic low-top Chuck T's -- same design, lace grommets, etc.-- except, well, it's a slip-on. No laces! If they're good enough for button-nosed model Heidi Klum (Mrs. Schatz was sporting them recently in Los Angeles), they're good enough for me.

Vans have come a long way since the days of Jeff Spicoli pulling bong hits and slapping his noggin with the classic checked slip-on. They've branched out to all sorts of designs, fabrics, and styles, and they've bridged the overlooked culture gap between skate rats and head-bangers. All this generates annual fall lines that get Vans aficionados frothing at the mouth. Now get ready for fall 2008 kicks, which include two-tone corduroy lace-ups in muted colors, as well as sweet-ass Iron Maiden high-top-style classic Sk8-Hi, featuring the group's album cover artwork from its 1983 album Piece of Mind. My fave? The Johnny Ramone slip-ons.

Leave it to a Canadian to create the topless flip-flop. Everything they do is quieter, cleaner, and just more simple. Now, one crafty Ottawa entrepreneur has set her sights on improving the basic summertime footwear staple -- the flip-flop -- and has invented a flip-flop-style sandal without the flip-flop thongs. The new topless sandals simulate walking barefoot, but with a comfy protective rubber sole. Just imagine, says creator Keri Oakley Lavier, "No more tan lines ... no more blisters ... nothing between your toes!" But wait, there's video!

Milan, you saucy little thing, you silly fashion gender bender. Fashion week wrapped with Silvia Fendi pitching platform wedge shoes for men. Why not go all the way with a nice heel or stiletto?

They're back! Crocs! Just when you thought it was safe to step outside, those Colorado hippies have rolled out another fashion footwear assault. Sure, this time it's not molded rubber kid-killers, but it's still bad. The new shoe is called the "Santa Cruz." The upside is that these kicks are made from far more naturalistic canvas fiber. The downside? They look like a sick pair of Espadrilles mated with droopy ballet slippers. And why canvas slip-ons are named "Santa Cruz" is anyone's guess.