Puma Mostro Suede

Island hopping...

Anyone remember the recent sci-fi flick, 'The Island'? The plot went something like this: a rogue biomedical corporation cultivates living human clones on an isolated colony, so that their wealthy clients could be guaranteed an exact matching source for their organs when needed. The hapless clones are brainwashed into thinking that they are the only survivors of a global contamination, and are also taught to believe that they can occasionally win a lottery to the "Island", the last uncontaminated place on earth. The lottery ploy was nothing but to lure the clones to a different area of the facility, where they are killed for taking out their organs. Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) finds out the true story behind their existence, and hatches a plan to escape with fellow resident Jordan Two Delta (Played by a very hot Scarlett Johansson).

By now, I'm sure that you must be wondering if you've come to the right place; after all this is a shoe review and not a story about desperate clones and their girlfriends, right? Well, I liked 'The Island' because I am a big fan of Ewan McGregor (a superb actor), and Scarlett Johansson, who is, uh...never mind. And if you have the DVD lying around at home, watch the movie again. Because, if you notice closely (and you would have to take your eyes off Scarlett for a minute...), you'll see that the clones were certainly living it up in style. Lots of it, for everyone was wearing a pair of white leather Puma Mostros! Flashback to the first scene, where Lincoln Six Echo (McGregor) is getting ready for the day. His wardrobe drawers slide open, and voila! - four pairs of pristine white Puma Mostros on a platter. He notices that one of his left shoes is missing so he stares into the small wall camera and says to the control room - "I'm missing a left shoe. And when you get a chance, I'd like another color."

Jeez. A very attractive Scarlett Johansson by his side, and four - sorry, three and half pairs of Puma Mostros, and he's still cribbing. I wonder when people will ever be truly happy...

Paradise Island: All the clones were issued four pairs of Puma Mostros, including our hero, the debonair Lincoln Six Echo. (Ewan McGregor)

"L.6.E" Special Edition: Lincoln Six Echo's (L.6.E) white perforated leather Mostros. Though he is cribbing about the color, I wonder if Puma ever released a limited edition of the L6E? I would love to have these ones: I guess the grass is whiter on the other side.

It is no secret that only the best and coolest products make it to the big screen in Hollywood. Aston Martins, Beemers, Apple, Rolex, Sony Ericsson...the list is long but desirable. Sneakers have also long been a staple in Hollywood - Nike has appeared in countless movies, including the smash hit 'Spiderman'. And many movies would have at least one character wearing a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors. Uma Thurman wore the Onitsuka Tiger (Asics) Tai-Chi's in 'Kill Bill'. And now, with 'The Island', the Puma Mostro finds its rightfully deserved place in tinsel town.

Hollywood, here I come: With a unique double strap upper design and a spiked outsole, the Mostro is one of Puma's best selling shoes ever. Today we review the Brown Italian Suede version of this popular shoe.

The first Mostro was released way back in 1999, around the same time when Puma decided to shift gears and evolve from being a hardcore sports brand to a lifestyle brand, and in the process tapped an opportunity which no one else saw at that time. Puma's huge success in the fashion footwear market today is a result of the risk they took during those formative years, and undoubtedly the stellar success of the Mostro gave Puma enough confidence to further walk down the untrodden path. Many of the shoes we see today in the Puma stores are design extensions of the Mostro in some form or the other. Be it the radical strap closure design, or in-your-face kind spiked outsole, these design elements have truly helped Puma solidify their current design direction and product positioning.

The best things in life come simple: The Mostro introduced the instant noodle version of the traditional lacing system, and the shoe hasn't looked back since. The molded pull tab with the 'Puma' logo blends form and function.

Two-in-one: The elasticized straps pass through an indestructible TPU piece attached to the sole, which also doubles up as a supportive shank which prevents your foot from caving in. Ingenious. The distinctive dimpled outsole provides ample grip and cushioning.

Sprint like a cat: The molded heel piece sports the Puma logo. Apart from being a nice touch of detail, the heel piece has a curvature which helps grip the heel to avoid slippage. If you peep inside the shoe, you might observe that the tongue is held in place by elasticized bands, resulting in a glove like fit.

The Mostro has been selling strong for many years now and the design still looks contemporary and fresh. The Mostro has been released in many materials - soft full grain leather, synthetic ribstop (my favorite) and suede. It is also easily one of the most comfortable sneakers in the market, scoring over other shoes with its form fitting upper, and easy on - easy off approach to lacing. The Mostro I picked up from the store a few days back has a soft, luxurious brown Italian suede leather upper, plus the collar area and sockliner is lined with tumbled pigskin. As you try these shoes on for the first time, you'll find your foot sliding in smoothly over the butter smooth footbed lining, and the soft leather upper gently closes over your foot as you tighten the elastic straps.

Lux: Rich material execution on the brown Mostro - suede upper and pigskin lining.

Sometime last year, as I was browsing in one of local bookstores, I came across an issue of the TIME magazine which had a special fashion supplement. I picked it up and started leafing through the pages, looking for, you guessed it - shoes. My patience was rewarded as I came across a full double page spread which showed which sneakers were popular across different cities of the world. Surprise, surprise, there was Bangalore (now Bengaluru?) on the list and next to it was the Puma Numostro, which is essentially an update to the original Mostro. I had a chance to go to Bangalore - sorry, Bengaluru, after reading that, but I did not see anyone wearing Numostros. Or Mostros. But I did see many people wearing Mostro-esque sneakers, so I guess the creative types at TIME magazine are on to something.

The timekeeper of style and design: This came as a special Spring 2007 supplement

Bengaluru is hot, and so is the (Nu) Mostro: With 'Most-ro-tten' traffic in Bangalore, the residents or clones would not be going anywhere in a hurry, Island or no Island. But that should not stop anyone from wearing a Mostro.

That was pretty much my whole rant about the Puma Mostros. And if Lincoln Six Echo is reading this, he could drop by and pick up the Brown Italian suede Mostros and leave his virgin white ones with me instead...

The Lowdown:

Shoe name: Puma Mostro (Italian Suede)

Color reviewed: Seal Brown-Black

Retail price (India): INR 4499

Estimated US retail: $ 130

Available at: Majority of Puma stores and select multibrand stores.

Weight: 344 grams for a half pair of size UK 9 / US 10

Verdict: If you love Pumas' low profile, fashionable line of sneakers, do yourself a favour and pick up a pair of Mostros. The brown Italian suede upper and pigskin lining, combined with an innovative design, ensures that these shoes will remain in style for a long time to come. A near perfect blend of style and everyday comfort.