Litas — you either love them or love to hate them. By now anyone with an internet connection and the ability to google the words “fashion blog” are familiar with the oddly shaped shoe with a larger than average toe box and a stacked wooden heel. They are reminiscent of 1970s style in their clunkiness and are great for looking “different and unique” — that is if you want to look like every other fashion blogger trying to look “different and unique”.

The problem with a lot of trends deemed “ultra-cool” is that fashion bloggers jump on things with a quickness. It’s a fast-fashion dream — churning out blog posts on new “favorites” just to get page views. It’s lame, but I understand it — might as well milk the trend before it dies, right? Unfortunately, once the trend trickles down to the masses, everyone is seemingly over it and on to the next one.

Jeffrey Campbell is riding out the Lita trend hard, making the shoe in approximately 4,762 styles — everything from tapestry cat prints to astral scenes — and there is a Lita for everyone, be it a studded boot or American flag print. There is a Lita for every single outfit you own.

Back in the ’90s I was infatuated with grunge and alternative style. While the rest of my high school was sporting polo-shirts or sweater-vests, I had on a Nirvana t-shirt, broomstick skirt, and Doc Martens. I wanted to stand out, and stand out I did. I had one pair of shoes in particular that were truly hideous — and I loved them. They were baby-powder-blue, with the sheen of a diner booth seat, and a wooden heel with white trim. I thought they were great, in a “so ugly they’re cute” type of way. And trust me, they were! But I was chastised for wearing them, and people thought I was weird. Now, if I wore those same shoes today I’d probably be thought of as “fashion forward”.

Maybe Litas are getting a bad rap. It’s really less about the shoe and more about the herd mentality that comes with it. Now that it’s cool not to fit in, isn’t everyone that isn’t conforming to mainstream just, well, conforming to something else? If you want to look kooky — go for it. But throw away your fashion magazines and unplug from the internet before you get dressed. Dressing just like yourself? Now that’s original.

Christy Lorio is a freelance writer and personal stylist living in New Orleans. She blogs at Slow Southern Style and can be reached for a wardrobe consultation at Slow Southern Styling.