appointment for a pedicure.

For Spring/Summer `99 promises plenty of open footwear that is perfect for displaying immaculately polished toes.

And Sandra Adams of Voila, on Front Street, said unusual shaped heels will be all the rage for Spring/Summer `99.

"The kidney heel is very big in Europe right now,'' she said. "And there are a lot of asymmetrical heels.'' Mrs. Adams pointed out that footwear was returning to feminine shapes and styles, moving away from the heavy platform shapes so popular over the last few years.

"Ankle straps are back in style,'' she said. "Femininity is back, there are a lot of strappy shoes with heels.'' And she said that silver and gold will be the hot colours in footwear this summer.

"The metallics are hot,'' she added. "There is a lot of silver and gold in mesh. The mesh has a very airy feel to them.

"Bermudians don't like thick white shoes, so the metallics replace them.'' Other fashionable trends in footwear include rhinestones, vinyl and transparency fabrics and butterfly adornment.

"One style we had with little butterflies on them has sold out already, we had to reorder them,'' she said. "The butterflies are very popular, they appeal to someone who has a free nature.'' Sharmaine Thompson of Trends on Reid Street echoed Mrs. Adams stance that butterflies have taken flight as a hot look in footwear this year.

"Butterflies and dragon flies are quite popular,'' she said. "That whole look is really in now.'' "And shoes with a bamboo insole, which have an Oriental look and feel, are also selling well.'' And she said that thongs -- sandals with a single leather piece between the first two toes -- were all the rage for 1999.

When it came to colour, Ms Thompson said that local women tended to play it safe, preferring footwear in black and shades of brown.

But she said that she had also noticed that metallic colours were making inroads.

"Silver grey is doing very well, we had a style in that flew out of here,'' she said. "A lot of people said that they had light grey clothing and that the silver grey shoes matched them perfectly.

"But we do have some fun colours in like beach slides in lime green.''